International Desalination Association To Hold 2015 World Congress In San Diego August 30-September 4

Focus Is on Renewable Water Resources to Meet Global Needs

Widely considered the most important event for the global desalination and water reuse community, the 2015 IDA World Congress on Desalination and Water Reuse will take place in San Diego, California from August 30-September 4, at the San Diego Convention Center.

Held every two years since 1987, the IDA World Congress brings together public and private sector leaders in the world’s desalination and water reuse community, from end-users to technology developers, suppliers, researchers, academics, consultants, engineers and financial services providers. It features a four-day Technical Program, 11,000 square-meter Exhibition, IDA Academy courses, and abundant networking opportunities throughout the Congress week including “A Celebration of California” at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Delegates also have the opportunity to tour the soon-to-be commissioned Carlsbad desalination plant, the largest seawater desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere, and the Orange County Groundwater Replenishment System, the world’s largest water purification system for direct potable reuse.

The 2015 World Congress incorporates several new program highlights. Nine open forum discussion panels will explore key issues surrounding reuse and desalination, and an Innovation Theater will provide an opportunity for entrepreneurs and solutions providers to showcase new products and services. In addition, the IDA World Congress will include an Education Day for middle school students and an invitation-only session for community leaders engaged in water treatment and conservation programs.

Confirmed keynote speakers include Mark Weston, Chairman of the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors; H. E. Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al Hussein, Minister of Water and Electricity, Saudi Arabia; Dr. Ivonne Baki, diplomat, peace negotiator, and humanist; and Dr. Benjamin Cook, research scientist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and lead author of a recent NASA study linking carbon emissions with increased risk of megadroughts in the USA. Officials from AECOM and ACWA Power International will also speak during the Opening Ceremony.

This is the second time that the IDA World Congress will take place in San Diego – the first time was in 1999 – and it is just the third World Congress to be convened in the United States. Considered to be the epicenter of desalination and water reuse development in the USA, the San Diego area is a hotbed of innovation and the home of many of the industry’s leading membrane manufacturers, universities, research and development, centers, project developers and industry leaders.

“IDA is pleased to once again hold its World Congress in San Diego, and its location, theme and timing could not be more appropriate,” said Patricia A. Burke, IDA Secretary General. “The focus of the 2015 Congress, ‘Renewable Water Resources to Meet Global Needs,’ is particularly relevant, with California’s record-breaking drought generating an extraordinary interest in reuse and desalination. The World Congress is a forum for vital discussions taking place surrounding the growing demand for a sustainable source of fresh water in response to population growth, economic expansion, degradation of existing resources, and the effects of climate change,” she noted.

Topics in the Technical Program include emerging technologies; environment and sustainability; brackish and seawater water desalination; water reuse and disinfection; industrial water and wastewater treatment; thermal desalination; pre- and post-treatment; governance, finance and project delivery; and plant operations and optimization. Awards totaling more than $25,000 US will be presented including those for Best Papers in such categories as Environment and Sustainability, Innovation, Research & Development, State-of-the-Art in engineering practices, and presentation by a member of IDA’s Young Leaders Program.

Two events will be co-located with the 2015 World Congress. Held on August 28-29, the DesalTech 2015 Conference will focus on Research in Emerging Water Desalination Technologies for Municipal and Industrial Applications. It is co-organized by the National Water Research Institute (NWRI), National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia (NCEDA), and KAUST Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC). In addition, the American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA), IDA’s North American affiliate, will hold a pre-conference workshop on August 30 titled, “The Pioneers and the Present –The North American Story.”

For more information, visit http://wc.idadesal.org/ Registration for the World Congress is available at http://wc.idadesal.org/registration/.

About IDA
The International Desalination Association is the point of connection for the global desalination and water reuse community. A non-profit association, IDA serves more than 2,600 core members in 60 countries and reaches an additional 4,000 affiliate members. Its membership comprises scientists, end-users, engineers, consultants and researchers from governments, corporations and academia. IDA is associated with the United Nations as part of a growing international network of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). For more information, visit www.idadesal.org.