The Southern Ontario Water Consortium (SOWC) attended WEFTEC 2013 in Chicago, Illinois, as both an exhibitor and presenter during the four-day conference. The Water Environment Federation’s Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference is the largest conference of its kind in North America.

“WEFTEC 2013 is a great opportunity for SOWC to build and strengthen ties with Ontario, North American and global water sector companies,” said Brenda Lucas, SOWC Operations Manager, prior to the conference. “The SOWC is also excited to help showcase Ontario as a leader in water innovation through highlighting current collaborative projects.”

The SOWC booth was located within the Ontario Pavilion and included information on the SOWC’s collaborative projects, six research and demonstration nodes (watersheds, wastewater, ecotoxicology, drinking water, analytical techniques and sensors), existing infrastructure, and ‘smart’ watershed capabilities. It also included details regarding current partners and collaborative opportunities. The booth was staffed by Brenda Lucas, SOWC Operations Manager, as well as Evelyn Allen, SOWC Industry Liaison.

“As part of the Ontario Pavilion, we were able to speak to many fellow exhibitors and conference attendees regarding opportunities for partnerships and collaborations and to confirm the relevance of the unique platform we are creating,” said Allen. “Large events like this are a really important way for SOWC to meet companies in the sector and gather feedback to ensure we’re creating the platform to best suit their needs.”

The SOWC also delivered a presentation entitled Building a Water Quality Research Platform in Urban and Urbanizing Watersheds as part of the Watershed Management: Strategies and Innovations for Urbanizing Areas session.

“We were able to provide a summary of SOWC initiatives and projects taking place across the platform to a North American and International audience,” says Allen who presented on behalf of SOWC. “The presentation provided an overview of water management issues Ontario is currently facing, and reviewed innovative water sector solutions that are being enabled through the creation of the SOWC.”

WEFTEC is recognized as the largest annual water quality exhibition in the world; the expansive show floor provides unparalleled access to the most cutting-edge technologies and water sector organizations to more than 17,000 attendees.

About SOWC

About SOWC (sowc.ca): The SOWC is a platform for turning water ideas into water innovations through research, development and demonstration of solutions to water problems faced in Ontario and around the world. The SOWC is supported by the Government of Canada as well as the Government of Ontario. The Government of Ontario is providing support through the Ministry of Research & Innovation’s Ontario Research Fund. The Government of Canada is providing support to the SOWC through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario’s Technology Development Program, which has served as a catalyst for SOWC partnerships. Partners include eight universities, municipalities, not-for-profits, and private sector supporters, including IBM as primary corporate supporter.

About WEF

Formed in 1928, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with 36,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world. WEF members, Member Associations, and staff proudly work to achieve our mission to provide bold leadership, champion innovation, connect water professionals, and leverage knowledge to support clean and safe water worldwide. To learn more, visit www.wef.org. Every year, WEF brings you WEFTEC® – The Water Quality Event.