Aaron Tartakovsky, Co-Founder and CEO of Epic Cleantec, is celebrated as a Hydro20 honoree for leading the onsite water reuse revolution, transforming urban resilience by scaling systems that significantly reduce water demand.

Challenging outdated centralized water systems, Tartakovsky promotes decentralized recycling at the building scale, capable of reusing up to 95% of wastewater. His vision expands beyond basic applications like toilet flushing to include irrigation, cooling towers, and even laundry, drastically reducing reliance on municipal water supplies.

Under Tartakovsky’s leadership, Epic Cleantec has implemented landmark projects, such as the 1550 Building in San Francisco, which recycles 7,500 gallons of graywater daily, totaling 2.5 million gallons annually, sparing a key California reservoir.

Other notable projects include Salesforce Tower, home to the largest blackwater recycling system in the U.S., and the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, demonstrating that urban water reuse is both practical and scalable, even in high-end properties.

Beyond technology, Tartakovsky advances public understanding of water reuse through initiatives like Epic’s OneWater Brew, a beer made from recycled graywater that sparked widespread conversation. He has also driven regulatory change, streamlining approvals for decentralized water reuse projects in multiple U.S. cities.

By educating developers, architects, engineers, and contractors, Tartakovsky fosters a collaborative learning environment, enabling the construction industry to adopt innovative water reuse practices more readily.

Aaron Tartakovsky’s visionary leadership in water recycling and urban sustainability has earned him a well-deserved place among the Hydro20 honorees.