A new market research report predicts enormous growth, particularly in the domestic market.

The U.S. market for the advanced drinking water technologies, estimated at about $1.3 billion in 2006, could grow to more than $2.1 billion by 2011, according to a new technical market research report.

The Advanced Technologies for Municipal Water Treatment from BCC Research indicates that the advanced drinking water market is growing at an average of 10.7 percent annually.

Technologies include membrane filtration, ozone disinfection, ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and novel oxidation processes.

Combined, the five membrane treatments for municipal drinking water are valued at $1 billion in 2006, with a predicted combined growth rate of 10.3 percent. UV disinfection, a market valued at $29.2 million, should experience considerable growth in the forecast period. A 38.6 percent average annual growth rate is predicted to 2011, when the market will reach more than $149 million.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, all 50 states and Puerto Rico invested nearly $9.5 billion in drinking water improvements from 1996 to 2005. In its 2005 annual report, the U.S.-based Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association (WWEMA) reported market growth in the industry of at least 5 percent, with 78 percent of WWEMA manufacturers seeing and projecting 10 percent-plus growth. These increases primarily are in the domestic market.