HydroPitch at WQA Convention

HydroPitch at WQA Convention

Three companies tackling key water challenges in residential, commercial, and light industrial sectors will take the stage at this year’s WQA Convention in what’s aptly named the HydroPitch Challenge. Here are the companies:

• Genesis Systems created WaterCube, a technology that pulls drinking water straight from air—ideal for places with water shortages and businesses wanting backup water sources.

• Kadeya built a smart water system with kiosks that clean and refill stainless steel bottles using filtered local water. Their AI gives drinking recommendations to keep workers safe while cutting out plastic waste.

• Stockholm Water Technology makes energy-efficient, smart water cleaning systems that turn wastewater into drinking water, soften water without chemicals, and capture useful nutrients from water.

What Are VOCs?

Kel Tren WaterCare released a new article breaking down what volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are and why private well owners should pay attention. These chemicals evaporate easily and can seep into groundwater from everyday sources like gas spills, industrial cleaners, and household products. The team points out that VOCs often can't be tasted, smelled, or seen in water, making testing the only way to know if they're present. The family-owned New Jersey company (in business since 1956) recommends either carbon filters or reverse osmosis systems as effective solutions.

How to Size a Water Softener

Aquasana's guide to water softener sizing outlines the key factors for selecting the right sized systems. According to the article, proper sizing requires knowing the water hardness level (measured in grains per gallon) and daily household water usage. The guide provides a handy calculation formula: number of people multiplied by average daily water use per person (approximately 82 gallons nationally) multiplied by water hardness level. Their example shows a four-person household with 10 GPG hardness needs a system handling 3,280 grains daily. The article warns that incorrect sizing leads to problems—undersized systems result in untreated hard water and faster wear, while oversized systems waste resources.

Tap Water Database (Founder Story)

A recent WaterWorld article tells the story of former software developer Jackson Geller and Clear Tap, the first comprehensive database of U.S. drinking water quality reports. The project began after a chance conversation with his HVAC technician, who refused to drink unfiltered D.C. tap water. Surprised by the lack of accessible water quality information, Geller used his tech expertise and AI tools to compile roughly 1 million pages of FOIA-requested Consumer Confidence Reports. The database allows users to search by location, zip code, or public water system ID to check local water quality. Geller says there were a decent amount of challenges along the way, including request fees (Michigan quoted $50,000), inconsistent record-keeping, and data errors in many official reports.

What else is happening:

• Freedom Water announces the launch of its whole-home water treatment solutions and expansion into Northern California to serve more households

• And not to be outdone, Economic Alternatives, Inc. (EAI) announced its acquisition of Western Water, an industrial water treatment company in Northern California

• EcoWater is giving back with their 100 For 100 Giveback Initiative, and Aquasana is teaming up with Central Texas Food Bank for National Nutrition Month

• WaterFilterGuru reviewed the Aquasana Shower Filter and said “it got one of the worst scores of all the shower filters we used”

• Bond Water Technologies releases a case study on how they transformed a school system’s water treatment program