Dr. Peter Williams, IBM Distinguished Engineer and Smart Cities and Resilience Lead, will provide the keynote discussion at the sixth Emerging Water and Technology Symposium.

The symposium, which provides a platform for plumbers, contractors, engineers, manufacturers, and water efficiency experts to introduce new technologies for the plumbing and mechanical industries, and to discuss emerging trends, challenges and opportunities important to anyone who cares about how water is used in the built environment, will take place May 15-16 in Ontario, California.

Williams has played a major role in the development and delivery of IBM’s smart cities, water management, and resilience solutions. He has worked with organizations as diverse as the UN and EU, numerous city, state, and local governments, and many public utilities on these issues. He co-wrote the UN’s City Disaster Resilience Scorecard, used by about 40 cities globally, and now scheduled to be used by an additional 200.

By background a strategy and change consultant, Williams has spent his career at the intersection of technology and strategy, and currently focuses on issues including the role of the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and block-chains in city and utility operations.

In addition to Williams’ keynote, the EWTS will provide presentations and discussions on today’s most pressing water related issues. Attendees will hear updates on the status of research activities and mitigation strategies for legionella and other opportunistic pathogens in water distribution and premise plumbing systems; discussions on the unintended consequences of water efficiency that threaten water quality and water system efficacy; the development of a new international ISO standard for the labeling of water efficient products and how the standard will work with existing labeling programs; new technologies and information on water reuse and alternate water sources; an exploration of the water and energy nexus; a wonderful demonstration on how young students in California are thinking about and working toward solutions for our global water problems; and much more.

The EWTS is co-convened by the Alliance for Water Efficiency, The American Society of Plumbing Engineers, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials and the Plumbing Manufacturers International.

Additional information and details on how to register for the symposium can be found online at http://www.iapmo.org/Pages/EmergingWaterTechnologySymposium.aspx.

Attendees are advised to register early as this symposium will sell out. The early bird rate of $495 ends on March 15. Prior presentations and a series of videos from the previous five symposiums are available for viewing online at http://www.youtube.com/user/IAPMOGroup.

Further details on the EWTS program are forthcoming. Please direct questions to Maria Bazan at (708) 995- 3000.