Partnering for Impact (PFI)

Collaboration is driving the future of water innovation. Join us on June 3, 2026, at The Cove in Irvine, CA for Partnering for Impact (PFI), a dynamic, one-day gathering of leaders from across the wastewater sector working together to advance technology, research, and real-world solutions. This year, the focus of the event will be the intersection of nutrient treatment, reverse osmosis concentrate management, and emissions at wastewater treatment facilities. 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 to advance technology and innovation through local and regional partnerships. The goal of the PFI event is to build stronger utility, academic, and regulator collaborations within the water sector and to find areas where we can create a positive impact, and identify specific issues where we can work together to promote national leadership in the water sector. 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 sponsored by the firms and individuals who are active in CASA's Engineering and Research Group. This year, the focus of the event will be the intersection of nutrient treatment, reverse osmosis concentrate management, and emissions at wastewater treatment facilities. As part of this event, we hope to discuss various research questions and priorities for future inquiry, as well as develop a shared understanding of how these issues connect and ways to address them for the future.