The Water Council

Who We Are

Milwaukee is, as one historian puts it, “a city built on water.” Over the years, we have earned a global reputation as the freshwater technology capital of the U.S. due to our well-established water technology industry and extensive network of water innovators. Our economy, leisure and identity revolve around our abundant rivers and, of course, Lake Michigan, part of the world’s largest surface freshwater system. As we gaze at the lakeshore, the water seems to go on forever.

But we know that’s not the case here or anywhere in the world. Climate change, population growth and contamination increasingly strain the world’s freshwater supply as seemingly infinite economic growth collides with the world’s finite natural resources.

The Water Council harnesses the economic potential of Milwaukee’s water technology hub while addressing the vital task of conserving the world’s precious freshwater. The driving force behind our success is the spirit of collaboration between public and private sectors and a shared commitment to finding innovative solutions to critical global water issues.

What We Do

From our home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA – the most mature water technology hub in the world – we collaborate with businesses, utilities, NGOs, academia, government and global partners to establish an unparalleled network of water industry movers and shakers.

We Connect, Convene & Showcase our members around the globe, providing a full range of business development services and networking opportunities and the potential to collaborate with some of the world’s most prominent water innovators. Our work drives economic development and promotes solutions to address pressing challenges involving water quality and quantity.

But water technology is just one side of the coin when it comes to preserving freshwater resources. We have also proved our expertise in water stewardship, connecting corporations of any size and industry with the resources they need to mitigate their water risk. Our leadership in this area comes from our immersion in the water innovation sector and extensive global water stewardship experience. The Water Council is committed to cultivating responsible stewardship of the world’s freshwater.

How We Do It

• Our economic development services grease the wheels of the water technology sector. From our headquarters in the Global Water Center, we support water innovators through programming such as our Pilot Program, Tech Challenge and BREW 2.0 Post-Accelerator. Our matchmaking services connect startups, Fortune 500 companies and everything in between.
• We foster water stewardship by helping water users at all points in their stewardship journey identify and mitigate water-related risks and challenges. We create tailored individual water stewardship plans for company sites – dairies to data centers – that improve water-related performance informed by international best practices.
• We convene water thought leaders from inside and outside of our organization, culminating in the annual Water Leaders Summit. Our staff and board members are experts in water innovation and stewardship, and when they collaborate with their network of fellow innovators and experts, great ideas are born.