A new private-sector report shows that after a downturn, patents on a range of technologies for water are back on the rise as companies are busy innovating around a basic human need and resource.

The summary of the 2013 patent landscape report (covering 2010-2012) from law firm Foley & Lardner is available here [pdf] or here.

The report broke down the search by technology types, including: purification, desalination, metering, irrigation, and groundwater. It also looked at different types of uses, such housing, pond or pool filtration, and aspects of water treatment.

In general, the search found a decline from 2009 to 2010, but then saw a bounce-back, with variation, potentially attributable to the 2007 economic downturn.

In 2012, there were 557 water technology patents granted in the US.