The Water Council, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to advancing freshwater technology and water stewardship, has strengthened its international reach through new collaboration agreements with water technology clusters in France and Spain.
The memoranda of action (MOA) were signed in late September during and ahead of WEFTEC in Chicago, the world’s largest conference for water and wastewater professionals. The agreements aim to promote collaboration and exchange of ideas, create access to new markets for members, and support global water innovation.
Executive Director Karen Frost represented The Water Council in signing an MOA with Eric Servat on behalf of French clusters Aqua-Valley and Aquanova, jointly known as Pôles EAU. The partnership commits the organisations to promote each other’s initiatives, facilitate business connections, and act as strategic resources for companies expanding into the U.S. and French markets. The new MOA builds upon a previous collaboration established in 2014.
The signing took place on 26 September at the French American Chamber of Commerce’s “Water4Future: The Great Lakes Example” event in Chicago, which convened students, educators, UNESCO representatives, diplomats and economic development specialists to discuss sustainable water solutions.
“If we’ve learned anything the last few years, it’s that water struggles can happen anywhere at any time. That’s why it’s vital for The Water Council to work with clusters around the world in pursuit of a common goal: advancing water technology to solve global water challenges.”
Karen Frost, Executive Director, The Water Council
Three days later, on 29 September, Frost also renewed a longstanding MOA with Xavier Amores Bravo, Director of the Catalan Water Partnership (CWP) in Spain. The partnership, first formed in 2018, has already produced significant outcomes through virtual and in-person business exchanges between U.S. and Catalan companies.
A joint venture between Catalan firm SIGMADAF and Wisconsin-based Clearwater Industries emerged from this collaboration, resulting in the installation of four wastewater treatment systems in the U.S., with more expected this year. Additionally, Catalan company BGEO recently joined The Water Council to introduce its open-source digital twin solutions for water networks and urban infrastructure to the U.S. market.
“We treasure our relationship with the Catalan Water Partnership, one of our long-standing international collaborators, and we are excited to deepen our relationship with Aqua-Valley and Aquanova in France,” Frost added.
