December 2025
Aquaya 20 Year Milestones
Aquaya Milestones
2005–2025
Two decades of rigorous science
2004-2005
Devastating Indian Ocean tsunami kills 230,000 people across 14 countries
Co-founder deploys to Indonesia's hardest-hit region to help provide safe water to tsunami survivors
Two scientists launch Aquaya from a San Francisco garage
2006
Published first study on tsunami water response, revealing critical gaps in emergency protocols
Secured major funding to pioneer water quality testing methods, partnering with WHO
2007
Gates Foundation scales up Aquaya's work to field test innovative water quality testing technologies
2008
Launched multi-year field study with 400 households in rural Kenya to test which water treatments actually work in daily life
Kenya research wins "Best Policy Paper" award—simple chlorine treatment outperformed expensive alternatives in both effectiveness and real-world use
2011
Gates Foundation doubles down and funds Aquaya's ambitious "Monitoring for Safe Water" program to track water quality across multiple countries
2012
Opened office in Nairobi, Kenya
2014
Expanded into sanitation research, including assessing demand via willingness-to-pay studies
Launched AquayaLEARN fellowship to train local water professionals across Africa
2016
Joined the TetraTech ARD-led, USAID-funded WASHPaLS consortium
2017-2022
Built teams in Ghana, Uganda, and Ethiopia while growing the Kenyan team
2020
Started subsidy research in partnership with the Hilton Foundation
Created the Water Quality Assurance Fund, guaranteeing lab payment for testing rural water systems, bringing professional monitoring to remote communities
2021
Awarded first direct USAID contract to lead the REAL-Water project
Names Rachel Peletz as Executive Director
2022
Created centralized WASH data hub pilot site (Project W)
2023
Partnered with universities in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Uganda to launch WaterTRACS Fellowship, training undergraduates in water quality testing
2024
Published 50th peer-reviewed article spanning research in 30+ countries
2025
Celebrating 20 years of rigorous science to solve the global water crisis
20 Years of Impact
From a San Francisco garage to global leadership in water science. Aquaya continues to pioneer innovative solutions.
