Our annual conference of the UK Water Network will take place at Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é on Wednesday 24th June 2026.
Overview
This conference is the nineteenth in an annual series focusing on drinking water production from source to tap. The event provides an excellent opportunity for attendees to get the latest information on water treatment and supply, an interact on the topic with scientists and researchers from water utilities and leading global academic institutions.
“As a critical industry, we are facing the accelerating impacts of climate change, increasing pressure on resources, and rising expectations for water quality and operational performance — alongside the urgent drive towards net zero. In this evolving landscape, closer collaboration between academia and industry, scientists and engineers, and practitioners and researchers is more important than ever. By working together and sharing knowledge, we can develop sustainable, forward-looking solutions to address a range of emerging challenges.”
Prof John Fawell, Chair of the UK Water Network.
If you are interested in presenting at our conference, please contact Kristell Le Corre Pidou at: k.s.lecorrepidou@cranfield.ac.uk. Deadline for presentation proposals: 28 February 2026. Please note that we only have a limited number of presentations slots available, so if you apply for a talk, we cannot guarantee that you will be allocated one.
As every year, our conference will also feature a session dedicated to young and early career researchers with a series of 5-minute presentations.
We invite early career researchers to submit an application for a talk on their work and most recent research advances on innovations for water treatment. A jury, composed of water professionals and researchers, will vote for the best early career researcher’s presentation, with a best presentation prize of £200 (as vouchers) being awarded during the conference.
Applications for a 5-minute early career researcher presentation can be summitted to Kristell Le Corre Pidou at: k.s.lecorrepidou@cranfield.ac.uk using the word template available here . Applications must include:
• A presentation title.
• A short abstract (not more than 200 words).
• A short bio (100 words max).
• A profile picture.
Deadline for submitting your application for 5-minute early career researcher presentation is 29.05.2026.
Please note that we have a limited number of short presentations slots, so if you apply for a talk, we cannot guarantee that your talk will be selected.
Event Programme
We are currently working on the conference programme that will include topics on water treatment technologies, water monitoring, distribution system, water quality and catchment management.
Confirmed speaker to date include:
Reimagining GAC for Conventional Drinking Water Treatment (Keynote)
Ron Hofmann, Professor, University of Toronto, Canada.
Pipe Asset Health: The Role of Fatigue Loading and Corrosion in the Evolution of Leaks and Bursts
Edward D. Jones, Research Associate, School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Sheffield, UK.
PFAS at Wessex Water – approach and a case study of an express GAC installation.
Matthew Jones, Public Health Manager, and Jörgen Jönsson, Water Quality Manger and Strategic Carbon Manager, Wessex Water, UK.
Investigation into the electrochemical degradation of 6:2 FTAB: insights for water treatment processing
Rory Downham, Research Fellow, University of Warwick, UK.
Management of nuisance and harmful algae in Australian water supplies.
Dr Bojan Tamburic, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Deputy Director of the UNSW Water Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Australia.
Using zeta potential to tackle the DBP challenge in Scotland.
Jonathan Manley, Process Scientist, Scottish Water
Current industry approach to lead in drinking water (Title TBC)
Claire Franklin, Water Quality Manager, Leep Utilities, UK
Stay tuned for programme updates!
Location and travel details
Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é | The Sir Peter Gregson AIRC, Building 320Who should attend
• Water company employees• Consultants for the water sector
• Public health professionals
• Those working in drinking water quality
• Regulators
• Supply chain companies
• Academic and industry researchers working in drinking water treatment and supply
Cost
£250 per delegate; £90 per student. Alumni discount - 10% off the standard delegate fee. UK Water Network members: Free attendance for up to 3 delegate per member organisationHow to register
To register please fill in this
Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é the UK Water:
Chaired by John Fawell, led by Dr Irene Carra and managed by Dr Kristell Le Corre Pidou, the UK Water Network is a collaboration that brings together academic, industry and research Institutions from around the UK to facilitate co-operative working and best practice, as well as promoting the great research that is undertaken by the UK water sector.
Sponsor:
The 19th conference of the UK Water Network is sponsored by
Advanced Activated Carbon Solutions for Comprehensive Water Treatment.
Puragen delivers advanced activated carbon technologies for the purification of wastewater, drinking water, process water, and urban water systems — ensuring the efficient and sustainable removal of hazardous contaminants including PFAS.
Puragen provides complete, end-to-end solutions, integrating high-performance FiltraPure® activated carbons with AquaSorber® mobile filtration systems to ensure compliance, safety, and reliability across diverse water treatment processes.
Puragen collaborates closely with its customers to design and implement tailored purification strategies, from carbon selection and system design to installation, change-out, and reactivation.
Supported by our R&D and regeneration facility, Puragen leads innovation in circular water treatment technologies, helping operators meet today’s most demanding water quality and sustainability challenges.
