SAN FRANCISCO, March 1, 2016 -- A group of leading U.S. technology experts from across the corporate, government and academic sectors issued a joint call to action to develop a comprehensive water innovation strategy for the United States.
At the "Disruptive Resilience: Chief Technology Officers Map America's 2030 Water Future"conference, a cross-section of diverse experts and Chief Technology Officers debated and deliberated how to best leverage breakthrough technology advances to transform how the nation’s water resources are managed in order to create a secure water future for the next century.
This private gathering was convened by national leaders in the water sector including Felicia Marcus, Chair, California Water Resources Control Board; Harlan Kelly, Jr., General Manager, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission; Patrick Decker, President and CEO, Xylem Inc.; and Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, Vice Chair, the U.S. Water Partnership.
Leading U.S. companies represented included: Google Inc., Black & Veatch, CDM Smith, The Dow Chemical Company, McWane, Inc., OSIsoft, Inc., Valmont Industries and many others. There were also financial sector organizations including Pegasus Capital Partners, XPV Water Partners, the Westly Group, and others.
A recent National Climate Assessment report concluded that the United States will face growing water challenges related to aging infrastructure, water pollution, and climate change in the coming decades. Cities – which are projected to be the home to more than 364 million Americans by 2050 – will be increasingly vulnerable to water risks. Innovative technologies will be required to support growing demand, protect cities from floods and droughts, and protect the nation’s valuable water resources.
Ms. Marcus said, "In California and nationwide, America’s communities face enormous challenges presented by droughts, floods, aging infrastructure, and the need to keep pace with updated science and growth – issues that will only intensify in the future. Technological innovation – and access to it – is essential to building the efficient and effective water systems we need now."
Mr. Decker followed, "It is time for the United States to develop a long-term water strategy designed to accelerate research, drive commitments to action, and unlock funding for the investments and innovations we need to secure a sustainable and resilient future.”
The assembled experts recognized the importance of collaborative innovation across business, public and private research institutions and universities, and stressed that more coordination among these sectors will accelerate progress. Based on the discussion, the conference conveners outlined specific steps to restore and rebuild the water systems for our nation’s growing population in 2030 and beyond with the following call to action for national leaders, including those in Congress and the next Presidential Administration:
- Establish a Presidential Commission to draft a water strategy for the United States, drawing on leaders from state and local governments, universities, citizen organizations and the private sector to engage experts in regional dialogues that will ensure broad perspectives and innovative solutions, including funding sources and innovative financing models;
- Place technology innovation, commercialization and sustainability at the heart of this national water strategy, including increased support for basic research and development in technologies relevant to the nation’s water challenges; and
- Engage the nation’s extended research and development community, including innovators based in universities, national laboratories, corporations, start-ups and venture capital firms, in the identification, development and dissemination of disruptive water technologies.
The U.S. Water Partnership will work with the conference conveners and other key stakeholders to further develop this call to action in support of the upcoming White House Water Summit in Washington, D.C., to take place on World Water Day (March 22, 2016).
About Xylem
Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology provider, enabling customers to transport, treat, test and efficiently use water in public utility, residential and commercial building services, industrial and agricultural settings. The company does business in more than 150 countries through a number of market-leading product brands, and its people bring broad applications expertise with a strong focus on finding local solutions to the world’s most challenging water and wastewater problems. Xylem is headquartered in Rye Brook, New York with 2015 revenues of $3.7 billion and approximately 12,500 employees worldwide. Xylem was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, North America, for the last four years for advancing sustainable business practices and solutions worldwide, and the Company has satisfied the requirements to be a constituent of the FTSE4Good Index Series each year since 2013. For more information, please visit www.xylem.com.
About SFPUC
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is a department of the City and County of San Francisco that provides retail drinking water and wastewater services to San Francisco, wholesale water to three Bay Area counties, and green hydroelectric and solar power to San Francisco's residents and municipal departments.
About California Water Resources Control Board
The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) and the nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards (Regional Boards) protects water quality and allocates surface water rights. The State Water Resources Control Board has jurisdiction throughout California. Created by the State Legislature in 1967, the Board protects water quality by setting statewide policy, coordinating and supporting the Regional Water Board efforts, and reviewing petitions that contest Regional Board actions. There are nine regional water quality control boards that exercise rulemaking and regulatory activities by basins. This organization is a result of the landmark Porter-Cologne Act.
About the U.S. Water Partnership
Announced in March 2012, the U.S. Water Partnership (USWP)’s mission is to unite and mobilize the best of U.S. expertise, resources and ingenuity to address global water challenges where needs are greatest. Due to the breadth of its membership and large-scale participation from the U.S. government, the USWP constitutes an unmatched catalytic platform that facilitates public-private sector collaboration. Serving as a single entry point to access the best of U.S. resources and ingenuity to address global water security challenges, the USWP provides a unique platform to engage a diverse range of expertise, thought leadership and capability to help develop solutions. A joint effort of both public and private sectors in the U.S., the USWP is supported more than one hundred partners, including government agencies, academic organizations, water coalitions, NGOs and private sector entities. For more information, please visit http://uswaterpartnership.org/.
