IWA honors winners of Project Innovation Awards

At the International Water Association’s (IWA’s) 2022 World Water Congress & Exhibition, attendees celebrates the water sector’s outstanding innovations and leadership with a gala ceremony for the 18 winners of the IWA Project Innovation Awards.

Awarded every other year at the IWA World Water Congress, the Project Innovation Awards recognize excellence and innovation in water management, research, and technology. This year, the 13^th iteration of the awards program, featured six categories with three finalists each.

The 13th IWA Project Innovation Awards attracted a record 203 applications from 52 countries during an open nomination process throughout 2021 and 2022. Entries were evenly spread across the six award categories, each of which reflects a distinct field of innovation in water management. Among the winners, one is also crowned to receive the Grand Innovation Award.

Every project was independently evaluated by a panel of expert judges according to its innovative nature and key outcomes. Judges also took into account the circumstances in which each project was devised and its potential for broader impact. Following a rigorous and competitive evaluation process, the judging panel selected a top three for each category.

Grand Innovation Award

The Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant's innovative design integrates the plant with surrounding greenery by situating the treatment equipment underground.

The award categories include the Grand Innovation Award, which is presented to an outstanding example of innovation in the water sector.

This year, the Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant from Singapore won the Grand Innovation Award for its unconventional water treatment plant.

The plant features a sleek, modern design where water treatment processes are situated underground, freeing up the land at ground level for public and recreational activities. This transforms the plant from a mono-functional infrastructure into a lush park that is rich in biodiversity and supports nature and a variety of wildlife, demonstrating that engineering and design excellence can go hand-in-hand in the push for sustainable urbanization.

The plant can treat either seawater or freshwater depending on the prevailing weather conditions. In dry weather, KMEDP will draw water from the sea to produce desalinated water. When it rains, the plant will draw rainwater collected in the Marina Reservoir to produce potable water. The plant can produce 137,000 cubic meters of drinking water per day, strengthening Singapore’s water supply resilience. The project, which is also Singapore’s fourth desalination plant, began commercial operations in June 2020.

2022 IWA Project Innovation Award Winners:

Category: Market-changing Water Technology and Infrastructure
GOLD: Choa Chu Kang Waterworks Membrane Expansion from PUB, Singapore
SILVER: Sustainability and Resource Recovery from Organic Waste: The First Sludge & Food Waste Co-digestion Project in China from Tongji University, China
BRONZE: Unlocking Opportunities In Sanitation: From Poo To Product (P2P) by NAWASSCOAL CO Ltd, Kenya

Category: Performance Improvement and Operational Solutions
GOLD: Changi Water Reclamation Plant Digital Twin by Jacobs
SILVER: Green Square – Enabling Urban Renewal Through Effective Flood Risk Management And Stormwater Harvesting (Climate Change), City of Sydney
BRONZE: Environmentally-friendly Desalination System Concept: Transforming Seawater (LIFE DREAMER), Acciona

Category: Breakthroughs in Research and Development
GOLD: Ferrate(VI)-enabled Emergency And Daily Household Water Treatment by Montclair State University
SILVER: ViviMag: Urban Mining of Iron And Phosphate From Sewage by Wetsus
BRONZE: Australia’s First Biosolids Gasification Facility from Logan City

Category: Exceptional Project Execution and Delivery
GOLD: Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant, Keppel Seghers
SILVER: Achieving A Paradigm Shift Of Water Pollution Control And Social Development: Erhai Lake project by China Water Environment Group, Shanghai Jiao Tong University & People’s Government of Dali
BONZE: Groundwater Replenishment Scheme, Water Corporation

Category: Governance, Institutions and Social Enterprise
GOLD: Circular Gavà – Heading Toward The Implementation Of Circular Opportunities In The Territory by CETAQUA
SILVER: Proyecto Agua Segura, Argentina
BRONZE: Perth Water Sensitive Transition Network by Monash Sustainable Development Institute

Category: Smart Systems and the Digital Water Economy
GOLD: Buffalo’s Wastewater Network Optimization Program, Xylem Inc.
SILVER: Data-driven Decision Making – Developing The Data|APX Software Solution by Herning Vand
BRONZE: Digital Engagement & Efficiency Through Collaboration by Moulton Niguel Water District, United States of America