Industrial Water Solutions: Cocktails and Conversations
On Tuesday, June 24, 4:30 – 6:00 pm, Industrial Water Solutions attendees will enjoy cocktails and conversations! Participants will network and learn in a small-group setting while rotating between focused topical conversations. Learn more about the table topics below!
Table 1
Squeeze Every Last Drop: Scaling and Fouling Mitigation for Maximum Recovery and Sustainable Water Use
Explore proven scaling and fouling mitigation strategies that enable the highest possible membrane recovery while maintaining long-term operational stability. Optimizing recovery rates can not only improve efficiency but also support sustainable water use by maximizing water yield from limited sources. Gain insights into pretreatment, cleaning practices, and system design considerations that drive both recovery and resource conservation.
Facilitator: Beatriz Colacioppo, Regional Technical Sales Manager, American Water Chemicals
Beatriz Colacioppo earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of South Florida and began her career at American Water Chemicals in 2023. With a strong background in analytical chemistry and R&D, she supports customers across Florida, overseeing projects, coordinating pilot studies, and providing hands-on field support. Based in Tampa, she works closely with operators to troubleshoot and optimize membrane treatment systems.
Table 2
Collaborative Water Strategies: Building Stronger Partnerships between Municipalities and Industries
Discuss how to foster engagement on water reuse and reclamation between utilities and industries. The conversation will focus on necessary infrastructure development and effective collaboration methods to enhance partnerships and promote sustainable water management.
Facilitator: Heather Cheslek, Industrial Water Solution Leader, Black & Veatch
Heather Cheslek has been a practicing engineer for over 25 years and leads Black & Veatch’s Global Industrial Water Solution based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. Her experience covers all aspects of planning, optimizing, designing, and constructing water and wastewater infrastructure to help clients solve the most complex challenges. She holds degrees in civil engineering from Michigan State University and environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Table 3
Implementing MBR for Industrial Reuse: Design to Operations
Learn everything you want to know about membrane bioreactors, from design to operations. Membrane bioreactors are considered the best available technology for the filtration stage in industrial water reuse applications. MBR Discipline Leader Anthony Zamarro, will be joined for this discussion by John Sheets (CDM Smith’s Midwest Reuse Lead).
Facilitator: Anthony Zamarro, Principal and MBR Discipline Leader, CDM Smith
Anthony Zamarro has worked in membrane technologies and treatment systems for more than 20 years. He has extensive experience in system design, value engineering, system startup, and process troubleshooting. He has also been involved in the application of MBR systems for advanced treatment trains, including indirect and direct potable reuse. He serves as an instructor for the WEFTEC Membranes 101 Workshop as well as the Membrane Operator Certification (MOC-IV) course for new system operators.
Table 4
Advanced Facilities Wastewater Reclaim Strategies and Solutions
Join an open-ended conversation, kicked off with a primer on large scale semiconductor reclaim systems. The conversation will explore how the limitations and solutions encountered in the semiconductor case study apply to any industrial water reuse system. Bring your own case studies and perspectives to the table!
Facilitator: Jared J. Burdick, Engineering Project Manager, Sundt Construction
Jared Burdick is an industrial/ semiconductor water and wastewater engineering practitioner with over 16 years of experience in the field. Jared has experience with various industrial wastewater treatment and reclaim projects. In a previous role with a semiconductor manufacturer he specified, selected, designed, constructed, and owned a campus wide wastewater treatment and reclaim system with installations at multiple sites. This 12 MGD facility treated industrial wastewater for reuse with an array of treatment processes.
Table 5
PFAS: Treatment of Industrial Wastewater for Reuse
Discuss how to address PFAS challenges in industrial water reuse applications. This session will explore how different facilities are approaching PFAS treatment in their reuse streams, sharing experiences with various technologies, monitoring strategies, and compliance approaches. Learn from peers about practical solutions for managing PFAS while maintaining successful water reuse programs, including treatment optimization, cost management, and regulatory compliance strategies.
Facilitator: Greg Savage, VP Sales and Business Development, Veolia
Greg brings 23 years of comprehensive experience in the petrochemical industry. Throughout his career, Greg has specialized in water management strategies and developed expertise in reliability and profitability improvement projects for diverse industrial processes. His team particularly focuses on meeting environmental compliance including PFAS challenges in industrial settings, delivering innovative water management solutions and operate-and-maintain services for industrial and commercial clients.
Table 6
Water and Mineral Circularity in Mining
This discussion will focus on emerging water reuse and tailings recovery trends in the mining industry. Demand for minerals and rare earth elements are increasing due to the clean energy transition and the expansion of the battery and electronic devices industries. Meanwhile, regional mining development has proliferated in response to supply chain challenges. Increased demands are leading mining companies to expand operations in water-scarce regions, and environmental regulations governing water discharges are becoming increasingly stringent. Water reuse is becoming a tool to overcome water scarcity challenges and minimize impacts to the environment and surrounding communities. Mineral recovery from spent tailings may also be beneficial in today’s economic climate.
Facilitator: John Krinks, Associate Vice President, AECOM
John Krinks is a water treatment technical leader at AECOM with 20 years of experience in the planning, design, and optimization of treatment systems for applications including industrial and municipal water sectors. His experience includes treatment of challenging waters such as runoff from mine tailings and Superfund sites and addressing unique contaminants with stringent effluent limits. He has also been involved in resource recovery and residuals management at advanced treatment facilities.
Table 7
Can Smarter Chemical Dosing Solutions Unlock Hidden Savings and Sustainability?
When discussing energy savings in water treatment and reuse, the dialogue often centers around motors and variable frequency drives. Let’s take a system-wide approach and discuss how accurate chemistry and dosing have a huge impact. Join a conversation about smarter dosing solutions and how you may be closer than you think to significant savings.
Facilitator: Rachel Anstaett, Key Account Manager, IND KA North America, Grundfos
With seven years in water treatment, Rachel Anstaett supports OEMs to deliver advanced pumping and chemical feed solutions. She specializes in fluid handling for water reuse and treatment applications, helping partners develop efficient, reliable, and sustainable systems. Before transitioning into account management, she refined her technical expertise in application engineering, focusing on chemical feed system design and technical quoting.
Table 8
Guidelines for Sustainable Industrial Water Use: Lessons from the Hive Mind
Come contribute your thoughts and experiences to the upcoming Guide to Sustainable Industrial Water Use in a Changing Climate. Eric Rosenblum, Cheryl Davis and their team are following the success of their recent anthology, Sustainable Industrial Water Use: Perspectives, Incentives and Tools (IWA, 2022) with a condensed guide that offers lessons from leaders in the mining, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, textile, and high tech sectors. These lessons are organized around seven rules of sustainable industrial water use: Treasure water; Design with water in mind; Walk towards problems; Work towards measurable goals; Share responsibility; Communicate clearly; and Commit to regeneration. Participants will share their views on these principles, and those interested will be invited to add their quotable insights to the book before it goes to press.
Facilitator: Eric Rosenblum, CEO, Envirospectives
Eric Rosenblum is a consulting engineer who helps private companies and public agencies use water more responsibly through water reuse. Prior to his consulting work, Eric worked for 25 years as public utility manager, directing operation of a 170 mgd wastewater treatment facility and serving as Director of South Bay Water Recycling, Silicon Valley’s first non-potable water reuse program. Eric is author of many publications including Multi-Agency Water Reuse Projects: Lessons for Successful Collaboration (U.S. EPA, 2022, with Bob Raucher, Felicia Markus, Shannon Spurlock, and Bahman Sheikh), which outlines strategies to improve interagency collaboration.
Table 9 – Cancelled
Table 10
Side-Streaming Practices for Cost-Efficient and Sustainable Reuse
Explore a real-world case study from a PepsiCo bottling facility in Fresno, CA, where the adoption of Aquacycl’s BioElectrochemical Treatment Technology (BETT®) delivered measurable operational savings and environmental benefits.
Through this discussion, attendees will learn how the facility achieved a 23% reduction in treatment costs, eliminated high surcharge fees, and enabled on-site water reuse by removing up to 1,350 lbs/day of BOD and 140 lbs/day of TSS.
Participants will leave with practical insights for evaluating water reuse opportunities, improving compliance, and reducing operational risk in their own facilities or client portfolios.
Facilitator: Orianna Bretschger, CEO, Aquacycl
Dr. Orianna Bretschger launched Aquacycl with her partners after 12 years of technological development and validation. Aquacycl provides industrial wastewater treatment as a service to help companies support healthy watersheds and communities world-wide. Bretschger is a 2021 Cartier Women’s Initiative Science and Technology Pioneer Laureate, a 2019 Fellow in the National Academy of Sciences New Voices in Science, Engineering and Medicine Program, a 2022 Unreasonable Fellow, and Aquacycl was a Finalist for the 2023 Earthshot Prize for their work to decarbonize wastewater treatment. She holds a B.S. in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Northern Arizona and a Ph.D. in Materials Science at the University of Southern California.
Table 11
Upskilling for the Future: Workforce & Economic Development in a Circular Water Economy
How can we prepare our workforce to lead in a future where circular water systems are standard? This session examines the intersection of workforce development and economic growth in the transition toward water reuse and resource recovery. We’ll discuss the potential for job creation, reskilling needs, and the vital role of cross-sector collaboration in building resilient, inclusive, and future-ready water workforces.
Facilitator: Gabriel Evans, Arizona State University
Gabriel Evans is a Program Associate at the US Water Alliance and an MBA candidate at Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business. He specializes in aligning workforce development with water and climate infrastructure solutions, with a focus on public-private partnerships and equitable economic growth. Gabriel serves on the Board of the Black Water Professionals Alliance and chairs the AWWA DEI Standards Committee. A published thought leader, Gabriel has supported national workforce initiatives, authored in Journal AWWA, and convened cross-sector leaders to drive sustainable impact in water equity and infrastructure resilience.
Table 12
Regional Collaboration for Locating New Large Water Users
Large water users such as data centers, biofuel production facilities, or pharmaceutical companies are increasingly looking to the Great Lakes region for water security. Parties involved in the location of large water users include state and local government, water utilities, economic development teams, engineering firms, community groups, and businesses. These groups have different communication styles and move at different speeds. How can we collaborate to locate water-intensive facilities where long-term water use will not cause unintended consequences for communities, ecosystems, or business operations? Together, let’s review the key factors involved in determining water risk and share strategies about best practices. These may include understanding the different water sources available, permitting pathways for use, reuse, discharge and recharge, the parties involved, and their drivers and communication styles.
Facilitator: Carrie Jennings, Research and Policy Director, Freshwater Society
Carrie Jennings is dedicated to translating science to policy and action to preserve water. She is employed by Freshwater, a 54-year-old Minnesota non-profit. A licensed professional geologist, she applies her understanding of geology and hydrogeology to policy to reduce surface-water pollution and improve groundwater sustainability.
Previously she was Science Reports Lead in the Groundwater Section of the Minn. DNR, responsible for establishing and maintaining scientific and technical standards for groundwater-availability and -sensitivity maps and science reports issued by the DNR. In her 24-year field-geologist career at the Minnesota Geological Survey, she published 35 articles and 28 maps. Carrie is an adjunct faculty at the Univ. of Minn. in Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Table 13
AI and Digital Twins in Industrial Water Optimization: Scaling Smarter, Climate-Resilient Solutions
This session explores how AI, digital twins, and intelligent monitoring systems are transforming industrial water treatment and reuse. We’ll discuss real-world use cases where digital innovation improves performance, resilience, and ROI, while supporting broader goals around climate risk mitigation and Scope 3 water-related impacts. The roundtable will also examine what it takes to scale and finance these technologies, bridging the gap between pilots and commercial success.
Facilitators: Lauren Buehner, Associate, Imagine H2O & Saurabh Singh, VP, BlueTech
Lauren Buehner works predominantly in support of operations and strategy for Imagine H2O’s 230+ company Portfolio. Lauren previously helped drive policy and water sector building initiatives at DigDeep. She holds both a BA and MIA in Human Rights and Humanitarian Policy from Columbia University.
Saurabh Singh specializes in providing consulting services in strategy, digital assessment, market intelligence, and due diligence for water-focused utilities, corporations, municipalities, and private clients. Before joining BlueTech Research, Saurabh worked as an engineer for Jacobs and AECOM. He has lived and worked in six different countries – India, UK, Spain, Germany, Canada and Uganda, where he led a project to supply drinking water to an orphanage on the island of Zinga.
Table 14
Intergovernmental Partnerships and Progressive Planning: Setting the Foundation for Regional Cooperation
Join us in a discussion focused on how Central Ohio is developing a circular water economy to support a rapidly developing region experiencing both industrial growth and increased residential water demands. The conversation will focus on progressive planning to balance the long term benefits of water reuse to sustain industrial growth while also considering aquifer recharge to reinforce drinking water supply.
Facilitators: Kristen Atha, Director, Columbus Water & Power; John Newsome, Administrator, City of Columbus – Division of Water
Kristen Atha leads an organization of over 1200 employees, including the Divisions of Water; Water Reclamation; and Power. The Department provides safe, reliable drinking water and wastewater services for over 1.4 million customers in Central Ohio. Director Atha proudly serves on the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) Board of Directors as an advocate for clean water issues that impact the community.
John Newsome oversees Columbus’ water plants, reservoirs, wells, tanks, booster stations and distribution network. The Division has an approximate strength of 500 employees and provides service to 26 entities in Central Ohio. In addition, John is currently the president of WateReuse Ohio. Prior to joining the Division of Water, John served as the Administrator for the Division of Sewerage and Drainage for the City of Columbus.
Table 15
Unlocking Capital for Sustainable Water Solutions
This session focuses on financing solutions available to the industrial water treatment industry, the growing trend of water-as-a-service, and water reuse projects. The roundtable will also explore how both equity and debt investors evaluate investment opportunities in the sector, focusing on criteria such as contractual structures, technology and scalability, regulatory frameworks, as well as potential for sustainable returns.
Facilitator: Gaël Cornet, Director – Infrastructure Finance, ING
Gaël Cornet’s core focus is on the structuring and execution of financing solutions for diverse infrastructure assets. This includes extensive experience with regulated utilities, water treatment, waste management, and water desalination projects. Gaël has led multiple initiatives to expand ING’s footprint as a leading financier of water infrastructure across EMEA and the Americas.
Table 16
Beyond Water Positive: Achieving Multiple Community Benefits through Industrial, Utility, and Stakeholder Partnerships
When innovation and intentionality come together, visions become reality, challenges are transformed into opportunities, project outcomes are interconnected into broader circular solutions, transactions move towards multiple benefits, and we see thriving communities emerge. Explore the community-scale potential of innovative and intentional partnerships that unite industry, utilities, and local stakeholders. Crafting partnerships can be complex and daunting, best formed early in the project phase with a broad coalition of engaged community stakeholders. This topic gives attendees the opportunity to identify key considerations in project development that, when intentionally applied, will meet the needs of the industrial partner and maximize community co-benefits.
Facilitator: Shannon Spurlock, Senior Engagement Specialist, Public Policy & Practice Uptake, Pacific Institute
Shannon Spurlock advances public policy and the adoption of strategies that elevate water reuse and stormwater capture. She is past president of WateReuse Colorado and received the Advocacy Achievement Award from the WateReuse Association in 2025. Ms. Spurlock is passionate about building consensus to achieve outcomes that reflect the shared values and priorities of diverse stakeholder groups.
Table 17
How COOL is it to Use Recycled Water for Cooling?
Discuss the pros and cons of using recycled water for cooling applications and best practices to maximize its success: water quality, temperature and availability.
Facilitator: Rachel Kloos, Water/Wastewater Practice Group Leader, ISG
Rachel develops solutions that support a sustainable, cost-effective future for industries, specifically focusing on dairy, food, pulp, and paper. She assists public and private clients with water and wastewater compliance and optimizing operations, steam, and cooling to reduce water usage. Passionate about creating sustainable environments and healthy communities, she holds degrees in environmental engineering and chemistry.
Table 18
Shifting Gears: How Auto Manufacturers are Leading in Water Reuse
Come get a unique perspective from a life-long consultant and a long-time automotive manufacturing engineer who will discuss the latest advances and applications of water minimization and water reuse at North American automobile manufacturing facilities. Gain an understanding of the drivers for water efficiency, the regulations that govern water reuse, an overview of case studies, and the role that the facility plays in the implementation and operations of water reuse.
Facilitator: Matthew Griffin, Senior Design Manager, General Motors & Frank Johns, Principal Environmental Engineer, Stanley Counsulting
Matthew Griffin has extensive experience in facilities engineering and construction for federal, municipal, and industrial sectors. Matthew has demonstrated experience in leading complex, high-profile facility design projects, developing relationships and working closely with design-build partners to deliver challenging projects to support General Motors manufacturing expansion projects. He has specialized expertise in physical, chemical, and biological wastewater treatment processes and design, designing and implementing industrial water reuse projects in water stressed regions.
Frank Johns has worked for more than 45 years in consulting engineering. Frank also serves on the board for Highlands Ranch Water. He is a professional engineer with experience in the planning and design of water and wastewater treatment systems, groundwater and soil remediation systems, and industrial processes. He is a Diplomate, Water Resources Engineering and an active member of the Water Environment Federation and American Water Works Association.
Table 19 – Cancelled
Table 20
Promoting Healthy Watersheds Through Corporate Partnership & Collaboration Across North America
Google aims to improve watershed health and benefit communities by replenishing 120% of the water consumed, on average, across its offices and data centers by 2030. Brown and Caldwell facilitates partnerships between Google and utilities and non-governmental organizations in North America. This session will dive into the process of partnering with a corporate funder as well as the project metrics used to prioritize water replenishment projects. Lessons learned from Google’s Water Stewardship program will be insightful both for companies aiming to build their own programs, and for public entities interested in leveraging corporate funding.
Facilitators: Anh Quach Crandall, Water Risk and Water Replenishment Program Leader, Google & Dr. Patricia Whitby, Water Stewardship Program Implementation Lead, Brown and Caldwell
Anh Quach Crandall is responsible for developing and operationalizing Google’s Water Risk Framework ensuring responsible water use at all new data center sites. She’s also charged with scaling Google’s water replenishment program to meet their goal of replenishing 120% of the water they consume, on average, by 2030. With increasing demand for digital services, Anh finds inspiration in innovation while still being responsible stewards of our shared resources.
Patricia Whitby supports clients in developing the framework to deliver on water commitments. This includes resources and processes designed to capture and report the right metrics for each client’s program. Patricia is passionate about identifying opportunities for win-win collaboration between public and private sectors to address our shared water challenges and manage risks.
Table 21
Corporate Water Leadership and Practice
Facilitator: Mark Cassalia, Senior Engagement Manager, CEO Water Mandate
Table 22
Overcoming Barriers to Adopting MLD/ZLD with Innovative Technology
Facilitator: Keith Kinch, Global Head of Marketing & Aaron U, New Products Engineer, Gradiant
Keith Kinch ensures that Gradiant solutions create tangible, impactful value for its clients. With more than two decades in water treatment, Keith brings a deep understanding of water technology and market dynamics – delivering several innovative solutions that have advanced the field of water treatment.
Aaron U oversees technology development and commercialization for Gradiant in addition to client support operations. His specialties include advanced wastewater treatment, as well as membrane separation in MLD and ZLD applications. Aaron has played a key role in the development and adoption of Gradiant’s patented Counter Flow Reverse Osmosis (CFRO) technology, supporting the deployment all over the world.