SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 29, 2016--
Today, 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 today, 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/.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160229006964/en/
Source: Xylem Inc.
Xylem Inc.:
Kelly McAndrew,
914-281-4207
Kelly.McAndrew@xyleminc.com
or
San
Francisco Public Utilities Commission:
Tyrone Jue,
415-554-3247
tjue@sfwater.org
or
California
Water Resources Control Board:
George N. Kostyrko,
916-341-7365
George.Kostyrko@waterboards.ca.gov
or
U.S.
Water Partnership:
Chuck Chaitovitz, 703-379-2713
Chuck.Chaitovitz@uswaterpartnership.org