In the Environmental Tech Lab program, companies will work with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) via an effort created by that agency and the Partnership Fund for New York City, an investment fund focused on the Big Apple.
The DEP runs a system that delivers more than 1 billion gallons of drinking water every day, according to a statement. The agency also treats more than 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater daily and operates 7,500 miles of sewer pipe.
Two months of preprogram discussions between the partnership and DEP produced two areas of focus for the current cohort: Operations Optimization and Analytics, along with Emergency Response and Security.
A panel of 17 “subject matter experts” from DEP selected 22 finalist companies, representatives of which came to New York City to show their products. Judges chose 10 companies to move forward. The winning technology mirrors tools found throughout government technology — for instance, AI, real-time data and autonomous vehicles.
The effort roughly echoes another recent program in New York City. The eighth annual Transit Tech Lab contest offers tech suppliers a way to prove their goods to transit officials.
The 2026 cohort for the Environmental Tech Lab is:
- CYVL (Somerville, Mass.), which uses vehicle-mounted AI and lidar sensors to scan city streets and build maps of infrastructure. (Bureau of Water and Sewer Operations)
- HighMark Building (New York) produces OverWatch, which can remove grease, wipes and debris from wastewater pumping stations before they cause clogs. (Bureau of Water Supply)
- Nyad (Birmingham, Ala.) has an AI compliance and safety co-pilot for wastewater plant operators. (Bureau of Wastewater Treatment)
- Sunfish (Austin, Texas) supplies small autonomous underwater inspection vehicles. (Bureau of Water Supply)
- Teamsolve (Los Angeles) provides an AI platform for work order records, SCADA data and lab results. (Bureau of Water Supply; Bureau of Wastewater Treatment)
- TrelliSense (Boulder, Colo.) produces optical sensors for methane leaks. (Bureau of Wastewater Treatment)
- Bluesonde (Portland, Maine) sells low-maintenance water monitoring buoys. (Bureau of Wastewater Treatment)
- CarbonCLAIR (New York) supplies mobile air filtration and carbon capture units for construction sites. (Bureau of Engineering Design and Construction)
- Manhole Metrics (London) makes sensors for sewer systems. (Bureau of Water Supply)
- Monitoreal (Stamford, Conn.) provides an AI-powered edge device for security alerts. (Bureau of Engineering Design and Construction; Bureau of Police and Security)
