18th Conference of the UK Network on Drinking Water Production from Source to Tap | 2025

Our annual conference of the UK Water Network took place at Cranfield University on Wednesday 19 June 2025.

This conference was the eighteenth in an annual series focusing on drinking water production from source to tap. Attendees of the conference hade the excellent opportunity to get the latest information on water treatment and supply, and interact on the topic with scientists and researchers from water utilities and leading global academic institutions.

Event Programme

Once again we welcomed exceptional speakers to discuss water treatment technologies, water monitoring, distribution system, water quality and catchment management.

• Yang Deng, Professor of Environmental Engineering, Montclair State University, USA.Treatment Technologies for PFAS in Drinking Water: Challenges and Emerging Opportunities.
• Sophie Moore, Water Quality Risk Scientist, Anglian Water, UK. Managing PFAS at a Groundwater Water Treatment Works: A Case Study
• Peter Jarvis, Professor of Water Science & Technology & Irene Carra, Senior Lecturer in Chemical Processes, Cranfield Water Science Institute, UK.Bench-Scale Water Treatment Efficacy Study of PFAS Removal (DWI project)
• Harriet Alford, Principal Process Engineer, Stantec, UK. When is 40 not 40? A Review of Approaches to UV Irradiation System Design and their Applicability to Surface Waters.
• Tom Bond, Principal Consultant – Water Treatment, WRC, UK. Unattributed Microbiological Failures During Water Treatment.
• Richard P Collins, Senior Lecturer in Water Engineering, The University of Sheffield, UK. Network Leakage.
• Saravanamuthu Vigneswaran, Emeritus Professor, University of Technology Sydney, Australia. Challenges in Natural Organic Matter in Water Treatment Plants in Sydney.
• Lee Cassidy, Water Quality Principal Scientist, Bournemouth Water, UK. Slow Sand Filtration as Pretreatment for Ceramic Membrane Filters – A Pilot Trial Overview.
• Zoe Kellock, Network Maintenance Programme Lead, Affinity Water and Ceris Van de Vyver, Project Director South, Panton McLeod, UK. Remote Spot sampling in Service Reservoirs.

Our session dedicated to early career researchers, consisting of 5 minute flash presentations, did not disapoint with a best presentation prize sponsored by the IWA UK Committee awarded to Eric Cowan, PhD student, Cranfield University for her presentation about “Physicochemical Transformations of Assimilable Organic Carbon (AOC) Through Ozone Treatment”.

Sponsor

The 18th conference of the UK Water Network wass ponsored by CPL/Puragen Activated Carbons

CPL/Puragen Activated Carbons is a leading UK-based supplier of activated carbon purification solutions, to a range of industries including drinking water, renewable energy and waste management. In addition to a wide selection of FiltraCarb® media, we can also supply AquaSorber® mobile carbon filters on a convenient ‘plug & play’ rental basis. Wherever possible, spent carbons are recycled via our REACT-Sys™ thermal reactivation process at our award-winning facility in Immingham. Our aim is technical excellence, recent examples including the development of the FiltraCarb® CH range optimised for PFAS removal and subsequent destruction. We hold ISO9001, ISO14001, ISO45001 and UK REACH accreditation.