Intergenerational Dialogue: Shaping the Future of Water Treatment Together at IWA Toronto 2024

The future of (waste)water treatment has great challenges. From water quality and availability to the transition to the circular economy. Every challenge requires its own solution and new challenges could always arise. But there is one factor that all these challenges have in common: implementation of these solution will happen by the young water professionals of today.

Together with Idsart Dijkstra, manager of the water knowledge group at KWR, we hosted a intergenerational dialogue, to connect the planners of today with the implementers of the future. Three young water professionals; Nienke Koudijs (process technologist at Brabant Water), Julian Muñoz Sierra (researcher at KWR) and Megan Ewing (Climate Program Coordinator of the Canadian Water Network), talked with Joyce Nelissen (CEO of the WML Water Utility), Koen Zuurbier (Strategic Advisor at PWN Water Utility) and Carl Yates (Director of the board of the Canadian Water Network) on the challenges that lay ahead.

Overall, there was a lot of agreement and recognition. Everyone recognized that drinking water companies cannot be solely responsible for taking chemicals out of the water that was discharged by someone else, but would require shared approach where legislation takes the lead. Problems perceived as Dutch are just as well Canadian and vice versa and while the solutions to all our challenges might not be clear yet, as Nienke Koudijs sai:; “We should try, try a lot. And most likely we sometimes fail but that is okay because in one of our attempts there is also one of the solutions”. This resonated within the panel and underlines the importance of research that we do within KWR.

The stage that we gave to the six panelists was an example of how young water professionals and senior water professionals can share their ideas, acknowledge challenges and work on the solutions. A new approach from a young water professional, an experienced view from a senior water professional and in that mix we can all work together on the future of (waste)water treatment.