Episodes

Odor control and overflow prevention are critical yet often overlooked challenges for wastewater utilities — especially as urban areas expand and climate impacts intensify. In this episode of Inside Infrastructure, Ryan Powers of the Wager Company explains how a family company that started in marine ventilation is now helping communities solve complex sewer problems on land. He discusses why traditional chemical and carbon-based systems are costly, maintenance-heavy, and environmentally burdenso...

California’s water recycling movement has evolved from experiments to expansion—driven by progressive regulations, proven technology, and positive public trust. In this episode, Traci Minamide, Greg Wetterau, and Roshanak Aflaki of CDM Smith share expert insights from decades of experience advancing reuse across the Golden State. They reflect on the past, when early projects like the East Valley initiative faced setbacks and public skepticism that reshaped how engineers, utilities, and communica...

Water’s future depends on sustainable funding, bipartisan policy, and stronger public communication. In this conversation from the Reservoir Center in Washington, D.C., Adam Krantz of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) explains how federal investments and advocacy are shaping the next chapter for America’s water infrastructure. He outlines the historic impact of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and why permanent, predictable federal funding is essential to maintain momentu...

Across the U.S., stormwater regulations form a confusing patchwork that slows innovation and complicates compliance for communities and companies alike. In this episode from WEFTEC, Jay Holtz of Oldcastle Infrastructure explains how this fragmented system has evolved — and why it’s time for change. He outlines the challenges posed by thousands of differing local approvals that make it costly and inefficient for solution providers to bring technologies to market. Holtz describes how the emerging ...

Activated carbon is a frontline solution in the fight against PFAS and other contaminants in water. In this episode, Brandon Hamilton of NORIT explains how activated carbon works like a “rigid sponge” —using its complex pore structures to trap everything from volatile organics to microscopic chemicals. He breaks down why utilities are increasingly choosing activated carbon over reverse osmosis or ion exchange, highlighting its cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and proven performance in water t...

Los Angeles is turning recycled water into real-world resilience—protecting aquifers from seawater intrusion, powering industry, gaining public support, and building a next-generation supply that reduces dependence on imported sources. At Terminal Island, Dean Taylor explains how this pioneering facility evolved from discharging into the harbor to producing advanced treated water that now feeds the Dominguez Gap seawater barrier and supplies industrial clients such as like Valero, saving million...

Utilities across the country are facing shifting water quality challenges — from changing influent chemistry to tightening discharge limits. This demands smarter monitoring and faster response. In this episode, Carlos Williams of Hach shares how utilities are adapting to this evolving landscape through advanced analysis and real-time data. He explains how rainfall patterns, conservation, and industrial variability can alter what flows into plants, requiring automated samplers and online instrume...

Artificial intelligence is transforming how cities understand and manage their underground water infrastructure. In this episode, Eric Sullivan of SewerAI explains how computer vision and the cloud are revolutionizing the inspection and maintenance of wastewater systems. Technology automatically detects and classifies defects in sewer pipes using AI models trained on hundreds of millions of feet of inspection data—cutting time, cost, and human error. Sullivan describes how this shift allows fiel...

Orange County shows how water recycling moves from idea to impact—linking history, science, and workforce to make reuse mainstream. At Irvine Ranch Water District, Paul Cook explains how a simple visual breakthrough—the now-iconic purple pipe—was created in the 1980s to clearly mark recycled water and build public trust, a standard that spread across California and the world. At Orange County Water District’s Groundwater Replenishment System, Mehul Patel traces the lineage from Water Factory 21 ...

Annabelle Rayson’s journey into water science began on the shores of Lake Huron and has grown into an award-winning pursuit of global impact. A student at Harvard University and winner of the 2022 Stockholm Junior Water Prize, Annabelle shares how her childhood curiosity about the Great Lakes evolved into groundbreaking research and real-world problem solving. She describes her innovative “Plankton Wars” project—using native zooplankton to reduce harmful algal blooms—and how it earned her intern...

SUEZ is aiming to ignite innovation in North America by bringing its 160 years of global water expertise and thousands of patented treatment technologies to utilities across the continent. In this conversation from WEFTEC, Joshua Cantone and Abigail Antolovich of SUEZ share how the company is focused on empowering utilities with advanced tools and know-how for smarter, more sustainable solutions. The episode explores SUEZ’s plan to partner with North American water systems and companies to accel...

PFAS remains one of water’s toughest and most urgent challenges — a class of thousands of persistent compounds still only partly understood but deeply embedded in modern life and the environment. In this episode, Peter Grevatt, CEO of The Water Research Foundation, discusses the state of PFAS research, including how science is closing critical knowledge gaps and revealing where the next breakthroughs may come. Grevatt explains how new “total PFAS” and precursor testing methods are helping resear...

San Diego is proving that the future of water is recycled. This episode visits Santee Lakes—one of California’s earliest examples of water reuse—with Kyle Swanson of Padre Dam Municipal Water District, who explains how a 1960s experiment turned wastewater into a beloved community asset and a model for the world. The story then moves to the North City Water Reclamation Plant, where Doug Campbell from the City of San Diego shares how decades of innovation paved the way for Pure Water San Diego—one...

Introducing the Hydro20, a group of twenty individuals celebrated for driving change, disrupting norms, and doing good for water sustainability across the United States. The Hydro20 is an initiative of waterloop, a nonprofit news outlet, and was announced during Climate Week NYC at the Rethinking Water conference hosted by Columbia University. The inaugural Hydro20 Honorees: 💧 Jorge Richardson – Founder, HOPE Hydration (Access) 💧 Richard Diaz – Infrastructure Field Manager, BlueGreen Alliance (A...

Inside infrastructure, there’s a simple device called check valves quietly protecting water systems from chaos, stopping dirty water from flowing backward, and keeping everything running smoothly amid bigger storms, tighter regulations, and growing cities. In this episode, Cal Hayes from Proco Products explains the vital role of check valves. He explains how they need zero maintenance or power, making them ideal for handling sewage backups in treatment plants and at coastal outfalls to avoid cos...

Pittsburgh is writing a playbook on lead pipe replacement, aiming to eliminate all toxic lines by 2027. In this episode, Will Pickering, CEO of Pittsburgh Water, and Michelle Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis of Women for a Healthy Environment reveal the strategy behind this national model. With over $200 million in federal grants and low-interest loans, the city has replaced 13,000 lead service lines at no cost to residents. Digitized records and GIS mapping pinpoint pipes for efficient, low-disruptio...

As Southern California wonders if water scarcity could ever spiral into a “Day Zero” crisis, the region stands at a crossroads for securing its water future. In this episode of In The Newsroom, Ian James, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, dives into the critical decisions shaping the region’s water portfolio. With half its supply imported from vulnerable sources like the Colorado River, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and Sierra Nevada snowpack, Southern California faces growing risks from cli...

Houston is known as the energy capital—but it’s also the Bayou City, where water flows not just through the environment, but through culture, memory, justice, and resilience. In this episode from the Color of Water series, Ayanna Jolivet Mccloud, Executive Director of Bayou City Waterkeeper, shares how her background in art and advocacy fuels bold environmental leadership rooted in equity. She discusses the group’s efforts to protect wetlands, hold polluters accountable, and connect communities ...

Texas is tackling its booming population’s water demands with a bold $20 billion investment plan to secure sustainable supplies and infrastructure by 2050. In this episode of In The Newsroom, Todd Votteler, a veteran water expert and editor of the Texas Water Journal, joins the podcast to discuss the state’s dynamic water landscape. With Texas expecting about 40 million residents by mid-century, the state is addressing urgent needs through a recently signed bill that allocates $10 billion for ne...

AI isn’t coming—it’s already here, and it’s reshaping how communications and marketing get done. In this episode, Shama Hyder, a leading voice in digital transformation, explains why this moment demands strategic urgency and how organizations must adapt or risk falling behind. She shares how AI is disrupting knowledge work, changing workflows, and redefining what entry-level even means. Shama lays out practical ways communicators can integrate AI tools right now—from automating meeting follow-up...

Healthy rivers are essential for thriving communities, and smart, nature-based solutions are proving crucial to turning things around in a changing climate. In this episode, Derek Vollmer, Director of Waterscapes for the World Wildlife Fund, shares how their program uses innovative, place-based strategies to restore rivers and build resilience worldwide. From the US-Mexico border, solutions for the Rio Grande include removing invasive trees and optimizing dam operations to restore flow and suppo...

California's water future could be shaped by a $20 billion gamble with the controversial Delta Tunnel. This episode dives deep into the high-stakes project with Camille von Kaenel, California Environment Reporter for Politico. She unravels the complex plan to transport water from Northern to Southern California, detailing its immense cost, the decades-long permitting battles, and the stark divide between its proponents and opponents, , including Governor Gavin Newsom who champions it as a climat...

Decades of overpumping groundwater around Houston caused the land to sink by as much as 15 feet, forcing neighborhoods to flood and entire communities to relocate. This episode explores how land subsidence developed, and how science, regulation, and infrastructure are now stopping the ground from sinking. Chrissy Butcher of Baytown Nature Center and Jason Ramage of the U.S. Geological Survey explain how groundwater extraction triggered massive subsidence and how the problem was first discovered ...

The hard-fought plan to restore salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest has been abruptly derailed, threatening one of the most significant tribal and environmental agreements in decades. In this episode of In The Newsroom, Tony Schick of Oregon Public Broadcasting breaks down how the Trump administration scrapped a landmark deal that would have paved the way for breaching four Snake River dams to save salmon populations. The agreement, developed under the Biden administration with tribes, states, ...