Much Like Milwaukee’s Past, Its Future Can be Fueled by Water
Water
Much like cities around the world, Milwaukee owes its existence to water. Access to fresh water allowed it to become the Brew City, fueled its development, and was quite literally why it is located where it is, at the gathering of waters. This history has given the Milwaukee area a firm foundation in water technology and research that can be applied to water issues facing the world.
The reality that 38,000 children die each week because of the lack of clean drinking water is devastating, but it also speaks to the need for simple affordable clean water technology. The fact that a cotton t-shirt requires 1,514 liters of water to produce, again calls for advanced water technology in this case to make the manufacturing process more efficient, while helping the environment and the bottom line. And knowing that almost half of America’s river and lakes are too polluted for activities like fishing, and swimming calls for improved runoff handling, improved filtration, and enhanced treatment plant operations.
Already, there is tangible progress being made on this initiative. Marquette University has expanded its law curriculum to include water rights legislation, UWM is moving forward on its new School of Freshwater Sciences, the City of Milwaukee has begun working towards turning the Reed Street Yards in to water industry hub, and American Micro Detection Systems Inc. is planning a move to Milwaukee. These are just a few of the ongoing efforts involved in the M7 Water Council, and hopefully just the start.
Certainly, there are other regions and cities well poised for this opportunity, but why not Milwaukee, Wisconsin?
Good article. Milwaukee is very right to recognize this, but needs to do A LOT more to get to be a real world leader here. All the first steps are in place, hope to see things keep moving!
@Nick Thanks… And yes at this point it is just a start, but I do believe it is a good opportunity for Milwaukee.