Stantec partners with WSSC Water and Prince William Water on new Water Research Foundation AI initiative

Stantec, a global leader in sustainable design and engineering, has been selected to lead a new Water Research Foundation (WRF) project focused on applying artificial intelligence (AI) to wastewater treatment operations. The 31-month initiative is co-funded through WRF’s Tailored Collaboration Program, with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC Water) in Maryland and Prince William Water in Virginia serving as coleading utility partners.

Stantec will combine engineering and plant operations experience with advanced AI architecture to translate treatment data into actionable operational guidance. The firm will incorporate AI capabilities from EAOS, a wastewater-focused artificial intelligence firm, to advance digitally enabled treatment operations and support real-time operational decision-making.

The Tailored Collaboration Program enables utilities to propose research topics and receive matching funds from the Foundation—an approach that directly links emerging technologies to utility needs and operational priorities. For this project, WRF will support 50 percent of the total funding, with WSSC Water and Prince William Water contributing the remaining share.

A client-driven research partnership to solve operational challenges
The project reflects a growing industry need for AI tools that directly support operational challenges. Rather than exploring speculative technologies, the effort is grounded in issues utilities face every day, including process stability, operator support, knowledge retention, and adapting to a changing workforce. The research is shaped and co-funded by the utilities themselves.

The project introduces “Intelligent Assets”—embedded digital tools that translate engineering expertise into real-time operational guidance. Utilities can implement these tools step-by-step, maintaining ownership of their data while modernizing physical infrastructure without disruptive system replacements.

Stantec and its utility partners will incorporate learnings at WSSC Water’s Piscataway Water Resource Recovery Facility, and Prince William Water’s H.L. Mooney Advanced Water Reclamation Facility—both of which are positioned to integrate digital intelligence during ongoing upgrades. Additional observer utilities from all regions in the US will be invited to participate throughout the project, helping insights and outcomes to be replicated more broadly. Utilities can reach out to Stantec if they’d like to play an observer role.

“At its core, this project is about practical innovation grounded in operations,” said Pusker Regmi, Stantec vice president and principal investigator. “By bringing together engineering, plant experience, and artificial intelligence, we’re creating tools that operators can trust to manage increasingly complex facilities.”

The final deliverables will include a WRF research report and a Utility AI Implementation Playbook—providing technical guidance, case studies, return on investment methods, and templates to help utilities of all sizes chart a clear path for AI adoption.

Learn more about water innovation at Stantec, including research programs to evaluate new water and wastewater management approaches.

About Stantec
Stantec empowers clients, people, and communities to rise to the world’s greatest challenges at a time when the world faces more unprecedented concerns than ever before.   

We are a global leader in sustainable engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting. ​Our professionals deliver the expertise, technology, and innovation communities need to manage aging infrastructure, demographic and population changes, the energy transition, and more. ​

Today’s communities transcend geographic borders. At Stantec, community means everyone with an interest in the work that we do—from our project teams and industry colleagues to our clients and the people our work impacts. The diverse perspectives of our partners and interested parties drive us to think beyond what’s previously been done on critical issues like climate change, digital transformation, and future-proofing our cities and infrastructure.  ​

We are designers, engineers, scientists, project managers, and strategic advisors. We innovate at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships to advance communities everywhere, so that together we can redefine what’s possible.​

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Media Contact 
Sean Fitzgerald
Stantec Media Relations
Ph: (416) 598-5769       
sean.fitzgerald@stantec.com