2026 Annual Conference
Holiday Inn & Suites Southwest, Joliet, IL
September 15-17, 2026
Holiday Inn & Suites Southwest awaits your arrival and is located just off I-80. Burger Theory restaurant is in the lobby of the hotel and serves up local craft beers and signature cocktails with custom burgers, made fresh daily from a tasty proprietary blend.
Back by popular demand is the Trustee Roundtable Mixer on Tuesday evening from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. Discussions are informal platforms designed to allow for interactive information exchange on a given topic and provides a venue to meet colleagues with similar interests and with varying perspectives. Immediately following this Roundtable Mixer we hope you will join us for a Welcome Reception relaxing with your peers, enjoying the view on the large outdoor patio overlooking their beautifully landscaped property.
Our Technical sessions this year will begin on Wednesday at 9 AM with our Business Technical Committee Meeting at 2:45 PM. The Executive Committee has put together a very interesting group of speakers all day on Wednesday and Thursday morning with topics to include; “Dealing with Violation Notices”, “IL Public Service Institute”, “Case Studies on the Internal Inspection of Force Mains “Permits Inspection Panel/Case Studies”, as well as our “Annual Updates” from our Lobbyists, Employment/Labor Law Attorney, and an "IEPA Update". As part of our session on Wednesday afternoon we are happy to be able to offer the viewing of an award-winning movie "Unless Something Goes Terribly Wrong" is a buddy comedy about poop and the thankless pursuit of making a better world. Movie Website. As America’s aging wastewater systems begin to fail, one plant and its motley crew of unlikely heroes do all they can to stay afloat.
We will be shuttling everyone off-site to The Jacob Henry Mansion Estate for IAWA’s Annual Awards Banquet and Induction of Officers. The Jacob Henry Mansion Estate commission by Jacob A. Henry, a wealthy railroad magnate who built railroads in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois and is an 1873 National Historic Landmark and provides the perfect location for our Banquet and Murder Mystery Dinner. The Mansion is not only a testament to 19th century architectural ambition but also a symbol of Joliet's historical wealth, craftsmanship, and cultural heritage. The "Mystery in the Mansion" spins a web of intrigue as the mystery is created from your own information. Suspense will grow as you may become the victim, suspect or the killer! The Jacob Henry Mansion won the Architecture Award at the American Centennial Celebration in Philadelphia in 1876 and is claimed to be the largest and best example of Renaissance Revival architecture still standing in the State of Illinois.
Technical sessions begin at 9 AM on Thursday with lunch being served at 11:30 concluding our 2026 Annual Meeting.
To make reservations at the Holiday Inn Suites Southwest, click on the IAWA 2026 link below no later than Saturday, August 31st to receive the group rate discount of $199.00 + tax for a Standard Room. The link will take you to a log in page, where you will enter the information below:
IAWA 2026
If you make a reservation by phone you must refer to the group name "IAWA 2026" or "AWA" directly to the hotel number 779.206.2915 to receive the room rate. Group rates are not guaranteed after the room release date.
We recommend casual dress for all the activities.
