(Photo provided by OC San)

2024 Partnering for Impact: Elevating Innovation and Excellence in California

By CASA Staff, Resource Recovery

Partnering for Impact (PFI) is a one-day, highly focused, interactive meeting of thought-leaders, practitioners, academics, and regulators from throughout the wastewater industry. These industry leaders strive daily to advance technology and innovation through various local and regional partnerships.

The 2024 PFI event had 96 attendees and was held at UC Irvine Beall Applied Innovation Beach at the Cove.

The goal of Partnering For Impact (PFI) is to build stronger utility, university, and industry collaborations within the water sector for innovation and to find areas where we can create a positive impact.

Water agencies, cities, counties, utilities, research funders, and universities actively addressing water issues are increasingly recognizing the value of partnering. We can work together to promote national leadership in the water sector.

Partnering for Impact is a platform for influencers inspiring the water sector to achieve sustainability and resiliency goals, drive economic prosperity, encourage the next generation of professionals, create innovations, and build research and development capacity. Partnering for Impact events began in 2016 in San Francisco, California with 45 delegates from 15 national professional water organizations including Bluetech Research, Imagine H2O, WEF, AWWA, IWA, WRA, WRF, U.S. Water Alliance, NWRI, CWEA, SFPUC, and the LuminUS Group.

The group met to explore the simple question “how can we accomplish more by working together?” Since the initial inspirational meeting, follow-up national Partnering for Impact (PFI) events occurred in Chicago, San Francisco, Reno, and Washington DC. In California, PFI is organized annually by CASA and the California Water Environment Association (CWEA), sponsored by the firms and individuals who are active in CASA’s Engineering and Research Committee.

PFI 2024 focused on innovation and collaboration as it applies to recycled water as a future potable water resource and new advancements in PFAS management. You can watch the event by following the links below and access the speaker presentations for more detail.

June 4 Brochure

PFI Speaker Presentations 2024

What attendees say about PFI…

“Overall I really enjoyed the event.”

“Some of the best aspects of PFI are getting face-to-face time with others, plus the roundtable discussions.”

“Great presentation, excellent attendance.”

“it was great meeting the partners in a professional setting with an open format.”

“For me, the networking opportunities and the presentations I thought were very useful and informative.”

“Have it twice per year!”