Symposium on Advancements in Water & Wastewater
May 5-6 | Rackham Building - University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI
Every three years the Michigan-based Borchardt Conference brings together a diverse group of engineers, scientists, public health specialists and students to present and discuss the latest issues and advances in water and wastewater technology. The This premier triennial event emphasizes applied research and real life experience in environmental engineering and water utility operations. The Borchardt Conference is co-sponsored by the University of Michigan Department of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, MI-AWWA, MWEA and EGLE.
Download and share the conference flyer.
Borchardt Keynote Lecturer: Dr. Megan Plumlee, Research Director, Orange County Water District
Megan Plumlee, Ph.D., P.E. is the Director of Research for the Orange County Water District (OCWD) in Fountain Valley, California, where she oversees a team of research scientists and engineers conducting applied studies to support the District’s core operational needs. This includes evaluations of promising new technologies for the advanced purification process for potable reuse as well as for groundwater recharge. Megan has authored or co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals. Her current work includes oversight of OCWD’s ongoing PFAS pilot program testing various treatment options for removing PFAS from the region’s groundwater-based drinking water supply.
Glysson Keynote Lecturer: Dr. Belinda Sturm, Ross McKinney Professor, Dept of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering, University of Kansas
Dr. Belinda Sturm is the Ross McKinney Endowed Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering at the University of Kansas and the statewide Director of the Kansas National Science Foundation EPSCoR program. Belinda joined KU in 2006 and served as the Associate Vice Chancellor of Research from 2018 to 2022 and Interim Vice Chancellor of Research from 2023 to 2024. At the national and international level, Belinda serves as on the Board of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors and Vice-Chair of the EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation, and she is active on several committees for the International Water Association, the Water Environment Federation, and the Water Research Foundation.
Belinda earned her B.S. in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her PhD in Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Sturm’s primary research interest is the use of microbial communities in public health protection, water reclamation, and resource recovery from municipal wastewater. In 2012, the American Academy of Environmental Engineers awarded Belinda an Excellence in Environmental Engineering honor award for her research on coupling nutrient removal with algae-mediated energy recovery. In 2022, the Water Research Foundation awarded Belinda the Paul L. Busch Award to further research on aerobic granular sludge.
AEESP Distinguished Lecturer: Dr. David Sedlak, Plato Malozemoff Distinguished Professor, Dept of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
David Sedlak is the Plato Malozemoff Distinguished Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and the Director of the Berkeley Water Center at UC-Berkeley.
His research focuses on the fate of chemical contaminants, with the long-term goal of developing cost-effective, safe, and sustainable systems to manage water resources. He is particularly interested in the development of local sources of water, including water reuse - the practice of using municipal wastewater effluent to sustain aquatic ecosystems and augment water supplies - as well as the treatment and use of urban runoff and groundwater from contaminated industrial sites. Dr. Sedlak is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering, chair of its Water Science & Technology Board and recipient of numerous awards including the Paul Busch Award for Innovation in Applied Water Quality Research and the Clarke Prize for Excellence in Water Research. He is also the author of "Water 4.0: The Past, Present and Future of the World's Most Vital Resource" and "Water for All: Global Solutions for a Changing Climate."
Borchardt-Glysson Water Treatment Innovation Prize and Lecture
The Borchardt-Glysson Water Treatment Innovation Prize is an honor consisting of a $10,000 cash award to acknowledge a senior or mid-career professional whose accomplishments in the water or wastewater treatment fields have been nationally and internationally recognized. The prize will be presented at the Borchardt Conference. As part of the award ceremony, the recipient is invited to deliver the Borchardt-Glysson Water Treatment Innovation Lecture.
Congratulations to the 2026 Prize Recipient: Jason Ren, Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Andlinger Center for Energy & the Environment, Princeton University
Past Recipients:
2017 - Marc Edwards
2020 - Karl Linden
2023 - Detlef Knappe
University of Michigan - Rackham Building
915 East Washington Street - 4th Floor
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070
United States
Conference Dates: May 5 and 6, 2026
Registration Rates:
2-Day Attendee: $300
1-Day Attendee: $180
Student Registration: $25 per day
Lunch and refreshments are included with registration. Register Here
Continuing Education Credits (CECs): Michigan CECs are pending EGLE agenda approval for both water and wastewater sessions
Parking & Lodging
Parking
University of Michigan parking is limited, and fills up quickly! The Fletcher Structure (N13 on the PDF map linked below) is suggested.
Enter the structure using the Palmer Drive entrance and take the elevator to Fletcher Street; walk across the street to the Rackham Building. If Fletcher structure is full, use Maynard Street City Public Parking garage (shown in Red on PDF map from below link.)
Parking fees are not included in your conference registration.
Click here for Lodging & Restaurant Information
Sponsorship Opportunities
GOLD $2,500 Silver $1,500 Bronze $750
Sponsorship dollars help to defray costs for students. Make your commitment here today. Please direct questions to
John Norton Jr, PhD, PE at Great Lakes Water Authority 313-400-2553 or john.norton@glwater.org
Sponsorship dollars help to defray costs for students. Make your commitment here today.
Sponsorship Committee:
John Norton Jr. PhD, PE, Director of Energy, Research, & Innovation, Great Lakes Water Authority
Becky Lahr PhD, Drinking Water Quality Manager, City of Ann Arbor
Phil Argiroff, Former Assistant Division Director (Retired), Water Resources Division – EGLE
Bryan VanDuinen PE, Senior Engineer, Geosyntec Consultants of Michigan, Inc.
S. Joh Kang PhD, PE, Principal, Water & Energy Advisors, LLC
Financial contributions:
Contributions can be provided by credit card or check. If you need an invoice, please contact Joyce Kennedy at joykenne@umich.edu or 734-764-6024. W9 forms are available for those who need them.
By credit card: MI-AWWA Borchardt Conference Website
By check:
University of Michigan 2026 Borchardt Conference Planning Fund
University of Michigan – CEE || Attn: Joyce Kennedy
1351 Beal Avenue, 142 EWRE
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2138
Sponsor Registration Process:
Sponsors planning to attend the conference must complete conference registration.
Organizations sponsoring at the Gold or Silver level are eligible for one complimentary conference registration. To redeem this registration, please contact the MI-AWWA office at 517-292-2912 or info@mi-water.org.
Additional conference registrations beyond the complimentary ticket must be purchased separately through the conference registration system.
Technical program questions to:
Lutgarde Raskin, PhD
Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Michigan
E-mail: raskin@umich.edu
Lina Belia, PhD, PEng
PrimodalUS&Canada
E-mail: belia@primodal.com
Joyce Kennedy
Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Michigan
E-mail: joykenne@umich.edu
Phone : 734-764-6024