Five years after hosting the first international forum focused solely on sharing water utility planning approaches for climate change adaptation, AMWA and several other water sector partners are organizing a second International Water & Climate Forum this year, from December 7-9 in San Diego.
The Forum program reflects the progress made across the climate adaptation and mitigation spectrum since 2010 and will focus on content and speakers relevant to the entire water sector. Featuring early adopters of a climate resilience approach, more than 30 speakers, panelists and moderators from around the world are confirmed for the program. These include water/wastewater utility managers, city leaders, thought-leaders, scientists and researchers hailing from the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, Mexico, Canada and the U.S.
The Forum’s goal is to spark ideas that will move water managers to the next level in integrating climate resilience considerations into utility strategic planning and operations. A key part of the program will be conversations between climate scientists and water managers designed to foster continued applied research to serve the water utility community.
A critical facet of the Forum not found on the agenda is the meeting’s sustainable event management system – which is compliant with ISO 20121. Following an event management system compliant with this standard will reduce the Forum’s environmental impact while offering participants useful lessons in resilience and sustainability.
On the meeting’s final afternoon, attendees may choose to visit local water facilities to see first-hand how California utilities are managing water and diversifying supply in light of the historic drought. Attendees may visit either the San Vicente Dam or the San Diego Advanced Water Purification Facility.
AMWA is organizing the Forum with the Water Research Foundation, American Water Works Association, International Water Association, Water Services Association of Australia and the Water Utility Climate Alliance. Support for the event comes from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, Water Environment Federation, WateReuse, National Association of Water Companies, U.S. Water Alliance and others. In addition, the program is supported by the generous sponsorship of 14 AMWA subscribers.