Thank you for another successful Texas Desal conference!
The annual conference brought together a diverse group of municipalities, water suppliers, engineers, regulators and legislators with industry professionals to discuss how to implement desal in Texas.
The agenda is listed below, along with all presentations in PDF format. Speaker biographies can be found here.
Scroll down for event photo gallery.
Congratulations!
- 2018 Ed Archuleta Desalter Scholarship Winner – Amit Jain from Rice University
- 2018 Best of Show Student Research Poster – Miguel Fraga from University of Texas at El Paso
- Raffle Winner: Hill Country Getaway – Rex Hunt, Alan Plummer Associates Donated by Paul & Peach Choules
- Raffle Winner: 7-nights in Barcelona Apartment – Alan R. Pyle, WaterFleet Donated by Linda Fernandez
Wednesday, September 12
Bus Tour to SAWS desalination plant and ASR facility
Afternoon learning tour before the conference. Don’t miss the bus next year! $35 add-on at registration.
Wine-Tasting & Fundraising Event for Ed Archuleta Scholarship Fund
Hosted by Texas Desalination Association Board of Directors
Thursday, September 13
Introduction to International Desalination Association
Miguel Angel Sanz, SUEZ and IDA board
The Real World of Cost, Risk & Regulations
Managing Cost and Risk
Texas Brackish Groundwater: Tapping Our 2.8 Billion ac-ft
Moderator: Kevin Spencer, R.W. Harden & Assoc.
- Ten Years & Looking Forward: Scott Reinert, El Paso Water
- Victories & Challenges: Saqib Shirazi, San Antonio Water System (unavailable)
- Brazosport Now!: Allen Woelke, CDM Smith
- Can Desal Save Imperial, TX?: Dennis Owens, Charlton Resources
- Criteria for Mapping Brackish GW as a Resource: John Meyer, Texas Water Development Board
Introduction to PLW Waterworks – Webber & Luncheon Speaker
Luncheon Keynote Speaker
Kevin Price, Middle East Desalination Research Center
Presentation of Ed Archuleta Desalter Scholarship
Awarded to Amit Jain, Rice University
Innovative Technology & Research
Moderated by Tom Pankratz, Water Desalination Report, GWI, and Yuliana Porras-Mendoza, Bureau of Reclamation
Yuliana Porras-Mendoza, Bureau of Reclamation
The 7-Minute Pitch
Legal & Regulatory | Challenges & Opportunities
Moderated by Steve Walden, Texas Desalination Association, board president
1) Brackish Groundwater
2) Seawater Desalination
Concentrate Management, Disposal & Zero Liquid Discharge
Moderator: Mike Hightower, UNM
- Brine disposal methods/challenges in Texas: Erika Mancha, TWDB
- Full Recovery Desal in El Paso: Bill Norris, NorrisLeal (unavailable)
- The Practical Side of Concentrate Disposal in the Valley: Steven Sanchez, NAWSC
Legislative Committee Report
Legislative Keynote: Senator Charles Perry, Chairman of Senate Committee on Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs
Friday, September 14
The State of Permitting Brackish Groundwater in Texas: A Joint Panel
Moderated by Sarah Schlessinger, TAGD, and Kyle Frazier, Texas Desal
- Greg Sengelmann, Gonzales County Underground Water Conservation District
- Brian Smith, Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District
- Darrell Peckham, Peckham PG Consulting
- Steve Young, Intera
Expanding the Texas Water Portfolio
Produced water
Moderator: Steve Walden, Texas Desalination board member
Reuse
Moderator: Eva Steinle-Darling, Carollo
A Case For High Recovery, Low Energy, Low Cost Desalination with Twin Turbocharger
Special Focus Luncheon: Marine Desal on the Texas Coast
Moderated by Ross Ramsey, Executive Editor, Texas Tribune
- City of Corpus Christi, Jorge Arroyo
- Port of Corpus Christi, Bech Bruun
- Texas coastal industries, Tim Finley, DOW
- Seven Seas Water, Richard Whiting
Conference Photos!
