The highly anticipated ‘Battle of the Water Networks’ is back with a new challenge for the water community. This competition will be hosted at the 4th International Joint Conference on Water Distribution Systems Analysis and Computing and Control in the Water Industry (WDSA/CCWI 2026), taking place in Paphos, Cyprus, from May 18-21, 2026. This competition embodies the core mission of Water-Futures and the theme for WDSA/CCWI 2026: “Designing the next generation of urban water (and wastewater) systems.”
The objective is to develop a strategic masterplan for a national drinking water supply grid operating until the end of the century under deep uncertainty. The solution must strike a balance between financial viability and consideration of greenhouse gas emissions, service reliability, and fairness. For the first time, this challenge features a staged-design approach, unobservable and unknown uncertainties, and incorporates elements of policymaking and artificial intelligence.
Want to be notified of every update? Send an email to battlewaterfutures@kwrwater.nl with the subject “Competition Updates”. You will receive the calendar and receive information when competition guidelines are published, evaluation modules are released, and submission deadlines are approaching.
