Water – an Obvious Investment Opportunity

Water, as simple as it is to drink, will be an obvious opportunity for investment. this the finding of a venture investment conference took place up in Sacramento, California.

• More importantly, there will be new paradigms for water management—
• Home purification tools to identify and eliminate chemical pollutants such as perchlorates and MTBE, as well a bacteria and viruses in real-time home water purification units that provide “personalized” taste for each user in a household
• Small-scale comprehensive water management solutions for remote hospitals, schools and resorts that include waste water recycling
• Real-time sensors to provide a comprehensive and also highly accurate measure of the specific chemicals and pathogens and monitor water management.

Enter the On-Site Water “Appliance”
Complete on-site water management “appliances” will be one of the strongest investments for the savvy early-stage investor. For a home, office or commercial establishment, recycling water to toilets and irrigation will save

• 50-90% of their water use
• Energy and CO2 emission—in places that use significant amounts of energy to distribute water, like Los Angeles and San Diego, on-site waste water recycling saves up 80% of the energy
  The systems might look like very different boxes, but they will share these features:
• Self-operating, self-healing—comparable to a PC as compared with a mainframe computer. These appliances will automatically transmit key data about water quality directly to the utility
• Multi-Process—combining some set of biological, ozone-based, ultrafiltration, electrocoagulation, electrolysis or chemical solutions to provide for “gold standard” efficiency and variable levels of purity for different applications.
• Modular—to accommodate the latest innovations in membranes and other water-purification solutions
• Highly subsidized—Within the next few years, water scarcity coupled with the cost of maintaining the water distri bution network will bring many localities to remove customers from the edges of their delivery grid.

Experts estimate that 70% of the costs of running a water utility are in the water transport network. According to the EPA, the US will need up to $1 trillion to upgrade its water and wastewater infrastructure over the next 20 years to maintain regulatory standards.

Water might be free—but it will cost more and more to ensure a pure, ready supply. Right now, you pay your municipality for water infrastructure. In the future, some ground-breaking innovation will be necessary to get that water to your kitchen sink. Can you imagine getting “house calls” from your water company?