Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) Commissioner Mariyana Spyropoulos was selected to serve as the chairman of the Water and Waste Conference held virtually in both the U.S. and India.

The three-day virtual event took place Feb. 24 to Feb. 26 and supported dual time zones and featured 3-D virtual booths, eight educational tracts and 200+ subject matter experts representing more than 20 countries. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker kicked off the program by providing inaugural remarks. Commissioner Spyropoulos and former MWRD Commissioner Frank Avila were joined by numerous subject matter experts from the MWRD, including Executive Director Brian Perkovich, Director of Maintenance and Operations John Murray, and Director of Engineering Catherine O’Connor. Other employees vital to the production of this event included Senior Electrical Engineer Sam Pappu, Managing Engineers Hitesh Shah and Pinakin Desai, and Engineer of Treatment Plant Operations Sanjay Patel, as well as retirees Dr. Prakasam Tata and Reed Dring. Chicago Department of Water Management Acting Commissioner Andrea Cheng, former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and water industry experts from around the world also participated.

One of the more prominent discussion topics during the conference was the debate of whether Hyderabad, India, with a population in the metropolitan area of just under 10 million, should construct centralized or decentralized wastewater treatment infrastructure as the city continues to grow and develop. Representatives from the U.S. were interested in hearing how Hyderabad deals with extreme wet and dry seasons.

“Having these discussions in an international forum provides a rich perspective to very important topics, and the MWRD, which serves an equivalent population of 10.35 million people, has the experience to share so that others can make informed decisions,” said Commissioner Spyropoulos. “It was an honor to be asked to lead this international conference and bring participants from around the world to a shared forum. Water is a universal language, and we all have something to learn from one another.”

A virtual tour of MWRD facilities was one of the event’s highlights. The MWRD also hosts monthly virtual tours. Registration is complimentary but pre-registration is required.

A virtual conference and exhibition hall served as the central gathering point for all activities. The exhibit hall will remain active through March 15, 2021, and there is no cost to visit.


WWM Conference Spyropoulos.pdf