Many industries that first created jobs -- and a reputation -- for Milwaukee were closely connected to water. Breweries, for instance, relied on the area's supply of water for their operations. Some businesses and community leaders believe water also holds the key to the region's future. They want southeastern Wisconsin to become a global hub for the water technology industry.
The conversation surrounding the topic is heating up. But questions remain. For example, what investments would be needed to create a water technology hub here? Would the industry provide the kind of jobs that the region needs? Could other cities beat us to the punch?
In December of 2009, the WUWM Newsroom and Lake Effect journalists explored what it takes to develop a global hub for water technology in southeastern Wisconsin for the Project Milwaukee: The Currency of Water series.
PROJECT MILWAUKEE: THE CURRENCY
OF WATER RADIO REPORTS
Monday, December 7th, 2009
WUWM News:
Environmental reporter Susan Bence kicks off WUWM's latest Project Milwaukee series by exploring how the conversation to create a water industry in Milwaukee got started. Also, she examines the global water problems that are in need of solutions.> Listen.
Lake Effect:
Historian John Gurda, on how water and water-related industries have shaped Milwaukee since the time the first settlers came here. > Listen.
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
WUWM News:
WUWM's LaToya Dennis meets some major players trying to establish Milwaukee as a center for water technology. She'll profile businesses that could make up the industry hub here. > Listen.
Lake Effect:
Badger Meter President and CEO and M7 Water Council Co-Chair Rich Meeusen talks about what he believes Milwaukee's future water industry could look like, and why he thinks a coordinated approach between industry, government, and academia is warranted. > Listen.
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 WUWM News:
WUWM's Marti Mikkelson reports on what Milwaukee needs if it's going to move forward and become a center for the water industry. > Listen.
Lake Effect:
Richard Longworth, senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, discusses why it might be a mistake for a single city like Milwaukee to try to establish itself as a water capital, rather than pursuing a more regional strategy. And, Katherine Bliss, senior fellow of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, frames the global water crisis for us. > Listen.
Thursday, December 10th, 2009
WUWM News:
Ann-Elise Henzl reports on how leaders in other cities have transformed their regions into hubs of certain industries. Some believe research, an industry cluster, and marketing efforts will help create Milwaukee as a water technology hub. Also, we'll look at Milwaukee's global competitors in the race to specialize in water technology. > Listen.
Lake Effect:
Robert Glennon describes the water "shell game" going on in the United States and warns we can't engineer our way out of the crisis. Glennon is the Morris K. Udall Professor of Law and Public Policy in the Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona and author of Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What to Do About It. > Listen.
Friday, December 11th, 2009
WUWM News:
WUWM's series on the future of the water technology industry in Milwaukee concludes. Erin Toner reports on the debate over whether the water initiative is a good use of the region's time and public resources, and whether it will result in jobs for people who need them. > Listen.
Lake Effect:
Val Klump and Rebecca Klaper, scientists at the Great Lakes Water Institute at UW-Milwaukee, talk about the role academia should play in a water economy here. Then, Marquette University's Matt Parlow and Peter Rofes describe the new water law curriculum being developed there. Plus, Eilon Adar, the director of the Zucerkberg Institute for Water Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, explains why Israel is developing water technology, reasons that are markedly different than Milwaukee's. > Listen.
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