AWWA leaders exchange knowledge, explore innovation in South Korea

American Water Works Association (AWWA) leaders experienced a glimpse into the future of water on a global scale during their recent participation in Korea International Water Week (KIWW) and tour of a Smart Water City run by national water provider K-water.

AWWA President Cheryl Porter, Standards Council Chair Andrew Chastain-Howley, and past International Council Chair Colin Chung, along with AWWA CEO David LaFrance, attended last month’s annual KIWW event organized by Korea Water Forum in Daegu, South Korea. The week was jointly hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Daegu Metropolitan City, K-Water, and Korea Environment Corporation.

At the KIWW opening ceremony, Porter highlighted the importance of global cooperation in achieving a sustainable water future and stressed the shared responsibility of the global water community to protect public health and the environment.

“I’m always amazed that no matter where I go in the world, water challenges, opportunities and solutions are similar,” said Porter. “We as water professionals understand our interconnections to each other no matter which particular watershed we are a part of – this means there is always an opportunity for knowledge exchange.”

Chastain-Howley took part in an International Workshop for Water Standards and Certifications, where experts from around the world discussed strategies for harmonizing standards and promoting best practices.

“Standards organizations from around the world presented at the workshop and shared ideas on standards development and the value of standard use and verification,” said Chastain-Howley. “It was an exceptional experience designed to elevate collaboration and provide context on standards to the KIWW participants.”

Knowledge exchange key to global partnerships

To celebrate a major step forward in AWWA’s efforts to expand international partnerships and knowledge exchange, LaFrance met with the Korea Society of Water and Wastewater (KSWW) to sign a cooperation licensing agreement to translate The Safe Drinking Water Act Turns 50: A Collection of Articles from Journal AWWA into Korean. This marks the first AWWA publication translated into Korean.

In addition, AWWA leaders took the stage at universities to discuss timely water topics. Porter presented on sustainable water strategies and climate change mitigation during a talk at Konkuk University.

“The natural technological comfort that future generations have will play a key role in shaping our water future,” said Porter. “I gave a call to action for them to bring their talents to the water profession as a career choice.”

LaFrance and Chung discussed topics such as AWWA’s Water 2050 initiative and infrastructure asset management at the University of Seoul.

The AWWA delegation also toured K-water’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) water treatment plant and the Busan Eco Delta Smart Village.

“We were impressed by the innovation and forward-thinking ideas designed to implement change,” said Chung. “In the U.S., our regulatory environment does not allow for the quick adoption of innovation. We have much to learn from the data gathered through K-water’s pilot studies.”