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Water Solutions 11

The Water Data Center Nexus

August 13, 2026
1pm-7pm PST | UCI Beall Applied Innovation

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OVER A DECADE OF SOLUTIONS

Join us this August for Water Solutions 11. Past event topics have included water recycling and reuse, anti-contamination efforts, groundwater replenishing, data applications, and desalination projects. Get involved and help us conserve California’s precious water resources.

Agenda

1:00 – 1:15

Registration & Networking

1:15 – 1:20

Sustain SoCal Board of Directors Welcome

  • Scott Kitcher, CEO, Sustain SoCal
  • Adrian Hightower, Strategic Sustainability Partnerships Prgm. Mgr., Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
  • Garrett Jansma, Senior Counsel, Allen Matkins
  • Peter Bokor, Senior Vice President, Growth Leader, Infrastructure, Stantec
  • Suzanne Gentilini, Senior Program Development Manager, Opterra Energy Services

1:20 – 2:00

Sustainable Digital Infrastructure

  • Adrian Hightower, Strategic Sustainability Partnerships Prgm. Mgr., Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
  • Tasha Harvey, Associate Principal, Arup
  • Angela Ryu, Postdoctoral Researcher, USC Marshall School of Business

2:00 – 2:40

Data Center Water: Scale of Use, Reclaimed Water Used and Efficiency

  • Usman Khan, Principal – Water Strategy, Amazon Web Services
  • Garrett Jansma, Senior Counsel, Allen Matkins

2:40 – 3:10

Progressive Design–Build Delivery: Doheny Desal Project

  • Marc Serna, Deputy General Manager, South Coast Water District
  • Tori Yokoyama, Associate Vice President, Project Manager, Hazen and Sawyer
  • Howard Lum, Design Section Manager, Metropolitan Water District

3:10 – 3:20

Intermission

3:20 – 3:50

Modular Edge Data Centers Co-located at Water Treatment Facilities 

  • Amber Boone, General Manager, SOCWA
  • Jonathan Trent, Sustainability Consultant, UpCycle Symbiosis
  • Jamie Ferro, Western Energy Management Lead, Hazen and Sawyer

3:50 – 4:05

Data Center Site Readiness: Early Due Diligence

  • Brianna Daniels, Vice President, Stantec

4:05 – 4:25

Water Value for Data Centers: What are Markets Telling Us? 

  • Zach Smith, Counsel – Water Practice, O’Melveny & Myers LLP
  • Isabelle Lavoie, Research Associate, WestWater Research

4:25 – 4:40

Public Policy Challenges for AI’s Role in the Water Sector

  • David Feldman, Professor & Chair, UC Irvine and Director, Water UCI

4:40 – 4:50

The Rise of Private Capital Funding Water Replenishment

  • Allan Bedwell, Program Lead, Blu Diamond Water

4:50 – 5:00

Innovators Showcase

5:00

Closing Comments and Adjourn to Reception

Usman Khan

Principal - Water Strategy

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Garrett Jansma

Senior Counsel

Allen Matkins

Adrian Hightower

Strategic Sustainability Partnerships Program Manager

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Zach Smith

Counsel - Water Practice

O'Melveny & Myers LPP

Isabelle Lavoie

Research Associate

WestWater Research

David Feldman

Professor, Urban Planning & Public Policy, Political Science

University of California, Irvine

Brianna Daniels

Vice President

Stantec

Jamie Ferro

Western Energy Management Lead

Hazen and Sawyer

Peter Bokor

Senior VP, Growth Leader, Infrastructure

Stantec

Howard Lum

Design Section Manager

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Tasha Harvey

Associate Principal

Arup

Angela Ryu

Postdoctorol Researcher

USC Marshall School of Business

Allan Bedwell

Program Lead

Blu Diamond Water

Sponsors

Moulton Niguel Water District

Moulton Niguel Water District delivers high-quality drinking water, recycled water, and wastewater services to more than 170,000 customers. A leader in conservation and environmental protection, Moulton Niguel maintains the lowest average water bill in South Orange County.

Sponsor-partner_Metropolitan_Water_District_Seal

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

The mission of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is to provide its service area with adequate and reliable supplies of high-quality water to meet present and future needs in an environmentally and economically responsible way.

Allen Matkins

Allen Matkins is a premier law firm, renowned for delivering strategic guidance and innovative solutions to clients navigating complex legal challenges. With nearly five decades of experience, our multidisciplinary team draws on deep expertise in real estate, litigation, corporate, tax, employment and labor, land use, and environmental law to provide market-leading counsel.