Highlights Of The Program

2 days business program:

Learn from real-world case studies by industry leaders.

SHOWCASING INNOVATION:

Discover the latest technology and techniques from across the industry.

leaders talk:

Hear from top-level experts about how to stay ahead in a fast-changing industry.

MULTIPLE STREAMS:

A business program that is multi-disciplinary, giving you a broad view of the industry.

SMART TECHNOLOGIES:

Explore the latest smart and AI-driven solutions, and see how they can be used in your business.

roundtable discussion:

Join talks with industry peers. Share ideas, make connections, and find new partners.

Program 2026

DAY 1 :
MONDAY, JULY 13, 2026
08:00 - 08:50
REGISTRATION AND MORNING REFRESHMENTS
08:50 - 09:00
OPENING ADDRESS
09:00 - 09:25
INTEGRATING AI IN PROCESS OPTIMIZATION, INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT, AND WORKFORCE CAPACITY BUILDING IN A REGIONAL WASTEWATER UTILITY
Rebecca West
ReWa

Rebecca West

ReWa

  • Optimizing treatment and collection system operations with AI to enhance compliance and efficiency
  • Aligning AI-driven capital planning with rapid regional growth and long-term infrastructure needs
  • Building workforce capacity by mapping human oversight to AI adoption and cultural change
09:25 - 09:30
Q&A SESSION ON STRATEGIC AI INTEGRATION FOR REGIONAL WASTEWATER UTILITIES
09:30 - 09:55
TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION UNIT (TIU) STATUS UPDATE AND NEXT STEPS
Donald Rocha
Valley Water

Donald Rocha

Valley Water

  • Identifying workforce needs, market solutions, and external technology partnerships
  • Deploying AI, ML, and predictive models for dam safety, rainfall forecasting, and operations
Kevin Brown
Valley Water

Kevin Brown

Valley Water

  • Scaling pilots into full solutions and expanding IT upgrades to drive water-management impact
  • Enhancing cross-agency collaboration to align innovation efforts and maximize ROI outcomes
09:55 - 10:00
Q&A SESSION ON ADVANCING AI AND INNOVATION IN WATER UTILITY OPERATIONS
10:00 - 10:30
SPEED NETWORKING SESSION
  • Exchange business cards and get connected in short one-to-one meetings
  • Start the conversation to arrange a more formal meeting later on in the conference
  • Share your professional background and discuss your biggest business issues — don't forget your business cards!
10:30 - 11:00
MORNING COFFEE BREAK IN THE EXHIBIT AREA
11:00 - 11:30
PANEL DISCUSSION ON CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIGITALIZATION IN THE WATER INDUSTRY
Speaker ImageSpeaker Image
  • Strengthening water distribution efficiency, reducing losses, and tackling cyber risks and workforce skill gaps
  • Advancing AI/ML adoption through practical first steps, key innovations, and measurable utility benefits
  • Exploring AI adoption, simulation-driven learning, and its impact on water sector expertise development
  • Addressing cyber risks from data exposure, digitalization, and a shift to intelligence-led prevention

Emmanuel Uwalaka | OSH Association

Vamsi Seeta | Accenture

Clive Harrison | Independent Engineering Consultant

Sandra Stibbards | Camelot Investigations

11:30 - 12:00
RESERVED PRESENTATION
12:00 - 12:25
FROM ALERTS TO IMPACT: AN AI-DRIVEN ARCHITECTURE FOR WATER UTILITY OPERATIONAL PROTECTION
Manoj Kumar
Global Solutions Group, Inc.

Manoj Kumar

Global Solutions Group, Inc.

  • Correlating OT/IT security signals with process data to reveal which alerts pose real utility risks
  • Translating cyber alert volumes into operational risk scores layered on existing SCADA and SOC tools
  • Quantifying service disruption exposure from OT threats to speed response across utility operations
12:25 - 12:30
Q&A SESSION ON AI-DRIVEN CYBER RISK QUANTIFICATION FOR WATER UTILITY OPERATIONS
12:30 - 13:30
NETWORKING LUNCH AND VISITING THE WATER AI EXHIBITION
13:30 - 14:00
PANEL DISCUSSION ON AI FOR ENHANCED DATA MANAGEMENT IN PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE AND DECISION-MAKING
  • Implementing AI vision and drones to enhance operations, ROI, and human-AI collaboration
  • Transforming fragmented data into insights while enabling AI adoption in decentralized systems
  • Enabling trusted AI-driven decisions through data quality, digital twins, and scalable operations
  • Leveraging AI to turn data into actionable decisions, address brain drain, and tackle siloed data challenges

Chris Grollnek | Active Shooter Prevention Project (ASPP), LLC

Gadha Raj | Safe Water Network

Zheng Yi Wu | Bentley Systems

Dave Kanter | TeamSolve

14:00 - 14:25
REDUCING TREATMENT COSTS: EXPLORING AI-DRIVEN WATER QUALITY AND ENERGY MONITORING
Thobekile Gambu
uMngeni-uThukela Water

Thobekile Gambu

uMngeni-uThukela Water

  • Tracking water quality and energy use in real time to address key treatment-cost drivers
  • Refining chemical dosing and power consumption using AI to reduce operational waste
  • Supporting efficient, sustainable service through smarter data and compliance monitoring
14:25 - 14:30
Q&A SESSION ON HARNESSING AI TO CUT COSTS IN TREATMENT OPERATIONS
14:30 - 14:55
THE IT/OT CONVERGENCE PROBLEM: AI FORCING WATER UTILITIES TO RETHINK SECURITY
Nitin Agarwal
Luminace

Nitin Agarwal

Luminace

  • Hardening utility defenses as AI accelerates threat expansion across OT and IT infrastructure layers
  • Distinguishing AI risk management for utility OT environments from standard IT security frameworks
  • Pinpointing where IT-centric AI security constructs leave water utility OT vendor risk under-addressed
14:55 - 15:00
Q&A SESSION ON RETHINKING WATER UTILITY SECURITY FOR THE AI ERA
15:00 - 15:20
AFTERNOON COFFEE BREAK IN THE EXHIBIT AREA
15:20 - 15:45
AI AND PREDICTIVE INSIGHTS FOR SMALL AND MID-SIZED WASTEWATER UTILITIES
Valerie Schneider
Inframark

Valerie Schneider

Inframark

  • Leveraging ML models for chemical dosing and pump efficiency to reduce chemical and energy use
  • Boosting operational resilience with role-based dashboards and mobile access for field teams
  • Deploying secure SCADA cloud platforms to deliver AI insights without a major system overhaul
15:45 - 15:50
Q&A SESSION ON SCALING AI FOR WASTEWATER UTILITY OPERATIONS
15:50 - 16:15
VERTICAL–AI FOR WATER: TRANSFORMING CUSTOMER AND WORKFORCE EXPERIENCES
Deepak Garg
SEW.AI

Deepak Garg

SEW.AI

  • Improving customer touchpoints with AI for leak detection, billing, and proactive service
  • Upgrading workforce operations through predictive AI insights and faster field response
  • Overcoming challenges such as data silos and governance to drive adoption and trust
16:15 - 16:20
Q&A SESSION ON ADVANCING UTILITY SERVICE THROUGH VERTICAL AI SOLUTIONS
16:20 - 16:45
PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE MODEL DEVELOPMENT – PREDICTING THE HEALTH STATE OF A WATER PUMP
Dipendra Wagle
STV

Dipendra Wagle

STV

  • Developing a machine-learning model to assess pump health using real-time sensor data
  • Improving maintenance scheduling and reducing failure risks in water-system operations
  • Validating the model to ensure accuracy and support long-term deployment and uptime
16:45 - 16:50
Q&A SESSION ON IMPROVING PUMP RELIABILITY THROUGH SMART MAINTENANCE
16:50 - 17:15
THE MOST OVERLOOKED WAY TO OPTIMIZE WATER OPS WITH AI? YOUR TEAM
Yvette Brown
Xpromos

Yvette Brown

Xpromos

  • Demonstrating how non-technical staff can drive AI value through role-based prompt design
  • Building foundational AI literacy to reduce friction and increase operational efficiency
  • Sharing real-world prompts for leak detection, forecasting, and compliance reporting
17:15 - 17:20
Q&A SESSION ON TURNING YOUR TEAM INTO AN AI-POWERED WATER FORCE
17:20 - 18:20
NETWORKING DRINKS RECEPTION
DAY 2 :
TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2026
08:00 - 08:30
MORNING REFRESHMENTS
08:30 - 08:40
OPENING ADDRESS
08:40 - 09:05
OASIS AI: A SMART END-TO-END WATER LOGISTICS PLATFORM FOR WATER RESILIENCE
Geetha Natarajan
ExaWater

Geetha Natarajan

ExaWater

  • Leveraging mobile atmospheric water generators to deliver drinking water rapidly in disaster zones
  • Rolling out AI dispatch and routing with reinforcement learning to optimize water distribution
  • Empowering responders with IoT sensors and mobile interfaces for real-time water logistics
09:05 - 09:10
Q&A SESSION ON AI AND IOT FOR WATER LOGISTICS
09:10 - 09:35
AI, ROBOTICS, PREDICTION, AND DECISION VISUALIZATION FOR UTILITIES
Kenneth Hayes
Core & Main

Kenneth Hayes

Core & Main

  • Synthesizing disparate sensor and meter data into normalized inputs that drive utility predictive models
  • Curating AI use cases that balance rate determination, cost control, and customer satisfaction outcomes
  • Rethinking utility workforce models as AI absorbs repetitive tasks, and younger operators demand smarter tools
09:35 - 09:40
Q&A SESSION ON AI ADOPTION STRATEGIES IN WATER UTILITY OPERATIONS
09:40 - 10:05
OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES OF DATA-DRIVEN AND AI-BASED WATER MANAGEMENT
Omer Bab
IOSIGHT

Omer Bab

IOSIGHT

  • Analyzing core objectives and foundational principles in AI and data-driven water management
  • Presenting essential strategies for deploying and managing data-centric projects
  • Demonstrating the effectiveness of data-focused methodologies through real-world case studies
10:05 - 10:10
Q&A SESSION ON DATA-DRIVEN AND AI STRATEGIES IN THE WATER SECTOR
10:10 - 10:30
MORNING COFFEE BREAK IN THE EXHIBIT AREA
10:30 - 10:55
SEEING THROUGH UNCERTAINTY: USING LIDAR TO REDEFINE PUMP STATION REHABILITATION
Maziar Mahdavi
Freese and Nichols, Inc.

Maziar Mahdavi

Freese and Nichols, Inc.

  • Employing LiDAR scanning to perform non-invasive pump station condition assessments efficiently
  • Modeling the digital twin of the pump station to visualize and analyze rehabilitation needs accurately
  • Calculating precise repair scopes using LiDAR data for cost-effective estimates and optimal planning
  • Providing a data-driven rehabilitation plan with accessible datasets for monitoring and comparison
10:55 - 11:00
Q&A SESSION ON USING LIDAR FOR PUMP STATION REPAIRS
11:00 - 11:25
OPTIMIZING POWER MANAGEMENT WITH SMART TRANSFORMERS
Jeff Somerville
Hammond Power Solutions

Jeff Somerville

Hammond Power Solutions

  • Enhancing performance through smart monitoring and real-time transformer data analytics
  • Optimizing asset utilization to improve efficiency and reduce operational overhead
  • Detecting anomalies early to support preventive maintenance and extend equipment lifespan
11:25 - 11:30
Q&A SESSION ON BOOSTING MAINTENANCE PERFORMANCE THROUGH SMART MONITORING
11:30 - 12:00
RESERVED PRESENTATION
12:00 - 12:30
RESERVED PRESENTATION
12:30 - 13:30
NETWORKING LUNCH AND VISITING THE WATER AI EXHIBITION
13:30 - 14:00
PANEL DISCUSSION ON WATER AI
14:00 - 14:25
TURNING SMART METER DATA INTO ACTIONABLE WATER INTELLIGENCE
Tracy Hernandez
Kamstrup

Tracy Hernandez

Kamstrup

  • Connecting smart meter data to actionable leak detection and network visibility insights
  • Curbing non-revenue water through continuous monitoring, acoustic detection, and data-driven prioritization
  • Translating intelligent analytics into sustainable, proactive water management decisions
14:25 - 14:30
Q&A SESSION ON TURNING SMART METER DATA INTO ACTIONABLE WATER INTELLIGENCE
14:30 - 15:00
RESERVED PRESENTATION
15:00 - 15:15
FEEDBACK AND RAFFLE DRAW
15:15 - 15:30
CLOSING REMARKS

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