Learn what Verano Water Group is, which three subsidiaries it owns, and what Abtech Industries makes. Includes how Smart Sponge media match contaminants and how to confirm a fit.
Verano Water Group is a water infrastructure platform that invests in and scales clean-water companies through a portfolio of subsidiaries. Abtech Industries makes Smart Sponge® filtration media and the equipment that holds it. It is one of those subsidiaries, and it is based in Scottsdale, AZ.
Who is Verano Water Group?
Verano Water Group describes itself as a company that "invests in and scales high-performance companies transforming how communities, industries, and governments manage and protect clean water." It runs as an integrated platform and works through mission-driven subsidiaries. Its clients are commercial, industrial, public and utility organizations where clean water is central to operations.
Which companies sit under Verano Water Group?
Three subsidiaries make up the group, and each has a distinct job.
| Company | What it does |
|---|---|
| Abtech Industries | Precision water filtration media that target persistent contaminants in water systems |
| Brisa Resilience | Climate and stormwater infrastructure, using Brisa Analytics and Brisa Solutions to identify environmental risks and build infrastructure |
| Community Infrastructure Partners | Performance-based infrastructure delivery with local governments and utilities, linking compensation to measurable impact |
If you need filtration media for a permit problem, Abtech is the one to look at. Brisa works on the data and infrastructure side. Community Infrastructure Partners works on how public projects get delivered.
The link between Abtech and the parent also runs through people. Glenn Rink serves as President of Verano Water Group and is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AbTech Industries.
What does Abtech make, and for whom?
Abtech makes Smart Sponge® media and the hardware that places it in the path of water. The line includes:
- Ultra Urban® Filter catch basin inserts, custom-fabricated to each basin's geometry.
- Bulk media for loading into existing pressure vessels, skids, tanks and vaults.
- Vessels and skid-mounted Smart Skid systems with pumps and flow controls.
- Smart Pak®, Smart Bags, Smart Drum units and end-of-pipe units for vaults, channels and outfalls.
- Skimmers and booms for floating oil, fuel and sheen at docks, sumps and outfalls.
The buyers are organizations that have to meet water-quality requirements. They include MS4 operators and public works departments, and industrial facilities under NPDES, MSGP and SWPPP permits. Municipal and industrial wastewater operators buy it, as do airports, transportation agencies, marinas, boatyards, shipyards and marine terminals.
A repeated benchmark exceedance usually starts the purchase. So does a discharge or reuse limit that current treatment misses, or a TMDL allocation. Wastewater operators can place the media at different points in an existing treatment train to help meet discharge and reuse limits. Marinas, for example, can start with fuel dock spill prevention.
What media treat dissolved metals, hydrocarbons, bacteria and PFAS?
Each contaminant class has its own Smart Sponge® medium. Several can be combined in one system when a site's water carries more than one class. The contaminant decides the media, and the site decides the format.
| Contaminant | Medium | Typical format |
|---|---|---|
| Oil, grease, hydrocarbons | Standard Smart Sponge® (hydrophobic, polymeric-based) | Inserts, booms, skimmers, vaults |
| Dissolved metals (lead, zinc, copper, arsenic, selenium) and phosphorus | Smart Sponge® HM | Catch basin inserts, vessels, vaults |
| E. coli and coliform | Smart Sponge® Plus | Stormwater inserts and vaults |
| Dissolved organic compounds that raise TOC | Smart Sponge® AC | Vessels, skids, vaults |
| PFAS | Smart Sponge® Quanta™ | Pilot and full-scale deployments |
Oil and hydrocarbons absorb into the standard media and are retained. Metals and other contaminants are held at the media surface. Results depend on the site's water, so each medium is described by what it targets, not by promised removal rates.
Passive formats such as the Ultra Urban® Filter need no power. Pumped systems such as Smart Skid use pumps, pressure and flow controls, so they need a power supply.
Why don't sediment controls handle the dissolved fraction?
Sediment and TSS controls capture particulates, so the dissolved fraction of a pollutant passes through them. Dissolved zinc, copper, phosphorus and PFAS fall in that category, and bacteria can pass through too. Many permit exceedances come from this gap, not from a lack of sediment capture.
A lab report that separates dissolved from total results shows quickly whether sediment controls are enough. If dissolved values stay above your benchmark, the site needs a medium that binds the dissolved pollutant. A sediment-focused medium can still sit upstream in the same system. It protects the downstream media and keeps flow moving.
Catch basin inserts or new treatment infrastructure?
Inserts fit when you have existing basins and want treatment without new construction. The Ultra Urban® Filter retrofits existing basins without excavation, pumps or power. It captures trash, sediment and targeted pollutants at the inlet. A 20-year warranty covers stainless steel Ultra Urban® Filter inserts. It does not cover media, media life, removal performance or other formats.
New or pumped infrastructure fits when conditions push past what an inlet can hold. Four things decide it:
- Flow: a large design flow may call for vessels or skids rather than many inserts.
- Footprint: if you already have a vault, tank or pressure vessel, bulk media can go into it.
- Power: inserts are passive, while skid systems need pumps and controls.
- Effluent target: a tight discharge or reuse limit may need treatment at several points in the network.
Treatment can sit at one location or across several. The pollutant source, design flow, footprint and discharge objective set the layout. Retrofitting usually causes less disruption than building, but the water decides whether it is enough.
How do you confirm a fit before committing?
Start with a site assessment. It covers contaminants, flows, available space, effluent targets and maintenance access. For larger applications, laboratory column testing on a sample of your own water comes next. A pilot follows before full-scale deployment.
For what to bring and how the work is staged, read about hiring a water treatment specialist to close a permit gap. More guides are on the Abtech blog. If you want us to match media and format to your water and site, schedule a site assessment with Abtech Industries.