Waterus LLC

Waterus LLC, a for-profit partnership based in Irmo, South Carolina, develops electrochemical water treatment systems and receives federal research and development funding as a prime recipient under the NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and related federal grant initiatives. The vendor operates exclusively as a grant recipient (100% of recent awards), with no federal contracts or IDV participation in the source record.

Waterus specializes in two complementary electrochemical water-treatment technologies, both centered on selective ion removal without conventional chemical additives. The National Science Foundation awarded Waterus a $275 thousand SBIR Phase I cooperative agreement under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084) in May 2024 to develop Flow-Cell Assisted Softening Technology (FAST) for whole-home hard water treatment via redox flow cell technology targeting calcium and magnesium ion removal. The vendor advanced that work to SBIR Phase II with a $1.234 million cooperative agreement from NSF, awarded in August 2026 under the same TIP program, to scale the continuous salt-free softening system from laboratory validation to a household-capable prototype with extended residential field trials, design for manufacturability, and optimization of electrochemical cell performance. In parallel, the Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Bioenergy, Climate, and Environment awarded Waterus a project grant in August 2025 for the Flow-Cell Assisted Ion Removal and Recovery (FAIR2) technology, which applies similar electrochemical architecture to recover and concentrate nutrients from hydroponic farming wastewater, converting a waste stream into recoverable agricultural inputs. All performance occurs in Irmo, South Carolina.

Customer concentration is light and split between NSF (two awards, $1.509 million combined obligation) and USDA's NIBE program (one award). One award reaches ultimate completion in the next twenty-four months (the USDA FAIR2 project, due to conclude September 30, 2026), creating recompete exposure in that window. Waterus operates in the early-stage technology development space rather than in operational federal procurement; the vendor's federal footprint reflects proof-of-concept and prototype-maturation work rather than production or delivery orders.