This year’s edition, themed “Where the Water Community Connects,” will bring together more than 23,000 water professionals and 950+ exhibitors from around the world.
> The Data Center Water Challenge
Data centers are under growing pressure to rethink their water footprint. According to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, U.S. data centers consumed 17.4 billion gallons of water directly in 2023 alone; a figure regulators are now watching closely.
Throughout 2026, new rules are reshaping how facilities manage cooling water discharge: stricter EPA NPDES permitting for cooling tower blowdown, mandatory reclaimed-water use in states like Virginia, near-impossible groundwater permitting in Arizona, and new data-center-specific discharge permits in Ohio, Texas, Georgia, and Iowa.
For operators, minimizing, or eliminating, liquid discharge is quickly becoming a condition for project approval, not just a sustainability goal.
> FE4's Answer: Zero Liquid Discharge powered by MVR
At WEFTEC 2026, FE4 will present its Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) solutions for data centers, built around Mechanical Vapor Compression (MVR) technology. By concentrating cooling tower blowdown and other process effluents down to a solid residue, FE4’s systems eliminate liquid discharge entirely, turning a regulatory constraint into a source of recoverable, reusable water.
Key benefits of the FE4 approach include:
- Simplified regulatory compliance
by removing liquid discharge from the equation entirely, even as NPDES and state-level rules keep tightening;
- Water recovery for reuse
reducing dependence on potable or groundwater sources;
- Energy-efficient concentration
thanks to high-performance MVR technology, minimizing operating costs compared to conventional thermal evaporation;
- Compact, automated units
designed for seamless integration into existing or new-build facilities, with minimal footprint.
> Meet FE4 at WEFTEC 2026
WEFTEC brings together thousands of water professionals from around the world, creating the ideal environment to exchange ideas, discuss emerging challenges, and explore innovative treatment solutions.
Whether your objective is wastewater minimization, water reuse, resource recovery, or Zero Liquid Discharge, FE4‘s team will be available to discuss your specific needs and share its experience in designing high-performance, tailor-made systems.
> Las Vegas 2026: Let's put your industrial challenges in perspective
We invite water professionals, data center operators, and engineering partners to stop by our booth to discuss how ZLD and MVR technology can help meet water regulations while turning operating costs into long-term value.
🙋 Booth: 2962
🗓️ Dates: Saturday, September 26th to Wednesday, September 30th, 2026
🕐 Hours: from 8:00am to 6:00pm
📍 Venue: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, USA
