The Milwaukee Water Works and H₂Oscore have formed a partnership to provide water usage data at an online portal to help consumers understand and control their water use and costs. H₂Oscore uses electronic dashboards to connect consumers to their water usage data provided quarterly by the Milwaukee Water Works, the City of Milwaukee’s drinking water utility. 

“The ability to look at your own water usage and compare it to similarly situated customers is of value to our retail customers,” said MWW Superintendent Carrie Lewis. “Under the new 2013 Wisconsin Act 25, the utility can no longer provide these comparisons. H₂Oscore is stepping in to relay this information while still protecting customers’ privacy.” 

H₂Oscore also links to Milwaukee’s award-winning Use Water Wisely program, which helps customers find and repair water leaks to reduce water waste and control water costs. With Milwaukee’s plentiful water supply, ample treatment and pumping capacity, low cost, and protection of the resource by returning water to Lake Michigan, MWW customers are encouraged to reap the benefits that MWW offers — don’t hesitate to use water, but use it wisely. 

H₂Oscore Founder McGee Young added, “In the city with access to the greatest reservoir of freshwater in the world, the community has recognized the importance of good stewardship of this resource. By helping Milwaukee residents and businesses use water more wisely, H₂Oscore and the Milwaukee Water Works are pioneering new approaches to customer engagement. With the partnership of local companies like the Great Lakes Distillery, support from the City of Milwaukee’s Sustainability Team, and the enthusiastic participation of local residents, we can ensure that our ‘blue future’ is also our ‘green future.’ ” 

The service at h2oscore.com also will be available to MWW retail customers in Greenfield, Hales Corners and St. Francis. H₂Oscore will offer incentives from local stores who agree with H₂Oscore to offer a discount. The program does not offer rebates or discounts on the water usage and water service charge portions of the Milwaukee Municipal Services Bill. 

The Milwaukee Water Works is a member of the Water Council; H₂Oscore is a water technology startup participating in the Global Freshwater Seed Accelerator Program through the Water Council. 

Begun as a collaborative learning effort at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Marquette University, H₂Oscore’s services and software are in use in several municipalities. 

The Milwaukee Water Works provides high-quality drinking water and monitoring water quality. The utility treats Lake Michigan water with a multiple barrier process, including ozone disinfection and biologically active filtration, to provide pure, safe water and protect public health. 

How does your municipality handle decreasing budgets and increasing water demands as populations grow? Leave a comment below.