As someone who has lived in southeastern Wisconsin my entire life, and the majority of that within a few miles of Lake Michigan despite numerous moves, I’ve always had a deep fondness for the big pond to the east.

For the past couple of years, though, that fondness has turned into a fascination, particularly as I’ve followed the developments of the Milwaukee 7 Water Council and the process of establishing a School of Freshwater Sciences at UW-Milwaukee. It’s the primary reason you’ll find an in-depth look at what’s happening in this issue, and I encourage you to also check out the expanded edition of the article on our web site.

I had the opportunity to attend a talk by Val Klump of UWM’s Great Lakes WATER Institute earlier this year and, like many of those in attendance, found his thoughts intriguing. At the end of his speech, Klump patiently answered questions from the audience including one regarding what can be done about zebra mussels, the highly invasive species that is doing a tremendous amount of damage to the Great Lakes, along with its nasty cousin, the quagga mussel.

Klump’s answer?

I’m paraphrasing here, but he essentially told the audience member that if he could find a way to make them palatable, he’d be a very rich man.

Everyone chuckled, of course, but Klump’s answer really made a good point. The push to make Milwaukee a water technology hub – as well as an academic center for freshwater science  — is based on opportunity. It’s there for the creative thinkers, for those who are willing to take a chance and who definitely see the opportunity presented to us in the region.

Along with that, however, is the need to tread carefully and thoughtfully. Milwaukee’s role as a water hub involves technology and freshwater science – I’ve been told by experts like Klump that they often work in concert with each other, which is a great thing in my book.

I’ve read reports on the potential for wind power on Lake Michigan and even aquaculture that doesn’t include an ice auger and a blaze orange snowsuit. While I’m not an expert in either of these fields, or in water technology for that matter, I do think we need to take a step back when assessing the opportunity before us in the state.

If done well, there is tremendous potential for economic growth in an emerging industry that has worldwide implications. At the same time, as one of the sources of my article notes, we need to keep a broad vision, and not rob existing industries of the support they need to stay viable in the Milwaukee 7 region.

Can we do it? With the combined passion and intellect in the leaders of the M7 Water Council, as well as others who are now sitting down at that table, I definitely think we can.

Of course, the pièce de résistance would be if someone could actually find a decent recipe for all those darn mussels in the lake. It’s a “fresh coast” seafood industry waiting to happen.

By Laurie Arendt

Laurie Arendt is editor of CRW. She can be reached at crweditor@crwmag.com