Brett Walton at 2018 WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition

Pulitzer Center grantee Brett Walton, a reporter for Circle of Blue, speaks at the 11th annual WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition on October 3, 2018, about his recent project on the Cape Town Water Crisis.

At the end of 2017, officials in South Africa's second-largest city announced that they might be forced to shut off water to most homes and businesses. Cape Town's reservoirs were frightfully low and dropping, and the rainy season was more than six months away. Authorities realized that drastic and severe conservation measures needed to be taken immediately.

Walton's Pulitzer Center-supported project explores avenues that leaders in an economically and racially divided society considered to secure a reliable water supply in an unreliable climate. Because water is never far from politics, the reporting looks at the choices that put Cape Town at risk of Day Zero and the options it has for minimizing future hazards.

The 11th annual WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas showcases new water-efficiency technology and aims to build and strengthen interdisciplinary relationships. WaterSmart Innovations offers a wide range of professional sessions and workshops - along with an extensive exhibition of water-saving technologies and programs from around the world - connect attendees with resources to create a new wave in water efficiency.