Chart of the month - North American venture capital investment in water and wastewater , 2007-1H2012

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This month’s chart shows the investments in the North American water and wastewater sectors made by venture capital firms over the past five and a half years, according to the CleanTech Group’s i3 Platform.

The water and wastewater sectors have received far more venture capital funding in the first half of 2012 than in any half year since the first half of 2008. Venture capital investment in the sector appears to have come roaring back from its nadir in the second half of 2009, at the height of the recession. The number of deals made this year also seems to be on course to surpass last year’s five-year high of 30. According to the CleanTech Group, most of the money invested so far in 2012 has gone to water filtration technologies in the municipal and commercial sectors and to water treatment technologies in oil and gas. Companies developing the latter received nearly 32 percent of total disclosed investments this year. It seems the oil and gas industry’s push to improve stewardship of water resources is driving new investment, despite concerns among some water industry observers that venture capital will not play a major role in the sector in the long term.