An outstanding program of activities awaits attendees of WCDA’s 20th Anniversary Symposium taking place on July 27-29, 2026, in Denver, Colorado. The event brings together water utilities, practitioners, industry partners, and collaborative delivery stakeholders for three days of meaningful education, impactful conversations, and shared celebration recognizing two decades of progress in water collaborative delivery.
WCDA Outside Director Karen Pallansch from Cross Water Strategies, retired CEO and general manager of AlexRenew, shares her top reasons and insights on why utility leaders should attend the symposium:
- Bring your reality into the room — and have it heard . WCDA is made up of the firms that design and build our projects. This is an opportunity to share what you as a water leader are actually managing—governance, rate pressure, regulatory and resource constraints, affordability, and community expectations—so it’s understood by our collaborative delivery partners, not just assumed.
- Help shape how projects are delivered—not just respond to them. Utility leaders are accountable for outcomes, not delivery methods. The symposium provides water utility leaders with a targeted forum to clearly communicate what we need to achieve so delivery partners can better align their tools and approach with how our utilities actually operate.
- Have more honest, two-way conversations about what works—and what doesn’t . This is a working conversation focused on real project experience—what’s working, what’s not, and how to improve association tools and training and utility leader outcomes together.
- Get clearer on delivery options without being pushed toward one answer . Utilities need flexibility. Every option matters. Understand when different approaches—collaborative or traditional—make sense based on your project, not a predetermined approach.
- Leave with practical ideas you can apply to your next project . Discuss and gain real insights from people delivering projects every day—and a clearer sense of how to avoid common issues before they come up.
Why This Matters – Worth your time if you have any capital program!
We know our utilities are under constant pressure to deliver reliable, affordable, and sustainable infrastructure while managing regulatory requirements, public expectations, and limited resources. We rely on project delivery partners to help get those projects right, every time.
WCDA’s symposium creates a space for utilities and the project delivery industry to step back and have grounded, real-world conversations about how projects are actually delivered.
Your voice helps delivery partners understand the realities you manage—so projects are better aligned from the start, with fewer surprises along the way, with all of us delivering stronger project outcomes for our communities.
Interested in attending?
Focused on the essential elements of delivering successful collaborative delivery projects, the symposium features a two-day educational program and optional, pre-symposium tour of a facility delivered using collaborative delivery methods. Learn more about WCDA’s 20th Anniversary Symposium and register to attend here.
WCDA is pleased to offer limited travel reimbursement funding for utility staff. Applications for travel reimbursement will remain open through May 25, 2026, and may be accessed here.