H2O 2021 Event Programme

Participation in the conference entitles you to 3 training credits (CFP),

This event will be an opportunity for water industry technicians and scholars to meet by creating a forum to discuss and debate important topics, including the numerical modelling of complex networks to improve planning and management, new paradigms for the planning of water infrastructure, problems linked to maintaining appropriate chlorine concentrations in distribution network pipes, how COVID-19 has changed water usage habits in cities, the relationship between the management of a water network and the management of an aquifer, the modernization and industrialization of software dedicated to the management of urban water networks and irrigation systems, energy recovery in large pumping stations, and hydro-electric production through systems integrated into the water network.

The development of smart utility meters is growing steadily: in the power sector we’re already at 2G versions, while gas is concluding its round with 1G versions. Water is still on the outside looking in, but is working with 1G and already has a number of regulatory incentives that are making manufacturers, key players and experts discuss why, how and when to move towards this new type of technology. For some time now (and not by coincidence, given the context), regulators have proposed national standards for technical parameters that are meant to incentivise managerial efficiency. To respond to this challenge, stakeholders and contractors must quickly make issue-solving decisions that also look to the long-term future. With the recent phase of optimal-sized management aggregations having ended (as seen in the 2019 Blue Book report), the metering debate has become strategic. This meeting aims to be a fruitful opportunity for analysis and reflection.

Today’s Integrated Water Cycle is defined by a very wide range of drivers for improvement in both the drinking water and waste water areas. Remote monitoring is the best tool for meeting new needs as well as an essential hi-tech instrument for modern public utilities to reach the quality and efficiency targets required by the market and by water authorities. This conference will highlight the transformations and interactions that have taken place at different levels of remote monitoring, including through case studies. Today, this technology is active and evolving, a critical, crucial element for the implementation of any corporate strategy.

ARERA has recently been given regulatory jurisdiction over waste services (already being realized through significant acts and procedures), and the implementation of selected regulations pertaining to local public services (which has a long history in Italy) is proceeding at a robust pace. Given this context (i.e., that of multilevel regulation), the mosaic of responsibilities is rapidly being completed centrally (ARERA), with more gradual homogenization at the regional level. In Emilia Romagna, a single regulatory agency on a regional level, in charge of water services and waste disposal, was created in 2010-2011. Ten years later, ATERSIR is here to take stock and make an initial evaluation along with all industry players, with specific reference to water services.

The crisis created by the pandemic has highlighted the water industry’s ability to resist and react under duress, and has also accelerated the transformation of companies towards sustainability-oriented industrial strategies. The industry’s trend towards ESG issues, the development of regulations and the growing financial and investment capacity of companies is creating a context that was unimaginable just a few years ago. Starting with an analysis of the 100 best Italian utilities as ranked by Top Utility, this workshop will look at current trends and predict future changes through a discussion with some of the industry’s leading stakeholders and players.

Water utilities are constantly striving to reduce the volume of non-revenue water and improve their operational efficiency, while coping with ageing infrastructure, changes in water demand, strict environmental targets and increasingly stringent regulatory requirements. To deal with these challenges, this conference will present and discuss the latest developments, strategies, techniques and applications of international best practices in the innovative management of water networks. Two Italian-language sessions will be held: 'Regulator and Operator Collaboration to Resolve Leakage Problems' and 'Best Practices and Innovation for Leakage Control,' featuring a series of presentations by leading Italian experts. Case studies will be presented and topical issues and perspectives for water utilities will be discussed, such as: strategies and technologies for monitoring and reducing water loss, asset management, network performance analysis and benchmarking, manager/regulator collaboration on plans to reduce leakage, and the right approach to ensure the transition from intermittent provision to 24/7 services.

Event sposnsors: