Reuse is the future. It’s time to scale it up

We are pleased to present the June 2025 issue of Smart Water Magazine Print Edition, with a special focus on sanitation, wastewater treatment, and reuse—three pillars that are increasingly central to the global water agenda.

This edition’s cover story features an exclusive interview with Jon Freedman, President of the International Desalination and Reuse Association (IDRA), who reflects on the growing urgency of expanding reuse and desalination. Freedman outlines how policy, finance, and innovation must align to unlock the full potential of a circular water economy, and why global cooperation is more vital than ever.

In our feature on the new European Water Resilience Strategy, Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, sets out the EU’s ambition to act decisively in the face of growing water stress.

This issue features exclusive insights from Acciona, where Raúl González details how the company is rethinking operation and maintenance through predictive maintenance, IoT, and trenchless technologies. From Isle Utilities, Blanca Antizar shares how education, entrepreneurship, and innovation must work in tandem to accelerate adoption of water reuse and sustainable technologies.

In our features section, we showcase real-world projects already delivering results. Badger Meter highlights how Anglian Water is using real-time pressure monitoring to prevent bursts and protect critical rising mains. Molecor demonstrates how India is scaling up its water infrastructure with durable, fully recyclable OPVC solutions that support the country’s ambitious Jal Jeevan Mission. From Saudi Arabia, SWPC presents the successful transformation of the Shuaibah 3 desalination plant—a shift from thermal to reverse osmosis that cuts emissions, saves energy, and sets a new model for BOO infrastructure.

On the technology front, ZwitterCo introduces its breakthrough membranes built for difficult-to-treat industrial water, unlocking new possibilities for circular reuse in sectors like food, energy, and chemicals. And HRS Heat Exchangers explores how its Unicus Series scraped-surface evaporators meet the challenge of sludge and digestate treatment with efficiency and reliability.

We also spotlight two public sector case studies: Orange County’s Groundwater Replenishment System, a global benchmark for potable reuse; and Canada’s evolving national PFAS strategy, which signals a shift toward class-based regulation, expanded monitoring, and long-term remediation.

Finally, our opinion section gathers nineteen expert contributors, offering diverse views on the future of water. From PFAS and biosolids to sustainability, innovation, and communication, these pieces reflect the broad set of challenges and solutions shaping the sector’s next chapter.

By putting sanitation, wastewater, and reuse at the centre of the discussion, this issue captures the sector’s shift toward smarter, more integrated approaches to water management. Whether through cutting-edge technology, forward-thinking regulation, or real-world collaboration, it highlights how water professionals across the globe are working toward a more resilient, inclusive, and intelligent water future—driven by solutions that are not only urgent, but already in motion.

Perspectives from across the sector

In this edition of Smart Water Magazine, eight professionals share their views on the challenges and opportunities shaping the water sector today. From executive leadership to on-the-ground expertise, these interviews reflect a range of roles and approaches making a difference in areas like policy, operations, research, and communication.

Jon Freedman, President, International Desalination and Reuse Association (IDRA)

Freedman outlines IDRA’s mission to advance desalination and water reuse globally through innovation, equity, and policy reform. He emphasises overcoming non-technical barriers and building a circular water economy powered by renewable energy and cross-sector collaboration.

Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy

Leading the rollout of the EU Water Resilience Strategy, Commissioner Jessika Roswall outlines a path focused on water efficiency, digitalisation, and nature-based solutions. The strategy calls for collective action, flexible national targets, and stronger implementation to combat Europe’s mounting water stress.

Raúl González, Network Operation and Maintenance Director, Acciona

From smart cities in Spain to sanitation projects in Brazil, Raúl González details how Acciona’s network-operation model leverages IoT, trenchless methods, and predictive maintenance to cut losses, extend asset life, and deliver data-driven, circular water services.

Blanca Antizar, Director of Consultancy, Isle Utilities

Empowering innovation from the ground up, Blanca Antizar shares how Isle Utilities supports circular water solutions through pilot funding, professional training, and entrepreneurship. She stresses that innovation, education, and public trust must evolve together to advance reuse.

Roberta Maffettone, Scientific Project Officer, European Commission Joint Research Centre

At the European Commission’s JRC, Roberta Maffettone plays a central role in shaping water reuse policy through science-based risk management and stakeholder support. She advocates a “fit-for-purpose” approach tailored to diverse regional needs across the EU.

Donnie Ginn, Executive Vice President and Water Solutions Group Leader, Black & Veatch

The Black & Veatch Water Report, led by Donnie Ginn, offers insights into key utility challenges—from data strategy gaps to ageing infrastructure and cyber risks. Ginn calls for integrated planning, better funding, and a digital-savvy workforce to build resilience.

Elizabeth Denly, National PFAS Initiative Leader and Chemistry Director, TRC

PFAS liabilities are a growing concern, and Elizabeth Denly urges companies to act now. At TRC, she leads efforts to assess risks, implement green remediation technologies, and navigate evolving federal and state-level regulations with practical, science-based strategies.

Felicia Heaton, Communications Director, Portland Water Bureau

In Portland, Felicia Heaton is reshaping utility communications. By championing community storytelling, inclusive messaging, and values-based engagement, she makes the case for investing in communications as a strategic pillar of public trust and long-term infrastructure planning.

Where technology meets urgency

From India’s drive to modernise its water networks to California’s leadership in potable reuse, this edition highlights solutions tackling today’s most complex water challenges. Across geographies and sectors, these seven features reveal how innovation—whether in regulation, treatment, or infrastructure—is already transforming the way we manage, reuse, and protect water resources.

Badger Meter – Smart Monitoring for rising mains
Anglian Water’s deployment of Badger Meter’s PIPEMINDER-ONE technology enables rapid burst detection and asset performance insights across its rising mains. Integrated with hydraulic modelling and SCADA, this approach improves operational response, reduces pollution risk, and supports a zero-spill strategy.

Molecor – OPVC for India’s water future
Facing pollution and infrastructure strain, India turns to Molecor’s TOM® OPVC pipes and ecoFITTOM® fittings for resilient water networks. Corrosion-free and 100% recyclable, this high-performance system supports critical initiatives like Jal Jeevan Mission with secure, long-life solutions.

SWPC – Shuaibah 3: a new model for desalination
The Saudi Water Partnership Company’s transformation of Shuaibah 3 replaces MSF with reverse osmosis, cutting energy use and emissions. Powered partly by solar, this BOO project sets a precedent for scalable, efficient desalination driven by private-sector innovation.

ZwitterCo – Anti-fouling membranes for industrial reuse
ZwitterCo’s zwitterionic membranes resist fouling, cut cleaning costs, and maintain high performance across oily and organic-rich streams. Built on breakthrough copolymer chemistry, these membranes unlock circular water reuse in industries like dairy, bioenergy, and oil & gas.

HRS Heat Exchangers – Tailored evaporation for sludge treatment
Choosing the right evaporation method is critical. HRS highlights the benefits and limits of MVR systems and explains why its Unicus Series scraped surface heat exchangers offer reliable, energy-efficient performance for high-fouling waste streams like sludge and digestate.

Orange County: a blueprint for potable reuse

The Groundwater Replenishment System in California purifies wastewater into near-distilled quality for aquifer recharge. Combining engineering excellence with public trust-building and financial innovation, it offers a globally recognised model for potable reuse that is scalable, sustainable, and climate-resilient.

Canada: toward a national PFAS trategy

Canada is shifting to a class-based regulatory model for PFAS across drinking water and wastewater. With new guidelines, national monitoring, and evolving cleanup policies, the country is aligning science, public health, and environmental protection in a unified national strategy

Opinion: views on what matters now

In this edition of Smart Water Magazine, nineteen contributors—from CEOs and scientists to consultants and NGO leaders—share their take on the most pressing issues facing the water sector. Their articles explore topics such as regulation, innovation, sustainability, PFAS, digitalisation, public engagement, and private-sector collaboration. Together, they offer a diverse set of perspectives and ideas to help move the conversation—and the sector—forward.

• Alejandro Sturniolo, Head of Sustainability Strategy, Aqua Positive
• Alon Tavor, CEO of IDE Technologies
• Blanca Antizar, Director of Consultancy, Isle Utilities
• Damian Lewis, Market Development Manager at Viasat Enterprise
• Ed Mitchell, CEO of Water and Sanitation for Urban Populations (WSUP)
• Eyal Harel, CEO and Co-Founder of BlueGreen Water Technologies
• Jim Lauria, Vice President Sales & Marketing, Mazzei Injector Company
• Associate Professor Juan Felipe Torres, The Australian National University
• Kevin Cassidy, CEO of Newterra
• Laith Al-Yacoub, Water and Environment Consultant and Nafn Amdar, Senior Research Officer at International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
• Mehul Patel, Executive Director of Operations, Orange County Water District, California
• Michael Timko, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Co-Founder of River Otter and Amelia Thomas, Co-Founder and CEO of River Otter
• Miles Menyhert, Applications Engineer specialising in drinking water treatment with Jacobi Carbons, Inc.
• Robert Brears, Founder of Our Future Water
• Simon Gatcliffe, CEO of Arvia Technology
• Steve Salvin, CEO and Founder of Aiimi
• Vijay Sundaram, Global One Water Director, and Rosa Gwinn, Global PFAS Technical Lead at AECOM
• Walid Khoury, President and CEO, Desalytics, and Member of the Board of Trustees, Water Environment Federation (WEF)
• Jess Steier, DrPH, Founder and CEO of Unbiased Science