Talking Under Water

In this episode of Talking Under Water as Kaitlin Spiridellis shares insights from her year-long global fellowship exploring water challenges and solutions across five continents. From Europe’s luxury water market and Vienna’s century-old gravity-fed system to sanitation campaigns in Indonesia, equity efforts for First Nations in Australia, and innovative partnerships in Africa, this episode uncovers surprising patterns in water stress and highlights emerging technologies shaping the future of “One Water” management. Kaitlin also reflects on the emotional impact of her journey and her optimism for global collaboration in building resilient, equitable water systems.  Show Notes:  World of water landing page The Water Chronicles: A Journey to Understand the World’s Water Disparities Timestamps: Cold open - 0:00 Host introduction and episode summary - 0:53 Europe segment - 2:04 Australia - 15:04 Africa - 19:00 Global themes &  future outlook- 22:44 Personal reflection - 33:00 Housekeeping - 36:55 About the Podcast       Talking Under Water, a production of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B, is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest(WWD), WaterWorld and Stormwater Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, stormwater and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.       Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing talkingunderwater@endeavorb2b.com engaging with them on X @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.    

In this episode of Talking Under Water the hosts discuss recent industry news, including the resignation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) acting administrator, David Richardson; a newly proposed rule of Waters of the United States from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corp; the EPA proposing to revise PFAS reporting under the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Water Infrastructure Modernization Act; and investments from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) into resource recovery research and some patent-pending research for Purdue University surrounding PFAS chemicals.  Show Notes:     Search for the PFAS reporting rule change under docket #EPA-HQ-OPPT-2020-0549 here. View a prepublication version of the PFAS reporting rule change proposal here. Water Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2025 aims at expanding intelligent water infrastructure FEMA acting chief resigns amid disaster response concerns EPA, Army propose new WOTUS definition aimed at clarity and regulatory certainty Purdue researchers develop rapid PFAS screening and replacement method DOE invests $25 million to recover critical minerals from U.S. wastewater Timestamps:    Cold open - 0:00 Host introductio nand episode summary - 0:52 FEMA Administrator resigns - 1:38 EPA releases proposed WOTUS rule - 2:15 EPA proposes TSCA PFAS reporting updates - 3:44 Water Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2025 - 6:21 Purdue research on PFAS chemical alternatives - 7:56 DOE invests $25 million into wastewater resource recovery - 9:02 Housekeeping - 10:16 Resources:  WWD webinars WaterWorld November/December digital edition SWS digital update About the Podcast       Talking Under Water, a production of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B, is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest(WWD), WaterWorld and Stormwater Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, stormwater and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.       Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing talkingunderwater@endeavorb2b.com engaging with them on X @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.  

The water meter is the cash register for a water utility. For those how have worked win the water business for any amount of time, they've likely heard that adage. But how does a water system choose the right meter for the utility? Should utilities pick the cheap option because they cash-strapped? What is the difference if they are willing to pay for higher quality? In this sponsored interview with Kamstrup, Jake Piccioni, solution manager for Kamstrup, talks about the company’s “culture of quality” to ensure their customers have the very best meters in their systems. Learn how high quality meters can lead to long-term savings with total cost of ownership, and that’s even before considering the benefits that newer modern meters offer utilities in terms of accuracy, pressure and other measured parameters.  Show Notes Learn more about Kamstrup: https://www.kamstrup.com/en-us/water-solutions Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction to episode and guest 01:10 – What challenges do utilities face when lower quality meters are used? How can that increase the total cost of ownership? 03:29 – What about the Kamstrup designs sets these meters apart?  06:24 – What about the materials? What are your meters made of? 08:00 – Given this scrutiny Kamstrup places on the design and materials, how then does that cultural of quality translate to manufacturing of the meters? What rigors do these meters go through for QA and QC?  10:54 – What are the dangers of having poor or inaccurate data for a utility? What can utilities realize when they have good data? 14:16 – Outro About the Podcast   Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, storm water and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.

In this episode of Talking Under Water, co-host Katie Johns spoke with Dr. Jeremy Hoffman, director of Impact Evaluation and Community Science at Groundwork USA, about water's role in climate resilience. Dr. Hoffman spoke about his research with Groundwork USA, including heat and flood data; touches on the importance of community engagement and shares what challengees the industry is facing when it comes to resiliency.  Show Notes:     Cooling urban heat islands with smart stormwater systems Resilience isn’t one-size-fits-all: Rethinking resilience for locally impactful solutions New report finds water infrastructure investment could add $3.9 trillion to U.S. GDP Transforming wastewater into renewable natural gas and advancing the circular water economy Groundwork USA Timestamps:    Intro | 00:08 Hoffman's climate science background | 01:06 Overview of Groundwork USA and its mission | 04:09 NOAA’s Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaigns | 05:06 Water’s central role in climate resilience | 08:47 Challenges of addressing climate change |16:42 How environmental conditions drive disparities in life expectancy across neighborhoods | 19:03 Defining climate resilience | 21:01 Closing thoughts | 23:55 Housekeeping | 25:26 Resources: WWD Q3 Trump Performance Poll WaterWorld Subscription StormCon Call for Abstracts About the Podcast       Talking Under Water, a production of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B, is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest(WWD), WaterWorld and Stormwater Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, stormwater and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.       Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing talkingunderwater@endeavorb2b.com engaging with them on X @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.        

In this episode of Talking Under Water, the hosts break down recent news happening in the water industry. First, they covers the impacts of Hurricane Melissa, which made historic landfall in Jamaica on October 28 as a Category 5 hurricane before moving through Cuba and the Bahamas, leaving widespread damage and power outages across the Caribbean. Then, they dive into the Trump administration’s decision to pause more than $11 billion in funding for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects amid the ongoing federal government shutdown. Finally, they details the blockbuster $63 billion all-stock merger between American Water and Essential Utilities—set to create one of the largest regulated water and wastewater providers in the U.S. Show Notes:     What to know about Hurricane Melissa Trump administration pauses $11B in Army Corps water projects amid budget standoff  Army Corps of Engineers Pausing $11B in Projects, White House Official Says  How the government shutdown affects water and wastewater utilities  NJ Governor proposes revisions to data center reporting bill to include water use study  American Water and Essential Utilities announce merger to form $40B water and wastewater utility Timestamps:    Cold open and intro | 0:00 Episode summary | 01:17 Hurricane Melissa impacts across the Caribbean | 01:33 Transition to next story |03:39 Pause in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project funding | 03:50 New Jersey governor revises data center reporting bill | 07:07 American Water and Essential Utilities announce $63B merger | 08:01 Housekeeping and announcements | 11:04 Resources:  WEFTEC coverage WaterWorld subscriptions StormCon call for papers About the Podcast       Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, stormwater and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.       Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing talkingunderwater@endeavorb2b.com engaging with them on X @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.       Editor's note: The episode summary and timestamps were written with the assistance of AI.  

In this episode of Talking Under Water, co-Host Katie Johns spoke with Ryan Barton, hydrologist for the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources Water Management Branch, and Jocelyn Lu Morinishi, principal engineer at Brown and Caldwell as both of them have been named the Outstanding Rising One Water Leaders for the 2025 US Water Prize awarded by the US Water alliance. The two share their career paths, what the One Water movement means to them, their career goals and much more. Show Notes:     US Water Prize Navajo Nation Water Rights Commission Timestamps:  Introduction | 0:00  Early career journeys | 01:00  Inspiration and shared roots | 05:45  Becoming Rising One Water Leaders | 06:45  Reflections on culture and community | 10:30  Looking ahead: career goals | 13:10  Mentorship and stewardship | 18:30  Water sector challenges and solutions | 19:30  Closing thoughts and resources | 27:00  Resources:  WWD State of the Industry Survey Wastewater Digest WEFTEC content WaterWorld State of the Industry Survey SWS webinar with the Center for Watershed Protection About the Podcast       Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, stormwater and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.       Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing talkingunderwater@endeavorb2b.com engaging with them on X @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.   Editor's note: The timestamps were written with the assistance of AI.

In this episode of Talking Under Water, the co-hosts discuss recent industry news including two U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) PFAS legal actions. First, the agency motioned to partially vacate a court case in which American Water Works Association (AWWA) sued the agency for procedural missteps in how it developed the concentration limits that defined the Hazard Index. Second, EPA announced its intentions for the Comprehensive, Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, known as CERCLA or the Superfund. The hosts also cover Jessica Kramer’s confirmation as assistant administrator of the EPA’s Office of Water; the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s updates to its flood mapping tool; and post-Hurricane Helene recovery efforts a year after the storm.   Show Notes:     Legal challenges cloud future of PFAS regulation as EPA moves to vacate PFAS MCL EPA outlines next steps on PFOA and PFOS cleanup under CERCLA EPA funds water infrastructure resiliency in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene NOAA expands flood inundation mapping tool to cover 60% of the U.S. population Senate confirms Jessica Kramer to lead EPA Office of Water Timestamps:    Cold open & intro | 00:00 Episode overview | 00:22 Government shutdown update | 00:45 Jessica Kramer confirmed to EPA Office of Water | 01:42  PFAS legal actions | 04:33 EPA post-hurricane funding in North Carolina |08:09 NOAA flood inundation mapping tool expansion | 09:06 Housekeeping & announcements | 10:19 Closing | 11:3 Resources:  Tunnels & Tech eBook  WWD workplace culture webinar  Renew your WaterWorld subscription  SWS webinar with the Center for Watershed Protection  About the Podcast       Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, stormwater and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.       Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing talkingunderwater@endeavorb2b.com engaging with them on X @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.      

As climate uncertainty and cybersecurity threats escalate, the utility industry is bracing for a future it can’t fully control. Over the past year alone, we’ve seen catastrophic events that exposed the vulnerabilities of water systems across the country. Talking Under Water Podcast host and VP of EB2B’s Water Group Bob Crossen spoke with Blake Michal, Manager of Solution Management at Kamstrup North America, about the difference between reliability and resilience, and learn why utilities must prioritize one over the over. Show Notes Learn more about Kamstrup: https://www.kamstrup.com/en-us/water-solutions Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction to episode and guest 00:27 – Utilities face growing operational threats 00:40 – Smart tech for reliability and resilience 01:15 – Preparing for inevitable disruptions 02:22 – Building flexible, resilient systems 03:02 – Graceful failure vs flawless performance 04:11 – Reliability vs resilience explained 06:22 – Why reliability must come first 07:18 – Reliable ultrasonic meters and networks 08:23 – Resilience during system failures 10:13 – Real-world hurricane response example 11:09 – Kamstrup’s failure-free performance mindset 12:19 – Less than 0.25% return rate 13:08 – Where utilities should begin 14:24 – Final message: invest in both 15:47 – Smart Water eHandbook promo 16:13 – Water reuse eHandbook promo 16:34 – Stormwater survey call-to-action 17:02 – Contact and social media info Resources World of Water: www.waterworld.com/world-of-water Hot Innovations in Wastewater Treatment eHandbook: https://www.wwdmag.com/ehandbooks/wastewater-treatment/whitepaper/55281395/wastewater-treatment Register for StormCon: www.stormcon.com About the Podcast       Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, storm water and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.

In this episode of Talking Under Water, co-Host Bob Crossen speaks with Jacquelin Mutter, One Water planning lead, and Trent Stober, utility management services director, both for HDR about using the A-I-R process to optimize One Water processes. Mutter and Sober discuss how A-I-R, which stands for Assess, Identify and Reimagine, can help utilities navigate their One Water approaches successfully. The two also discuss why the One Water approach is important to the industry and how A-I-R can benefit water utilities. Show Notes: Discover and Expand Multiple Benefits by Applying a One Water Perspective One water: Integrated water resource management is the future What is One Water? Timestamps: Intro | 00:00 Meet the guests: Jacqueline Mutter & Trent Stober of HDR |00:01:00 Challenges facing today’s utilities | 00:02:20 Defining One Water and making it actionable | 00:04:00 The AIR process: Assess, Identify, Reimagine | 00:05:00 Embedding equity and resilience into planning | 00:08:10 Benefits of One Water for utilities & communities | 00:09:40 Enhancing core services through a holistic approach | 00:12:15 Real-world challenges: data centers, industry, and partnerships | 00:14:30 Building smarter investments and business cases | 00:16:40 Workforce resilience & cross-training initiatives | 00:18:00 The growing role of communications in the water sector | 00:19:30 Closing reflections | 00:20:00 Outro & housekeeping (magazine, WEFTEC, webinars) | 00:21:35 Resources: WaterWorld September/October issue Stormwater Awareness Week Webinar Subscribe to WaterWorld Subscribe to Stormwater Solutions About the Podcast       Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, storm water and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water, a production of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B,  highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.       Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing talkingunderwater@endeavorb2b.com engaging with them on X @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.   Editor's Note: The episode timestamps were written with the assistance of generative AI.

In this episode of Talking Under Water, the hosts discuss relevant industry news, including the approval given to the National Weather Service to hire 450 new employees; Wyoming Department of Transportation projects that intersect roads, bridgese and stormwater; updates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the Tijuana sewage crisis and a sediment control project; and finally, the importance of workplace safety in light of recent sombering events. Show Notes:     National Weather Service to hire 450 workers following cuts Wyoming Transportation Commission awards $33.1 million in contracts for DOT projects South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant completes 10 MGD expansion EPA, Ohio and Partners Highlight Sediment Cleanup Project Start in Cuyahoga Falls Authorities identify 3 workers who died due to toxic sewer gas in Trinity County  Three Houston-area men die from toxic gas exposure in Trinity County manhole incident  Two Workers Killed by Suspected Gas Exposure in Sewer Line Accident Near Mobile, Alabama  OSHA’s confined space regulations  Timestamps:    Cold Open | 00:00 Introductions & Subscription reminder |  00:00:38 Episode summary | 00:01:20 National Weather Service hiring 450 staff | 00:01:41 Wyoming DOT stormwater and infrastructure projects | 00:02:11 EPA Updates: Tijuana sewage crisis and Cuyahoga River sediment cleanup | 00:03:37 Texas trench tragedy & Workplace safety reflections | 00:06:50 Housekeeping  | 00:10:10 Resources:  Wastewater Digest YouTube  WaterWorld September/October issue SWS Stormwater Awareness Week Webinar  Stormwater Solutions September/October issue About the Podcast       Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, storm water and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water, a production of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B,  highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.       Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing talkingunderwater@endeavorb2b.com engaging with them on X @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.   Editor's Note: The episode timestamps were written with the assistance of generative AI.