Connect with us and water industry peers in Washington, DC at AWWA ACE26, the leading global conference for water professionals. Over four engaging days, attendees will exchange ideas, build relationships, and dive into emerging trends shaping the future of the water sector. Brown and Caldwell specialists will be on hand to discuss topics including PFAS regulations, climate resilient infrastructure, AI driven solutions, and more. We’re excited to gather with you in the nation’s capital.

Sunday, June 21

8:30 AM – 5:00 PM EDT

PCW01: Biological Filter Evaluation

This workshop will provide an overview of biofiltration in drinking water treatment, combining classroom instruction with hands-on activities. Participants will learn how to evaluate biofilter performance using water quality indicators (e.g., DOC, carboxylic acid, and nutrient removal, temperature, DO uptake, zeta potential), hydraulic parameters, and microbial tools (e.g., ATP, EPS, microbial community analysis), and conduct practical measurements such as ATP.

Lynn Stephens, Speaker

Who should attend: This workshop is ideal for drinking water treatment engineers, operators, researchers, and utility professionals who want hands on experience and practical tools to evaluate and optimize biological filter performance using hydraulic, water quality, and microbial indicators.

9:00 AM – 4:45 PM EDT

PCW04 - Ozone Basics and Beyond Workshop

This workshop introduces the fundamentals and applications of ozone, covers bench scale testing setup and procedures, pilot testing design and application, ozone safety, design concepts and operations and maintenance. A hands-on grab sample analysis teaches attendees how to conduct dissolved ozone measurements using the indigo method and ampule method for verification, as well as how to graph and read data.

Denise Funk, Brandy Martinez, and Shih-Chi Weng, Speakers

Who should attend: This workshop is best suited for water and wastewater engineers, operators, and treatment professionals who want a practical, hands-on understanding of ozone technology, testing methods, safety, and day to day operations.

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM EDT

PCW06: Practical ML/AI Applications for Water Planning, Management, and Optimization

This workshop focuses on real-world applications of AI/ML tools. It is designed for water practitioners at all technical levels to go beyond the big picture discussion and focus on concrete applications to address a range of problems with minimal existing infrastructure. We will discuss real use cases and challenges, from asset management to streamlining data management and developing decision support tools – all using available and free or affordable technology.

Sierra Johnson, Moderator

Who should attend: This workshop is ideal for water sector practitioners, analysts, and managers at any technical level who want practical, real-world guidance on using accessible AI/ML tools to solve everyday challenges like asset management, data organization, and decision support.

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM EDT

PCW07 – Project Delivery Organizational Readiness: Supporting Teams in Early Planning, Procurement and Executing your Capital Improvements Plan

This workshop explores how utilities can better demonstrate the value of asset management to support effective capital planning and delivery. Participants will learn practical strategies for developing an asset management value framework that accounts for data availability, organizational change, and business alignment.

Gus Hrncir, Speaker

Who should attend: This workshop is well suited for utility professionals involved in planning and executing capital programs who are responsible for improving organizational readiness and value tracking.

Monday, June 22

1:45 – 2:15 PM EDT

MON015 - Reuse Alternate Delivery | Keep it moving! Maintaining Schedule Delivering a Novel AWT Design in a Dynamic Environment

Erin Mackey, Speaker

Who should attend: This session is ideal for water utility leaders, project managers, engineers, and public-sector decision-makers involved in planning or delivering water reuse infrastructure who want practical insights on alternative delivery, risk management, and building public trust.

4:00 – 4:30 PM EDT

MON046 - The AI Revolution | Impacts to the Water Industry in Northern Virginia

Nicolle Boulay, Speaker

Who should attend: This session is best suited for water utility leaders, engineers and planners who want to better understand how rapid data center growth affects the water industry in Northern Virginia with a case study example from Prince William County.

Tuesday, June 23

8:30 – 9:00 AM EDT

TUE025 - Resilience from Coast to Coast: National Strategies for Climate Adaptation and Mitigation in the Water Sector | Developing a Climate Resilient Design Guidance for the Water Sector with the Water Utility Climate Alliance

Tess Sprague, Speaker

Who should attend: This session is ideal for water utility executives, planners, engineers, and resilience professionals seeking practical, nationally informed frameworks and design strategies to reduce climate risk and build climate resilient water infrastructure.

10:15 – 10:45 AM EDT

TUE040 - Technology and Treatment; Machine Learning, Digital Twins, Controls | The Future of Reverse Osmosis Cleaning

Kyle Peebles, Speaker

Who should attend: This session is ideal for water utility leaders, engineers, operators, and digital transformation teams interested in applying advanced technologies like machine learning, digital twins, and open platforms to improve treatment performance, reliability, and maintenance practices.

11:15 – 11:45 AM EDT

TUE043 - Innovation in Opportunistic Pathogen Detection and Analysis | Pushing the Boundaries: Promising Result for Rapid Molecular Quantification of Challenging Waterborne Pathogens

Nuha Alfahham, Speaker

Who should attend: This session is best suited for water quality professionals, utility engineers, researchers, and public health practitioners focused on pathogen control, disinfection strategies, and advanced monitoring methods to strengthen distribution system safety and public health protection. 

1:15 – 1:45 PM EDT

TUE085 – From Risk to Resilience: Climate Adaptation in the Water Sector | Building a Climate-Resilient Capital Plan: One Water Honolulu’s Climate Change Adaptation Framework

Tess Sprague, Speaker

Who should attend: This session is ideal for water utility leaders, planners, engineers, and resilience professionals interested in applying Honolulu’s One Water Plan and Climate Change Adaptation Framework to integrate flood risk, climate data, and cross‑agency collaboration into resilient, climate‑informed capital planning.

1:30 – 3:00 PM EDT

PST02 - Tuesday Poster Session | Accelerating Digital Technology Advancement in SCADA to Support the Water Needs of Growing Arizona Communities

Peter Murphy, Speaker

1:30 – 3:00 PM EDT

PST02 – Tuesday Poster Session | Design Considerations for Commissioning GAC Pressure Vessels for PFAS Treatment

Chadwick Johnson, Speaker

4:00 – 4:30 PM EDT

TUE100 - AI for Water – Practical Guide to Implementation | The Emergence of Artificial Intelligence: Case Studies in Water Resources Planning and Management

Nathan Foged, Speaker

Who should attend: This session is ideal for water utility managers, planners, engineers, and data or innovation leaders who want practical guidance and real-world examples for preparing their organizations to adopt and implement AI tools for resilient, adaptive water management.

3:00 – 3:30 PM EDT

TUE109 - Building Trust Through Thoughtful Communication and Stakeholder Engagement | Revitalizing Infrastructure, Revitalizing Communities

Anna Kloiber, Speaker

Who should attend: This session is ideal for water utility leaders, communications professionals, and community engagement practitioners who are responsible for advancing major infrastructure programs through transparent, inclusive, and trust building stakeholder communication.

4:00 – 4:30 PM EDT

TUE115 - Working Together: Collaborative Frameworks for Climate Adaptation and Infrastructure Resilience | One Water Honolulu – A Cross-Agency Collaboration for Climate Adaptation

Susan Mukai, Speaker

Who should attend: This session is ideal for water utility leaders, planners, and sustainability professionals who want to learn how cross agency collaboration, community engagement, and strategic investment can drive effective climate adaptation and resilient water infrastructure.

Wednesday, June 24

9:30 – 10:00 AM EDT

WED003 - Standards Updates: Premise Plumbing and Service Lines, Treatment, Emergency Planning, and Conservation | A Catalyst for Consistency: Setting a Standard for Manganese Oxide Filter Media

Jonathan Reuther, Speaker

Who should attend: This session is ideal for water utility professionals, engineers, regulators, and planners who need to stay current on AWWA standards and guidance related to premise plumbing, service lines, treatment practices, emergency preparedness, and water conservation.

8:30 – 8:48 AM EDT

WED007 - Navigating Industry Readiness for the Federal PFAS Drinking Water Deadline | Introduction to the PFAS Delivery Challenge Ahead

Kelly Comstock, Moderator & Speaker

Who should attend: This session is ideal for water utility executives, project managers, engineers, and finance or compliance leaders who are preparing for PFAS regulations and need practical insight into readiness, funding, supply chain risks, and delivering treatment projects under the 2031 deadline.

8:30 – 9:00 AM EDT

WED026 - Advancing Fire Protection Knowledge – Water Loss Control and Wildfire Impacts | Developing a Treatment Resilience Framework for Wildfires

Lynn Stephens, Speaker

Who should attend: This course is ideal for water utility managers, treatment engineers, operators, and emergency response professionals seeking practical strategies to improve treatment resilience and operational readiness in the face of wildfires and extreme events.

10:45 – 11:15 AM EDT

WED027 - From Challenge to Opportunity: Modern Funding and Delivery Models for Small Water Utilities | Tapping into Creative Solutions to Provide Safe Drinking Water to Small Isolated Communities

Earl Garcia, Speaker

Who should attend: This session is ideal for leaders and practitioners from small and growing water utilities—along with planners, engineers, and funding or regulatory partners—who are seeking practical, collaborative, and affordable approaches to overcoming compliance, infrastructure, and capacity challenges.

10:15 – 11:45AM EDT

WED031 - The Power of Ozone in Water Treatment 

10:30 – 10:45 AM EDT | Is Ozone the Right Fit for your Plant?

Denise Funk, Speaker

11:15 – 11:30 AM EDT | Ozone Biofiltration – A great team for organic removal

Shih-Chi Weng and Brandy Martinez, Speakers

11:30 – 11:45 AM EDT | Ozone Panel Discussion

Denise Funk, Brandy Martinez, and Shih-Chi Weng, Panelists

Who should attend: This session is ideal for water utility engineers, operators, and decisionmakers who are evaluating or implementing ozone treatment and want practical guidance on determining feasibility, piloting strategies, and applying ozone biofiltration to achieve advanced water quality goals.

10:45 – 11:15 AM EDT

WED037 - PFAS Piloting, Design, and Other Considerations | PAC versus GAC for PFAS Treatment

Anthony Kennedy, Speaker

Who should attend: This session is ideal for water utility decisionmakers, engineers, and treatment professionals who are evaluating PFAS treatment options and need practical, data driven guidance on piloting, PAC versus GAC selection, risk assessment, and cost effective compliance strategies.