IDA 2015 World Congress On Desalination And Water Reuse Opens In San Diego

Theme of Congress Is “Renewable Water Resources to Meet Global Needs”

San Diego, CA – The 2015 IDA World Congress on Desalination and Water Reuse officially opens today in San Diego, bringing together delegates from around the world to discuss strategies to ensure a sustainable source of fresh water in the face of growing water shortages around the world. Recognized as the most important event for the global desalination and water reuse community, it takes place at the San Diego Convention Center through September 4.

The location and timing of the World Congress are particularly relevant, as California’s historic drought generates great interest in reuse and desalination and reuse. The Carlsbad desalination plant, the largest seawater desalination facility in the Western Hemisphere, is scheduled to be commissioned this fall. In addition, the region is home to the Orange County Groundwater Replenishment System, the world’s largest water purification system for potable reuse.

“IDA is pleased to bring its World Congress back to San Diego, and its location, theme and timing could not be more appropriate. This event provides a vital forum for discussions about ways to address 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,” said Patricia A. Burke, IDA Secretary General.

“San Diego is considered to be the epicenter of desalination and water reuse development in the USA. It is the place where membrane technology was born. It remains a hotbed of innovation and home to many of the industry’s leading membrane manufacturers, universities, research and development, centers, project developers and industry leaders,” added Doug Eisberg, Director of Business Development for Avista Technologies, Inc. and Co-chair of the World Congress Technical Program.

The IDA World Congress is held every two years, bringing 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. This is the second time it is being held in San Diego, with the first occasion in 1999.

The 2015 Congress 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.

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

Delegate tours of the Carlsbad desalination plant and the Orange County Groundwater Replenishment System have been sold out for weeks.

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.

Keynote speakers include Kevin L. Faulconer, Mayor of San Diego; Dr. Abdullah Al-Alshaikh, IDA President; 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; 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. Paddy Padmanathan, President of ACWA Power International, and Vahid Ownjazayeri, President, Global Civil & Infrastructure of AECOM, will also speak during the Opening Ceremony, as will Technical Program Co-chairs Doug Eisberg and Dr. Richard L. Stover.

Two co-located events took place over the weekend: the DesalTech 2015 Conference and the American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) pre-conference workshop.

For more information, please visit http://wc.idadesal.org/ 

About IDA

The International Desalination Association (www.idadesal.org) 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).