Israeli company that produces water from air launches first pilot program in Florida.
JTA) — Large parts of Florida are suffering from severe drought, and hurricane season threatens to make things worse.
On Monday, the South Florida city of Miami Gardens announced it was launching a pilot program with the company to address its water problems — the first U.S. city to do so.
“Water Gen’s pilot will enable us to measure its use for clean drinking water if needed for hurricane relief and any other emergency water situation that may arise.” Over the next two weeks, Miami Gardens will use a midsized Water-Gen generator to produce drinking water for its residents.
The company’s largest generator yields as much as 825 gallons of water per day for only 10 cents a gallon, mostly in energy costs, according to the company.
“I congratulate Mayor Gilbert and the City of Miami Gardens for its leadership in allowing for the demonstration of water generation technology that could be a game-changer,” he said Monday.
Water-Gen’s ambitions extend beyond Florida and the United States.
Owned by Russian-Israeli entrepreneur and billionaire Michael Mirilashvili, the vice president of the World Jewish Congress, Water-Gen has Jewish friends in high places.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned it in an interview last December with CBS’s “60 Minutes” about Israel’s high-tech prowess.
“You cannot boycott products that you can’t live without.”