The first meeting of Cincinnati's Advisory Council on Innovation was held last month, moving the City closer to its goal of becoming a global water technology hub.
The Advisory Council is composed of local and regional professionals and is charged with shaping policies that maximize the region's competitive advantage through municipal service innovation and potential commercialization of services.
"As we actively work toward developing an innovative culture in city government, we must be prepared along the way to consider and evaluate fresh opportunities, ideas, processes and products so that our community is able to stand out and excel in a highly competitive world," Advisory Council member and Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney, Jr. said in a prepared release.
Other members of the Advisory Council include:
- Thomas M. Heuer, Richard A. Forsythe chair of entrepreneurship and interim director of the Summer Business Institute at Miami University;
- Brett Smith, Institute for Entrepreneurship at Miami University;
- Wayne Fisher, retired executive, Procter & Gamble Innovation Gym;
- Scott Chadwick, provost and chief academic officer at Xavier University; and
- Biju George, interim director of Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW).
The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati's (MSD) Wet Weather Strategy is being used as a national model for communities that are under a similar federal consent decree to reduce combined sewer overflows.
GCWW has pioneered advances in water treatment for the past 100 years, including rapid-sand filtration, the use of chlorine, and granular activated carbon (GAC). Later this year, the utility will become the largest in North America to use ultraviolet disinfection following sand filtration and GAC treatments.
The goal is to create a global water technology hub to capitalize on the expertise of MSD, GCWW, and other regional utilities and stakeholders. The hub will advance water technology, research, and policy and encourage economic development through the formation of public-private partnerships among utilities, environmental technology companies, researchers, economic development professionals, government, and others.
Dohoney announced the initiative on March 18, which will work with utilities in Israel and Canada to bring technologies from idea to market.
"Cincinnati is now able to position itself as a world leader in water technology innovation," he said. "With the Advisory Council on Innovation and the formation of the technology hub, Cincinnati hopes to change the way we think of water."
Previous reading on BC:
Lower Mill Creek sewer solution approved by U.S. EPA (6/7/13)
MetroWest's water could drive development (5/16/13)
Elimination of MSD overflow credits should make development easier (3/1/13)
Lower Mill Creek overflow proposals submitted to regulators (12/28/12)
Section of Madison Road to close for a month for water main work (7/18/12)
