Branson, a small town in southern Colorado, only has 55 residents – with a population so small, infrastructure funding is hard to come by. Colorado tightened its water safety regulations, which proved to be just outside the performance standards Branson’s purification system was capable of. Local company Innovative Water Technologies introduced a filtration design that incorporates both wind and solar power to run its purification station, which also means the project doubles down on Colorado Governor Polis’ goals of the state reaching 100% renewable energy by 2040. Using various crowdsourcing methods and receiving a $67,500 grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Branson is able to afford the inexpensive $75,000 unit, which is made with the intention of helping populations without large tax bases receive purified water.
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