Partner for innovative water solutions
A guest article by Dean Amhaus
Since March 2010, Dean Amhaus has served as the president and CEO of The Water Council in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. His diverse, 40-year background in multiple sectors encapsulates a wide range of expertise in government relations, branding, fundraising, economic development and nonprofit management in Washington, D.C., and Madison, Wisconsin. Dean began his career working in Washington, D.C., for a firm that advocated for federal policy issues for the arts, humanities and people with disabilities.”
There is an old quote from American politics: “A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it begins to add up to real money.” Unfortunately, today we tend to toss around such big numbers and gloss over their significance. The same seems to be true when we hear the United Nations’ statistic that more than 2 billion people live in countries experiencing high water stress. More than half of the global population could face water shortages by 2050. We can be numb to those large numbers, but frankly one is too many.
Climate change only exacerbates the issue. Most of the effects of climate change will be felt through water, whether drought, flooding, rising sea levels or unpredictable rain patterns. Water is also deeply tied to energy, as energy production often requires large amounts of water, and water and wastewater utilities require large amounts of energy. Clearly, then, water is at the crux of sustainability impact. Yet alarmingly, it still doesn’t receive the attention it should. At The Water Council – a nonprofit based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - we address challenges of water quality and quantity in a unique way by focusing on water technology innovation and wa?ter stewardship, connecting solutions providers and solutions seekers to solve global water challenges and preserve freshwater resources.
Freshwater technology hub
In some ways, Milwaukee might seem like an odd place for an organization like us. The city sits on the shores of Lake Michigan – part of the mighty Great Lakes, home to just over 20% of the world’s surface freshwater reserves. Yet we in Milwaukee understand the value of freshwater and the critical importance of protecting it. Historically, much of our economy, from brewing to tanneries to manufacturing, relied on abundant, clean freshwater. A water technology sector developed over more than a century to support that need, with large corporations such as A. O. Smith Corporation, Badger Meter, Kohler and more making their home in southeastern Wisconsin. Wilo opened its U.S. headquarters in Cedarburg, a Milwaukee suburb, in 2022, joining a confluence of over 240 water technology businesses, as well as acclaimed utilities and universities - one of the largest water technology clusters in the world.
The Water Council was founded in 2009 to harness the economic potential of Milwaukee’s water technology hub while addressing the vital task of conserving the world’s freshwater. We are a membership organization, working to convene, connect and showcase water technology companies, universities, utilities and innovative water stewards worldwide.
"It doesn’t have to be wet to be water tech.”
Innovating solutions
Technology innovation is crucial to addressing persistent water problems. We work with global startups
and established companies operating in digital solutions, artificial intelligence, and advanced mate and membranes as well as more traditional wastewater, drinking water, stormwater and industrial solutions. As we like to say, “it doesn’t have to be wet to be water tech.”
Several of our members are working on the removal and destruction of PFAS chemicals. Others are developing digital or AI-based systems to help wastewater and drinking water utilities better manage their operations. From wastewater management to water reuse to improving energy efficiency for water utilities, our companies are involved in every aspect of the water cycle.
Innovation programs like our Tech Challenge and Pilot Program help connect large water corporations and water users to promising technologies from across the world. Our BREW 2.0 Post-Accelerator provides late-stage water tech startups with the training and connections they need to overcome the growth hurdle of commercialization and continue their scale into the market.
Water tech companies also need connections to innovative water users, particularly those looking to improve their water stewardship.
Water Stewardship: An overlooked sustainability factory
Unfortunately, with water’s relatively low cost and easy access, water stewardship remains a low priority for many companies. Clean, abundant water is just as important to business – and life – as clean air. Problems with water quantity and quality disrupt operations and supply chains, cripple profit margins and hurt brand value. But unlike the alternative energies now being developed and adopted, there is no alternative for water. But addressing water risks is more complicated than reducing carbon emissions, and progress and impact are harder to measure. A ton of carbon mitigated in Milwaukee has the same benefit long term as a ton of carbon mitigated in Wilo’s home of Dortmund, Germany. That’s not the case with water; a gallon of water saved in water-abundant Milwaukee doesn’t help water-scarce Phoenix. Yet even in Milwaukee, we face water challenges such as stormwater management and legacy industrial contamination. Water impacts are relevant to the local watershed(s) in which a company operates.
That’s why a critical first step in corporate water stewardship is assessing water use, risks and opportunities across a company’s enterprise.
At The Water Council, we were at the forefront in recognizing that companies need assistance getting started on the water aspect of their stewardship journey. That’s why we created WAVE: Water Stewardship Verified. WAVE accelerates water stewardship action within organizations of all sizes using a five-step approach:
Understand water uses and impacts across the enterprise
Assess watershed risk
Prioritize sites and actions to mitigate water-related risk
Approve a water stewardship policy
Communicate an action plan, goals and timeline
Organizations from across the industrial spectrum, and even universities, have found value in WAVE.
Convene, Connect, Showcase
Water is a shared resource for businesses and citizens, so WAVE encourages companies to take a collaborative approach within their watersheds to address shared challenges. We also offer consultation to our WAVE companies to help them meet their water technology needs, connecting the stewardship side of our work with the innovation side. One example that occurred outside of our WAVE program involves our members Primo Brands (previously BlueTriton Brands) and Wellntel, a member company that uses acoustic technology to continuously measure and report on groundwater supply. Primo uses Wellntel technology at four locations to monitor groundwater levels and flow at the springs from which Primo sources its products.
Making those connections is what The Water Council does best, whether it’s connecting a wastewater utility to an exciting new treatment technology, helping an overseas member find a U.S.-based partner, or connecting a corporate water user to the technology it needs to become a better water steward. These collaborations are crucial to solving growing water challenges, which is why we will continue to “convene, connect and showcase” our members. Our connection to Wilo reflects a close partnership with similar interests, values and perspectives. Our work drives economic development and promotes solutions to address pressing challenges involving water quality and quantity. Wilo’s products and solutions complement The Water Council’s objectives.
Let’s all do our part to make sure we no longer casually talk about the alarming fact that billions of people can’t access this world’s most precious resource – water. The Water Council looks forward to continuing to work with Wilo toward that goal.
Photos made by WILO SE, The Water Council and Peter Zuzga
Wilo in The Water Council
Wilo has been a member of The Water Council since October 2024. This connection is based on a partnership with similar interests, values and perspectives as well as mutual support in promoting a more sustainable use of the valuable resource of water. Deepening the partnership, Svenja Ahlburg, Regional Chief Sales Officer of Wilo Americas, has been a member of the Board of Directors of The Water Council since January 2025.
Why did Wilo join The Water Council, and what is your role on the Board of Directors?
By joining The Water Council, Wilo is strengthening its leading role in the water technology sector and becoming part of a network that promotes sustainable water solutions. In my role as a board member, I help to raise awareness of acute challenges relating to water availability, quality and usage and to foster links between representatives from the public sector, industry and science.
How can companies and organisations be motivated to prioritise water in their sustainability strategies?
Both water shortages and flooding pose an existential threat. Sustainable and efficient water management is not only an ecological imperative, but also a commercial and strategic advantage. By using water responsibly, companies boost their competitiveness and value chain, and protect critical infrastructure
What projects are planned with The Water Council and Wilo?
The Water Council has launched the BREW 2,0 Accelerator Programme (Business, Research and Entrepreneurship in Water) to assist young companies and innovators from the water technology sector in entering the market. Wilo USA is part of the programme as a jury member and accompanies start-ups from all over the world through the Accelerator process.
