WaterSmart Innovations 

Workshops provide in-depth, hands-on comprehensive learning opportunities. Registration and additional fee are required to attend the workshop(s), these items are not included in the full conference registration.

2025 Pre-Conference Workshops
Tuesday, October 7, 2025

PCW01: Water, Equity, and Climate Resilience: Community-Driven Strategies for Decision-Making and Action
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 | 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.  | $75.00
Climate change worsens inequities in water and stormwater management, impacting public health, economic stability, and resilience. This workshop examines decision-making frameworks for equitable projects, emphasizes community-driven solutions, and shares real-world case studies. Participants will engage in discussions to address equity challenges and create strategies for a resilient future.

PCW02: Benefit-Cost Analysis: Budget Showdown
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 | 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.  | $75.00
In the wild west of resource allocation, we find ourselves in a showdown for funds. Prove that your gains outweigh the costs, or risk having your projects left like tumbleweeds in the wind. In this workshop you will learn to assess, prioritize, and design profitable conservation programs. While water conservation is the focus of this workshop, the principles taught can be applied to any project.

PCW03: Water Efficiency Case Studies from Commercial Properties
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 | 8:00am – 12:00pm | $75.00
Commercial properties are tough customers. This hands-on workshop teaches water professionals how to successfully work with commercial properties to improve water management and efficiency. From cooling towers to irrigation to submeters, this workshop includes technical training on complex systems and review of real case studies. Attendees will also get training with clamp-on submeters.

PCW04: Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) for Conservation Programs
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 | 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.  | $75.00
This interactive session includes basics of AMI, resources, AMI use cases, experiments and evaluation, and more. Join to find and connect with peers – expect to both contribute and learn. Whether you are just getting started with AMI or have established programs in place, this workshop will provide valuable resources and information for all levels of AMI implementation.

PCW05: Introduction to Building Effective Conservation Programs
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 | 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | $75.00
This is a workshop for early career professionals seeking foundational knowledge and inspirational case studies in water conservation planning and programming. In addition to conservation plan fundamentals, this interactive workshop will cover tools and resources to build a robust program, feature a panel of presentations from industry experts, and provide networking opportunities with peers

PCW06: Cooling Towers – Huge Water Savings for Little Effort
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 | 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.  | $75.00
Most Water Conservation professionals do not have a basic understanding of how cooling towers work. Learning how they function is the first step in understanding the true water savings. The average cooling tower project saves 850K gallons of water per year! This, for probably 10-12 hours of your time spent with the customer and in the office. Any urban area with office, industrial, or even some multifamily facilities will have cooling towers. With this course you should be able to start a cooling tower program that will really increase your commercial water conservation numbers instead of relying just on residential fixture changeouts as they are reaching high saturation levels. Lastly, the best place to reuse waste streams (condensate, gray water, storm water) is in the cooling tower as the water there is already being treated with biocides and anti-scaling chemicals.

Facility tours offer an additional opportunity for hands-on learning. Registration and additional fee are required to attend the tour(s), these items are not included in the full conference registration.

2025 Facility Tours

Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) Hydroelectric Facility Tour
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 | 8:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. | $75.00
Nestled along the picturesque Truckee River, the Orr Ditch Booster Pump Station (BPS) — originally built in 1993 as part of the Chalk Bluff Water Treatment Plant (WTP) Phase 1 — has undergone an exciting transformation to be capable of producing clean, renewable energy. Modified from its original design and now powered by two 500 kW Vertical Francis Turbines, Orr Ditch will continue to serve as a pump station but will now generate electricity when not in use. This revamp will soon provide direct energy savings to TMWA, return power back to the NV Energy power grid, and reduce sedimentation throughout its pumping system. This exciting upgrade brings together water, energy, and environmental stewardship in a single, forward-thinking project that promises to deliver lasting benefits to both the community and the environment.
Tour notes: Closed shoes and long pants required. Please bring ID on tour.

UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Science Center (TERC) & Incline Village Water Treatment Plant Tour
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 | 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. | $120.00
With over 60 years of water data, UC Davis’s TERC is a critical establishment serving to understand, monitor, and protect one of America’s most pristine water sources: Lake Tahoe. On this guided tour, attendees will have the opportunity to view the TERC facilities and ongoing exhibits, hear about ongoing research project and efforts, and engage in an interactive Q&A session with Tahoe Water Suppliers Association. Following the TERC visit and a lunch break, the Incline Village General Improvement District will provide a tour of their UV & Ozone Water Treatment Plant – a facility intentionally designed without traditional filtration, a step rendered unnecessary due to the exceptionally high quality of water drawn from Lake Tahoe.
Tour notes: Closed shoes and long pants required. Please bring ID on tour.

Each year, the WaterSmart Innovations Conference features special programming and activities for young professional and student attendees.

Here is a sneak peek at some of the planned activities. Check back this summer for more!

Tuesday, October 7

Student/YP Reception – 6pm start. Please RSVP to attend!

Wednesday, October 8

Student Poster Competition- 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Want to see what students around the country are discovering in water? Join us for this student poster competition to learn what research, processes and techniques are emerging from the brightest of students! This is a great time to watch their presentations and ask your questions that may help you in your research challenges.

Lunch with a Boss/Committee – Lunch 12:30 – 1:30pm
Students and YPs are welcome to attend this conference event to network with the industry’s leading professionals and committee members. This is your chance to learn what day to day is really like in the roles you aspire to fill. Perhaps you will find a career path you haven’t considered, find new skillsets to achieve, or find a mentor or join a committee! Bring your business cards and resumes, this is an informal meet and greet during lunch! (lunch provided)

Stay tuned for more updates.

Questions?  Email us at students@awwa.org

AWWA will provide Certificates of Completion for sessions and workshops. Use the conference mobile app to track your session attendance by downloading “AWWA Events” from your app store, then entering posted check-in and check-out codes at the beginning and conclusion of each session.

How to Access Certificates of Completion

Important Note: All approvals are at the discretion of your licensing agency, and a Certificate of Completion does not guarantee that your agency will award you credit. It is the individual’s responsibility to contact the licensing agency to confirm that the education program is acceptable for continuing education credit. Visit awwa.org/credits to learn more.

Please allow 30-60 days for certificate processing time. For login assistance, call 800.926.7337 or email service@awwa.org. For certificate discrepancies or continuing education questions, email EducationServices@awwa.org.

Mobile App Tutorial Video