![Cleaner water, cleaner future: Engineering new water tech Cleaner water, cleaner future: Engineering new water tech](https://www.nsf.gov/eng/special/water/images/waterhead.jpg)
- Natural systems clean water
- Detecting lead in tap water
- Floating farms avoid salty water
- Nanogrid uses sunlight to clean up oil
2
3
4
![Child with hose](https://www.nsf.gov/eng/special/water/images/theme1.jpg)
New purification methods can make it possible to rely on untapped water sources, such as saltwater, and to provide clean water after a disaster. The next step: getting treated water safely into our taps.
![wastewater treatment](https://www.nsf.gov/eng/special/water/images/theme2.jpg)
Helpful bacteria are turning agricultural and oil-and-gas wastewater into clean water and energy, acoustic methods are shaking contaminants out, and engineered viruses are keeping harmful bacteria in check. The long-term future? Water treatment that’s compact, mobile and off the grid.
![Coast as viewed from a satellite](https://www.nsf.gov/eng/special/water/images/theme3.jpg)
Why waste our water? Engineers envision a new cycle of water reuse, an urgent need where water is scarce. That means using greywater right where we make it, capturing stormwater and run-off, and understanding how contamination affects our waterways and homes.
![Human water cycle](https://www.nsf.gov/eng/special/water/images/theme5.jpg)
Understanding the connections between water, food and energy helps researchers create sustainable ways to meet our needs for all three.
![wastewater treatment](https://www.nsf.gov/eng/special/water/images/theme4.jpg)
Explore an engineer’s futuristic fantasy water flow between homes, industry and farming.
Engineering researchers are creating new ways to handle drought, chemical spills and water purification.
Imagine a clean water future.