program

Security – Safety – Sustainability

Sustainability Challenges & Adaptation Strategies

Co-organized by: W-SMART & AMWA

Co-hosted by: Eau de Paris- Lyonnaise des Eaux, Société des Eaux du Nord & University of Lille

Purpose – The Workshop will address emerging environmental, economic, societal and operational sustainability challenges that water utilities presently face and provide an international forum to assess current trends in utility adaptation strategies to cope with the financial, institutional, regulatory, technological and other core issues involved. It will expand upon the W-SMART 2011 Workshop, which was kindly hosted by VEWIN and focused on Eco-Risks and Contingency Management. The purpose of the Workshop is to promote inter-utility experience sharing of current sustainability initiatives and emerging technology solutions. Discussion sessions will focus on the growing needs for re-adapting utility management strategies in responding to emerging regulations and rising public concerns with regard to environmental sustainability risks, current economic uncertainties, climate change impacts, and other critical issues, specifically in vulnerable regions. They will also include lessons learned from recent cases of post disaster recovery in both industrialized and developing countries and pilot environmental sustainability oriented programs currently undertaken by water utilities. The workshop will address the rationale for investing in “smarter” monitoring systems to upgrade utility security and water safety and the need for an integrated benchmarking, to be jointly established with regulators and utility managers, for impact monitoring and contingency planning of adaptation strategies and disaster resiliency programs.

Specific discussion topics, as proposed by the Workshop Steering Committee, concern:

1. Security and Safety Issues – current challenges and rationale for investing in sustainable security & safety of water supply systems in an unpredictable environment – including both regulatory and operational perspectives (Ref. CIPAC Drinking Water Contamination Early Warning Workgroup Report).

2. Adaptation Strategies facing Threats of Natural Disasters, Manmade Incidents & Sustainability Risks – issues facing water utilities and lessons learned from recent cases and emerging initiatives – experience sharing of post disaster recovery cases (e.g. the City of Carrefour, Haiti) manmade incidents (e.g. the City of Ashkelon, Israel) and sustainability oriented water supply programs including watershed basin management experiences in “dry” countries (e.g. Las Vegas, Israel), exploring perspectives of sustainable water supply management.

3. Innovative Solutions & Intelligent Management Systems – towards preventive & proactive smart utility management – the role and barriers for innovation in creating new technology based services for consumers (AMR; Smart Grid solutions, etc.) and promoting customers’ participation culture of water safety and sustainability

4. Break-out discussion sessions will focus on the way forward – What are the threats in an uncertain environment? What is the rationale for emerging regulations and for investing in “smarter” water supply systems? What benchmarking measures could effectively be used for adaptation strategies, for upgrading safety, and for pilot sustainability oriented programs? And other rising issues.

We also look forward to the inauguration of the W-SMART Research Center, which was created, in January 2012, as a partnership of KWR, W-SMART, the French Commission of Atomic Energy, and the University of Lille. We particularly appreciate the participation of the Water Research Foundation in this event.

Sustainability Survey

Presentation of the questionnaire
Questionnaire
Questionnaire filled by Eau De Paris

Workshop Program

Tuesday, June 19 – Eau de Paris

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Crisis Management Exercise – Eau De Paris

9, rue Victor Schoelcher – 75014 Paris – Metro station : Denfert-Rochereau

4:00 pm – 4:20 pm Coffee Break

4:20 pm – 6:00 pm W-SMART – General Assembly Meeting – Eau de Paris

8:00 pm Welcome Dinner – offered by Eau de Paris

Pavillon de l’Eau – 77 avenue de Versailles – 75016 Paris

Wednesday, June 20 – University of Lille

8:00 am Departure of the train from Paris Nord – Arrival to Lille at 9.18

Arrival to Université de Lille 1 – Cité Scientifique – 59655 Villeneuve d’Ascq

(metro station : Cité Scientifique)

10:00 am – 11:15 am Introduction – Welcome Session

Prof. Isam Shahrour, Vice President for Research, University of Lille

Local Government Official – Welcome Message

Jean-Marc Charlemagne, Water Director, Société des Eaux Du Nord

Bruno Nguyen, President of W-SMART – Emerging European Challenges

Patricia Mulroy, President of AMWA – North American Utility Challenges

Prof. Ilan Juran, Exec. Director, W-SMART – Current W-SMART Initiatives

11:15 am – 11:30 am Coffee Break

11:30 am – 1:00 pm Session I – Security & Safety Issues

Chair: Dr. Jacques Deveze, Former High Commissioner of Defense, France

Key notes

John Sullivan, Chief Eng. Boston Sewerage and Water Commission

CIPAC Drinking Water Contamination Early Warning Workgroup Report

Contamination Warning

Eric Adamse, Security Policy Officer, VITENS

Emerging Security & Safety Challenges and Contingency Adaptation

Strategies – The Dutch Experience

Panelists

Jose Fernando Crisóstomo Figueira, Director of Security, EPAL

Dr. Tristan Simonart, EC, DG ENTREPRISE & INDUSTRY, EU Security Research Support Initiatives

Bruno Nguyen, EDP, Executive Summary of the Crisis Management Exercise

Q&A

1:00 pm – 2:15 pm Lunch

2:15 pm – 3:45 pm Session II – Post Disaster Recovery & Emerging Sustainability

Initiatives – Lessons Learned from Recent Cases

Chair: Conceição Almeida – Director of Construction, EPAL, Portugal

Key notes

H.E. Yvon Jerome, Mayor of Carrefour, Haiti

Haiti, Current Challenges of the Metropolitan Post Disaster Recovery

Shlomo Cohen, Deputy Mayor of Ashkelon, President of Mei Ashkelon,

Sustainability & Security Challenges of City in a conflict zone

Panelists

Hanspeter Rufenacht, SIG, Geneva – Water supply in emergency situations and sabotage prevention in Switzerland

Dr. Mike Farrimond, Chair, the European Water Platform, WssTP

Guillaume Josse, AFD, Paris – Post Disaster Reconstruction Challenges of Haiti – Lessons Learned

Q&A

3:45 – 4:00 Coffee Break

4:00 – 5:30 Break-out Sessions – Lessons Learned, Benchmarking, the Way Forward

Co-chairs: John Sullivan & Bruno Nguyen

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm Concluding Remarks

6:00 pm – 7:30 pm Industrial Park for Innovative Technologies – Site visit – Prof. Isam Shahrour

7:30 pm Dinner – Official Inauguration of the W-SMART R&D Center – offered by USTL

Thursday, June 21 – University of Lille

9:00 am – 10:40 am Session III – Adaptation Strategies facing Emerging

Sustainability Risks

Chair: Peter Dane – Manager, International Benchmarking Program, VEWIN

Key notes

Patricia Mulroy, General Manager, Las Vegas Valley Water Authority

The Inter-state Colorado River Water Pact for Sharing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)

Daniel BERNARD, Directorate of “Agence de Bassin” Artois Picardie

Multi-stakeholders IWRM Management Strategy

Panelists

Denise Kruger, Vice Chair, Board of Trustees, Water Research Foundation

Emerging Industry Challenges

Didier Gaujous & Gilles Boulanger – Suez Environment / Lyonnaise des Eaux

Micro Polluants and Emerging Parameters

Dr Shai Ezra, Director of Water Security Department, MEKOROT

Early Warning System for Drinking Water Quality Assurance in Mekorot

Q&A

10:40 am – 11:00 am Coffee Break

11:00 am – 12:30 pm Break-out session on Adaptation Strategies facing Emerging Challenges

Co-chairs: Didier Gaujous & Denise Kruger

12:30 pm – 1:45 pm Lunch (Board of Directors of the W-SMART R&D Center)

1:45 pm – 3:15 pm Session IV – Innovative Solutions & Intelligent

Management Systems

Chair: Daniel Villessot, Scientific Director, Lyonnaise des Eaux

Key notes

Dr. Rob Renner, Executive Director, Water Research Foundation, US

R&D Priority Needs for the US Utilities & Implementation Strategies

Bruno Nguyen, Director of Operations & International Affairs, Eau De Paris

Smart Utility Management – the role and barriers for innovation in creating new technology based services for consumers

Panelists

Prof. Gertjan Medema, Chief Scientist, KWR

Bio-contamination Detection – the BIO-SMART Project

Cyrille Lemoine, Scientific Advisor, Veolia Eau

Drivers for Innovation and for Investment in Upgrading Security & Safety Capabilities

Dr. Laurent Disdier, Director, CEA LIST

Expert systems for Incident Management Support and

Network Control in Water Supply

Prof. Isam Shahrour, University of Lille

The W-SMART R&D Center – A Government–Industry-University partnership for Smart Water Utility Management upgrading Safety, Security, Reliability & Sustainability

Q&A

3:15 pm – 3:30 pm Coffee Break

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm Break-out session

4:30 pm – 5:00 pm Conclusions – The Way Forward

Patricia Mulroy, President, AMWA & Bruno Nguyen, President, W-SMART

6:00 pm Departure from Lille – Arrival 7:00 pm to Paris

8:30 pm Dinner – offered by Suez Environnement at “La Coupole”

102 Bd du Montparnasse – 75014 Paris

Friday, June 22 – Versailles Site Visit – Kindly organized by Suez Environment

9:00 am – Departure from the hotel in Paris (bus)

10:00 – 11:30 am – Visit of: “La coulée verte” a green area near the Seine river dedicated to underground water recharge (similar to what we saw in Scheveningen dune) and overview of CIRSEE (R&D lab of Suez Environment).

11:30 – 12:00 pm – visit of “la machine de Marly“ , the Versailles historical pumping station on the Seine river.

12h00 – 1h30 pm – lunch in Marly-le-Roy

On our way to Versailles, quick stop to the historical reservoirs of Louveciennes .

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm – visit of Versailles castle and fountains ….

6:00 pm – Return to the hotel in Paris