Round Tables Sessions 1

Round Table 1:  The drinking water concept of the future – Living Lab project Vitens

Round Table 2: ‘Valuing the Water Cycle as a Global Common Good, for future generations, in the interest of all'

Round Table 3: Pure Water Factory/BODAC®: Converting effluent into a valuable resource for reuse

Round Table 4: Drinkable Rivers

Round Table 5: Resilience in the Era of Multiple Challenges

Round Table 6: Planning Towards CO2 Neutrality in Wastewater Treatment Design and Operation

Round Table 7: Is there a need for consortia with Innovative treatment techniques to meet the EU Water Directive challenges?

Round Table 8: Artificial Intelligence and the water-energy nexus

Round Table 9: Tackling micropollutants in effluent from wastewater treatment plants

Round Table 10: Flanders water scarce region

Round Table 11: Swimmable Cities are a right not a luxury

Round Table 12: Drinking Water Scarcity in the Land of Water: how to steer towards construction of water saving houses in the Netherlands?

Round Table 13: Water Footprint Implementation

Round Table 14: Improving water quality with industrial partners

Round Table15:  selective separation and the circular economy.

• Round Table 1:  The drinking water concept of the future – Living Lab project Vitens

Presented by Rene Hoeijmakers & Doeke Schippers

The international water sector is – amongst others - challenged by water scarcity, deteriorating raw water quality, general pressure on the urban public space and increasing regulatory pressure. As a consequence of this more complex reality it now takes 15-20 years to realize a new drinking water facility in The Netherlands. Other countries face similar challenges. For Vitens, the largest utility in The Netherlands serving 6 million people, this has been the trigger to start the so called Living Lab project. The project aims to develop the drinking water concept of the future, which will act as a blueprint for future large scale water production facilities, using surface water and alternative sources. The consortium LLEV (translated as courage) started in 2023 to develop the concept, and will present it during the AIWW roundtable sessions. Based on an elaborate LCA and TCO assessment, a preferred concept was selected  out of 32 options. The drinking water concept of the future is modular, scalable, sustainable, circular, cost efficient and more important - adaptive. The key issue for the roundtable is how we in the future best address these larger scale water asset & infrastructure developments, in symbiosis with other relevant societal developments like urban developments, climate adaptation, nature development, energy transition, agricultural reform etc.

• Round Table 2: ‘Valuing the Water Cycle as a Global Common Good, for future generations, in the interest of all.'

Presented  by Frodo van Oostveen, Ianthe de Bra & Eleanor Treadwell 

To preserve and strengthen water sources, global action is needed. The report “The Economics of Water” by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water provides five critical missions and recommendations to help stabilise the global water cycle. During this round table we will use the insights of the report to start the conversation about how to catalyse action in the water sector and beyond. Join us in this interactive session!

• Round Table 3: Pure Water Factory/BODAC®: Converting effluent into a valuable resource for reuse

Presented  by Amanda Larasati & Hilde Prummel

With growing water demands, wastewater reuse is increasingly critical. Membrane technologies, widely used for this purpose, often face biofouling from soluble organics and nutrients, leading to frequent cleaning and costly replacements. The BODAC® technology by Pure Water Factory offers a breakthrough solution. Over 14 years, it has protected reverse osmosis (RO) membranes from biofouling, eliminating the need for replacements while producing ultrapure water for industrial use. BODAC® stands out for its dual functionality: it not only prevents biofouling but also removes micropollutants, making it highly versatile in wastewater treatment. This raises key questions, including what sets BODAC® apart from other technologies, whether its main appeal lies in biofouling prevention or pollutant removal, and if it is to be applied in water reuse system, what will be public’s perception. Additionally, its scalability in diverse contexts highlights its potential as a sustainable solution to address global water challenges.

• Round Table 4: Drinkable Rivers

Presented  by Li An Phoa

Drinkable Rivers is a foundation they inspire to work towards a world with drinkable rivers. They weave raising awareness with mobilising people for action through river walks, citizen science and action communities. There are 7 (sub)watershed action communities (Meuse; IJssel, Vecht and Berkel; Thames, Danube and Scheldt) and 2 other action communities (Youth and Swimmable Rivers).

During this roundtable, we would like to concentrate on for instance ‘Mayors for a drinkable Meuse’: how to organise for effective long-term commitment with passion and action? What kind of framework, facilitation and infrastructure is needed? How to best build this decentrally for regional/watershed collaboration with local partners? From what good examples (also from other sectors) can we learn?

Li An is founder of Drinkable Rivers and has walked 20,000km for drinkable rivers the last ten years. Two documentary films have been made ‘Long walk for drinkable rivers’ (of her 1.000-kilometre walk along the Meuse River) and ‘Our Blue World’. The book ‘Drinkable Rivers: How the River Became My Teacher’ was published in English in September 2023. Most recently, Li An completed the Danube walk in Romania, a 3-week journey from the mouth in the Black Sea to where the Danube enters Romania.

www.drinkablerivers.org

• Round Table 5: Resilience in the Era of Multiple Challenges

Presented  by Yossi Yaacoby

At this point in time, water utilities around the world are dealing with a myriad of extreme events, which occur with increasing frequency and which require constant improvement in the way the water utilities plan and construct water treatment streaming facilities, in conjunction with the need for reliable 24 / 7 operation. 

Extreme events such as: Fires, floods, temperature increases, earthquakes and, of course, regional crises, are no exception.

Mekorot’s strategic plan incorporates this issue as one of its core areas for handling. 

Designing facilities with greater redundancy, with command and control systems that provide a total solution for any facility of any size, supported by hot backup systems and incorporating advanced cyber protection solutions. 

The use of flexible piping systems and portable pumping units for emergency situations and, of course, implementing innovative solutions that ensures optimal and reliable operation to a far greater extent.

• Round Table 6: Planning Towards CO2 Neutrality in Wastewater Treatment Design and Operation

Presented  by Sjoerd Kerstens & Hielke van der Aa

Join us for a round table discussion on reducing the CO2 footprint of wastewater treatment infrastructure. As technical solutions become increasingly available, we will explore how far utilities can and must go in their efforts. CO2 emission reduction often comes at a cost, while benefits are hard to monetize. What do policies require, what technical options exist, and how can we reward the front runners?

This round table will feature short pitches from experts from:

• Government Organizations: Setting guidelines and policies.
• International Utilities: Navigating and potentially exceeding policies.
• Technical Experts: Discussing options like energy-producing systems, N2O emission reduction, CO2 capturing, resource recovery, and smart control (AI).
• Financing Organizations: Accelerating/enabling these developments.

Participants will then examine drivers and barriers for CO2 emission reductions, addressing impacts and costs, regulatory and policy perspectives, and challenges with emerging technologies.

In this round table we aim to come to the following:

1. Enhanced understanding of CO2 footprint reduction challenges and opportunities.
2. Identification of knowledge, and implementation gaps.
3. Recommendations for policy and regulatory improvements.
4. Networking and collaboration opportunities among stakeholders.

The outcomes will be summarized in a short statement and shared afterwards

• Round Table 7: Is there a need for consortia with Innovative treatment techniques to meet the EU Water Directive challenges?

Presented  by Steven van Rossum

The increasingly stringent European legislation on urban wastewater treatment is imposing ever higher requirements on the treatment and hence operation of wastewater treatment plants.
Most wastewater treatment plants are struggling to meet the higher requirements. This means significant investment in additional treatment steps aimed at removing pathogens, microplastics, nitrogen, phosphorus and other pollutants.

This development and the availability of financial resources, including from the EU, means that significant investments in wastewater treatment technology are being made now, but certainly also in the coming years.

How is the market responding to these needs of water quality managers? And what is still missing?

Questions:
- Which processes and or treatment steps do utilities expect to be the most challenging and why?
- What are the main financial obstacles hindering investment? 
- Is there a need for ‘standard’ solutions/combinations of techniques to meet these challenges?
- Many technologies are now offered as stand-alone, would it help if water technology suppliers formed consortia to offer ‘turnkey’ solutions?
- Do water technology suppliers see promising combinations to form consortia?
- How important is it to have a local partner in the consortium for utilities? 

• Round Table 8: Artificial Intelligence and the  water-energy nexus

Presented  by Shabab Shariat & Alessio Belmondo Bianchi di Lavagna

Artificial intelligence (AI) has transformative potential in the water-energy nexus by enhancing decision-making, predicting behavior, and modeling technologies, particularly in systems with limited fundamental understanding, such as bioreactors. AI can uncover causal relationships between key factors, driving efficiency and innovation in this critical domain.

At the system level, AI enables cost optimization by reducing investment and operational expenses through the reinforcement of water and energy networks. In green hydrogen production, for example, AI optimizes the coupling of water and energy systems, improving efficiency. It also supports demand response management by providing flexibility services for renewable energy-integrated power systems and enhances resource allocation in agriculture, promoting sustainability.

On the technology modeling side, AI can predict the performance of membranes for water treatment designs and analyze historical data to optimize bioreactor operations, improving the design and function of these sensitive technologies.

To fully realize these benefits, challenges such as the lack of shared real-world data must be addressed by establishing open-access, standardized, and representative datasets for technologies and networks.

Key questions remain about the additional benefits AI can unlock and the challenges that must be overcome to maximize its impact in the water-energy nexus.

• Round Table 9: Tackling Micro Pollutants in effluent from Wastewater Treatment Plants

Presented  by Arnoud de Wilt, Andrea Rubini

Join us for a round table discussion on the impact of micro pollutants, such as pharmaceuticals and PFAS, on public health and the environment, and how we can overcome these challenges. These constituents of emerging concern (CeCs) are found in wastewater and are only partially removed by existing treatment infrastructure. Legislation requires the removal of these components due to their negative impact. At the same time effluent reuse to combat drought is promoted which may result in even more exposure. Can we protect public health with an end-of-pipe approach, and/or should we adopt an integral chain approach?

This round table will feature short pitches from experts in:

1. Science: Impact of CeCs on public health and the environment.
2. Policy development: Applicable policies for effluent and chain.
3. Pharmaceutical Industry: Drivers, and barriers in preventing CeCs from entering the environment.
4. Technical Expertise: Technical options to reduce micro pollutants.

Participants will then examine drivers and barriers for CeCs in the environment, addressing impacts and costs, chain approaches, regulatory and policy perspectives, and technological developments for removing these components.

In this round table we aim to come to the following:

• Enhanced understanding of CeCs' impact on public health and the environment.
• Identification of knowledge and implementation gaps.
• Recommendations for policy and regulatory improvements.
• Networking and collaboration opportunities among stakeholders.

Outcomes will be summarized in a short statement and shared afterward.

• Round Table 10: Water scarcity across the Belgian-Dutch border

Presented  By Hans Cappon, Francis Meerburg

The border between Flanders and the Netherlands is characterized by a unique and challenging water system. It accommodates an industry intensive harbor along the Ghent-Terneuzen channel, recreation at the Belgian and Dutch coasts, leisure and living, agriculture and nature. All of this is packed in a freshwater scarce, cross-border area. This water system is challenged further by economic developments, the energy transition, climate change, and salinization. Moreover, policy, legislation, and governance are organized differently on both sides of the border.

How to cope with these urgent challenges is a topic of continuous discussion and debate raising multiple questions: What is the kind and level of governance required for such a multi-layered, multi-sectoral and interdependent water system? Should such complex water system be managed by an international authority with two national mandates? Should solutions be imposed on the actors and stakeholders (top-down) by policy and legislation rather than supported and incentivized by the end-users (bottom-up)? Who is eventually in charge and how is all at stake equitably evaluated? What are known good practices and what can we learn from our neighbors? What opportunities and solutions are designed and implemented that can be adopted elsewhere? Join us in solving these freshwater challenges in this lively discussion.

• Round Table 11: Swimmable Cities are a right not a luxury

Presented  by Chris Römer Lee & Adriaan van der Linden

Launched in the lead up to the Paris Olympics in July 2024, the Swimmable Cities alliance is supporting a global, grassroots movement for swimmable urban waterways. With 100 diverse signatory organizations from 59 cities and communities and 22 countries, our Swimmable Cities Charter champions the Right to Swim, celebrates urban swimming culture, and honours the sacredness of water.

Unlike many global sustainable development frameworks and initiatives, the measure of whether an urban waterway is clean enough to swim in or not, is a universal way that people can understand the relationships between social, environmental, and economic health. Even if they don’t understand the details, they can also appreciate that the forces of urbanisation, industrialisation and colonisation have led to waterway degradation. However, fortunately the goal of swimming inspires people to help clean, restore and heal these precious aquatic and marine ecosystems.

We believe that a global reassessment of priorities is taking place; clean water, fresh air and thriving biodiversity inside cities are becoming foundation stones for a new brand of regenerative development and infrastructure.

Together we aim to rewrite rules, promote participation, and create resilient, connected communities. 

• Round Table 12: Drinking Water Scarcity in the Land of Water: how to steer towards construction of water saving houses in the Netherlands?
  Presented  by Mark de Vries

The construction sector can deliver an important contribution to achieving the national goal for reducing demand for drinking water towards 100 liters per person per day in 2035. Technology is available to replace 30 to 48 liters of drinking water per person per day by on-site rainwater and purified waste water. How can public and private parties overcome challenges around e.g. costs and safety and steer towards a new standard for building houses?

• Round Table 13: Water Footprint Implementation
  Presented  by Johan Oost and Jaap Feil

Water is a critical resource for many companies, and its management is becoming a key factor in sustainability. The Water Footprint method is a globally acknowledged tool that provides insights into water usage across supply chains. New legislation, such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) in the EU and emerging ESG reporting frameworks in China and other countries, is compelling companies to disclose their water impacts both in operations and throughout their supply chains. 

Through the Water Footprint method, companies can effectively reduce their water footprint by employing three strategies: 1. Avoiding, 2. Reducing, and 3. Reusing water resources. Compensating for water usage is an additional step in this process.

Water Footprint Implementation (WFI) has commenced an initiative aimed at simplifying the communication of water impacts for businesses. We have developed a first Water Materiality Checklist to raise awareness of the significance of water in both operations and supply chains. As a foundation for this dialogue, we are focusing on two critical factors: Industry Sector and Geographic Regions. Furthermore, we are working on new tools designed to leverage the database of the Water Footprint Network (WFN), enabling companies to report on their water usage more efficiently.

In parallel, WFI and its partners are developing a unique platform for water compensation. This platform will connect compensators—companies seeking to offset their water impact—with suitable water management projects. A protocol along with various compensation initiatives has already been established, and our next step is to facilitate the connection between compensators and compensation projects.

During the upcoming workshop, we will engage in brainstorming sessions aimed at creating more user-friendly reporting tools that provide companies with greater transparency regarding their global water usage and explore innovative methods for compensating water use throughout the supply chain.

• Round Table 14: Improving water quality with industrial partners
  Presented  by Henk Jan Top, Karen Eilers and Koenraad Backers

In the Netherlands the quality of water does not reach the norms of the Water Directive in Europe[1]. To enhance ambitions to improve water quality and accelerate the implementation of effective measures, Natuur & Milieu embraced a manifest to improve water quality with important stakeholders[2]. Fortunately, we see a growing ambition to improve water quality. This ambition is fueled by risks of increasing costs for drinking water, treatment and re-use of water, delays in building, construction and infrastructure projects, environmental impacts and an increase in health issues due to polluted (swimming) water. In each sector leaders appear that start preventing the pollution of surface water voluntarily. They cooperate with stakeholders and take measures to prevent emissions in water. In this round table we like to showcase industrial leaders that created ‘water pearls’. Water pearls are successful cooperations among stakeholders to improve water quality sufficiently by taking measures to prevent emissions. We discuss ambitions, cooperation among stakeholders, such as industries, residents, involved governmental organizations (municipalities, waterboards, Rijkswaterstaat etc.), obstacles tackled, resulting improvements of water quality and possibilities to increase the application of effective measures among industrial partners. 

 

• Round Table15: selective separation and the circular economy
  Presented by Bryan Stubbs 

Bryan Stubbs, Executive Director of the Cleveland Water Alliance (CWA), will be hosting a roundtable discussion focused on the circular economy and its needs for the Great Lakes region of North American. CWA currently is tasked with driving innovation for the circular economy through two National Science Foundation funded Innovation Engines, that combines use inspired research, testbed trialing, and market adoption. Please join us to discuss how the importance of developing a robust and dynamic ecosystem is fundamental for success.