The United States is awash in water, but our capacity for storing surface water and the demands on it are growing. In fact, 36 states anticipate shortages in localities, regions, or statewide in the next 10 years, according to the U.S. Accountability Office.
While that's bad news for states like Colorado and Texas, the Dayton region sees an opportunity. Sitting on top of one of the largest clean aquifers in the nation, those who market the region are preparing to lure new companies to the area with the promise of 1.5 trillion gallons of H2O.
"We don't have mountains, we don't have oceans, but boy we have water," says Maureen Patterson, vice president of stakeholder relations for the Dayton Development Coalition. "We're seeking responsible water users, like data centers, chip manufacturers, food wholesalers," Patterson says. "Or brewers, or bottlers."
In April, the Coalition placed an ad in the Wall Street Journal as the first volley in its H2Open for Business campaign touting the region's water resources. Subsequently, the coalition sent a bottle of Dayton-area water to site selection officials across the country.
After the first of the year, the coalition will begin distributing marketing materials to site selectors and companies that might be tempted by an almost unquenchable resource. Patterson says the Water Innovations Alliance will hold a convention in Dayton in May. Backed by IBM and Intel -- which Patterson says is "the number one user of water" -- the conference is a perfect forum to highlight Dayton water, she says.
"This is a clean, buried, valley aquifer. You don't have to purify it. And it also remains a constant 56 degrees -- that's perfect for geothermal heating and cooling."
Source: Maureen Patterson, Dayton Development Coalition
Writer: Gene Monteith