The United States Strategic Water Initiative (USSWI)
The United States Strategic Water Initiative (USSWI) is an effort to enhance American competitiveness in water purification science and technology. Specifically, the USSWI will be directed toward advancing the science of water purification and accelerate the implementation of the innovative U.S. technologies needed to deliver, increase, and protect fresh water supplies. USSWI is intended to augment the work of associations, agencies, and companies that serve the water sector by increasing the number of technological solutions they employ in their activities. The goals of USSWI are to:
- Provide feedback from water associations, suppliers, users, practitioners, government officials, and public on water purification needs, technologies, and product performance to S&T researchers;
- Provide a direct path for new ideas and technologies created in research laboratories to be evaluated, demonstrated, verified, and certified;
- Foster public and private investment in water purification research, and accelerate the implementation, commercialization, and adoption of technologies that emerge from such research;
- Create a prioritized list of gaps, needs, and opportunities in water science and technology. Secure the commitment of the U.S. Congress to address this list, and engage with the public and officials to advance water science and technology research.
The resulting recommendations will be to governmental bodies encouraging their support of new research and development activities aimed at decreasing costs for new water treatment infrastructure, for increasing new water supplies, for enhancing the competitiveness of the United States water technology sector, and for contributing to sustainable sufficiency in the United States and around the world. The recommendations will address the priority-setting criteria established by the National Research Council (2004) for setting the national water-resources research agenda.U.S. and World Need:
- Global economic output is expected to expand more than 300% by 2050, with strongest growth in developing regions such as Asia. In these areas, water resources are already strained and per capita water footprints are expected to expand proportionally with per capita income.
- Globalization is eroding the U.S. lead in supplying water technologies. Countries such as Switzerland and Singapore have developed strong national investment policies and industrial sectors to compete in the global marketplace. Europe and China are now investing heavily in water research and technologies. International competitors are making significant inroads into the U.S. marketplace.
