Delta Bravo Awarded Nearly $5M From NSF to Scale Aquaspec, the AI Operating System for Water Utilities

Fort Mill, SC – September 2025 – Delta Bravo Artificial Intelligence, Inc. has been awarded a $5 million Phase 2 award from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) through the Convergence Accelerator program to advance Aquaspec, the next generation AI operating system for the world’s water and wastewater utilities.

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Aquaspec addresses critical national challenges in water safety and infrastructure resilience. By combining predictive analytics, real-time guidance, and decision support, Aquaspec enables operators and utility leaders to deliver safe, reliable water while reducing costs and improving resilience.

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With Phase 2 funding, Delta Bravo will scale Aquaspec’s capabilities nationwide, bringing measurable impact:

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• Operational Excellence: 10x faster time to treatment, troubleshooting, and operator training.

• Financial Efficiency: 25% savings across chemicals, energy, labor, and non-revenue water.

• Improved Resilience: 10x faster restoration of compliant services following an interruption.

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Rick Oppedisano, Founder and CEO of Delta Bravo and Principal Investigator, said:

“Water operators are under enormous pressure, working long hours to protect public health while navigating aging infrastructure and increasing compliance demands. Aquaspec was built with them, for them, empowering them to predict, prepare and perform better than ever before. Thanks to NSF’s support, we can bring this innovation to utilities nationwide, ensuring American communities have access to safe, affordable, and resilient water.”

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Brett Butz, Co-Principal Investigator and representative of the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, added: “Aquaspec is more than a technology-it’s a lifeline for communities. This work demonstrates how advanced AI can reduce risk, cut costs, and strengthen resilience while giving water system operators the tools they need to succeed. NSF’s investment in Phase 2 will allow us to expand these benefits to communities across the country.”

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Launched in 2019, the NSF  Convergence Accelerator builds upon research and discovery to accelerate use-inspired research into practical application. The program funds a cohort of teams to work interactively toward solving grand challenges that positively impact thousands of Americans.  

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Aquaspec is part of the 2023 Cohort in the NSF Convergence Accelerator Future Water Systems track, which unites researchers, industry, government, and community partners to co-develop solutions to the significant challenges facing freshwater systems in the United States.  

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Additional members of this cohort supporting Delta Bravo include subject matter experts from the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES), Clemson University, University of South Carolina, BlueTech Research, the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness, Starr-Iva Water and Sewer, Anderson Regional Joint Water System, Town of Monticello (IL), Meansville Riley Road Water Company and the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics (SCGSSM).

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Media Contact:

John Inniger, Aquaspec AI

Email: inniger@aquaspec.ai

This initiative is part of the TIP Directorate’s mission to accelerate breakthrough

technologies, transition these technologies to the market and prepare Americans for

better-quality, higher-wage jobs, including through reskilling and upskilling.

Learn more about TIP here: https://www.nsf.gov/tip/latest