AI, Data, Data Centers: Strategies and Opportunities the Water Sector

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2026

noon – 1:00 p.m.

Attendee Check-in (light lunch available)

AI: What is it? Challenges and Opportunities for Water Utilities
An overview of what AI is and is not (reality vs. the sales pitch), including: the progression and impacts of AI on water utility operations; how policies and practices for AI are being developed and implemented by water utilities; key components to a successful rollout of AI and related digitalization activities; and some of the key challenges water utility leaders face in implementing and/or expanding the use of AI and digitalization in their operations.

Moderator
First Last, Job Title │Company

Panelists
First Last, Job Title │Company

Utility Data and AI: Collecting It, Using it, and Why It Matters
An interactive discussion on the role of data, its collection and uses in water utility AI-related activities and other key operations, including: what data is and where it can be found in utility operations; the collection process and securing of information contained in data; legal aspects of data collection and its uses; examples of how various water utilities are successfully managing the challenges and risks of data collection; and the positive impacts effective data collection and management can contribute to water utility AI and other operations.

Moderator
First Last, Job Title │Company

Panelists
First Last, Job Title │Company

8:00 a.m.

Registration (Continental breakfast available)

8:45 a.m.

Data Centers: A New Frontier for Water Utilities
An overview of what data centers are and how they impact water utilities and relate to their AI activities, including: what are some of the key potential impacts data centers pose to water systems; how water utilities are managing these impacts; what the energy-related impacts of data centers are and their impact on water systems; the role AI and related tools can (and do) play in working with data centers to effectively manage their water demands; and a discussion of the findings in AWWA’s white paper, “Cooling the Cloud: Water Utilities in a Data-Driven World,” which addresses these and other related topics.

Moderator
First Last, Job Title │Company

Panelists
First Last, Job Title │Company

10:45 a.m.

AI, Data, and Data Centers: Putting It All Together and Moving Forward
A round-robin discussion by and between water utility and sector leaders on: the evolving management and integration challenges of data, data management, and the uses of AI in their water system operations; how they are preparing for possible data center development in their service areas; changes they are making to their capital planning and strategic plans to meet evolving data and AI needs; and how they are meeting the demands of growing regulatory issues surrounding the continuing evolution of AI, data collection, and data center development.

Moderator
First Last, Job Title │Company

Panelists
First Last, Job Title │Company

12:30 p.m.

Adjourn