Nearly 100 students from the Los Angeles region convened at the headquarters of Metropolitan Water District of Southern California last Thursday for the 2026 Water Reuse Youth Summit. The summit was presented by MWD, West Basin Municipal Water District, and Water Replenishment District in conjunction with the 2026 WateReuse Symposium. Student groups prepared presentations on three water reuse challenge questions focused on the issues of engineering, water quality, and public acceptance. Student teams prepared 15-minute presentations about three water reuse-related challenges: engineering, water quality, and public acceptance. Teams showcased 3D renderings, performed live demonstrations with physical models, and created full-length PSA videos.
Volunteer judges reviewed 20 student presentations. Three winning teams from the Summit will deliver their innovative solutions at a WateReuse Symposium session on Tuesday, March 10 at 4pm.
Planning Committee: Benita Horn, Alyssa Fundal, and Omar Urquieta (MWD); Fritz Petropolous (West Basin); Monica Sijder (WRD) Judges: Renjie Li, Shrushti Rawat, and Jesus Salas (Carollo); Rajen Budhia, Seto Cherchian, Ana Reyes, and Noelle Vest (MWD); Jack Cheetham (West Basin); Janel Ancayan, and Monica Gomez (WRD) Mentors: Brent Eidson and Sarah Rossetto (Katz & Associates); Leneyde Chavez, Farzaneh Shabani, and Hem Vora (Carollo); Ruby Kaura (Brown and Caldwell); John Robinson (John Robinson Consulting); Matt Hacker, Maria T. Lopez, Rupam Soni, and Elisa Mendez (MWD); Wendie Heie (Rancho Water); Kenny Chau, Jessica Koop, Norma Pablo, and Jenn Swart (WRD) |