In this third episode of Talking Under Water: One Water, One Podcast, hosts Storm Water Solutions Managing Editor Lauren Baltas, Water Quality Products Managing Editor Amy McIntosh and Water & Wastes Digest Managing Editor Bob Crossen revisit their discussion about plastics in waterways as Starbucks and other corporations make moves to eliminate straws. McIntosh discusses her recent trip to the Texas Water Quality Assn. Convention & Expo and the effects of tariffs on the water quality industry, namely resins. Crossen talks about his trip to the U.S. Water Alliance One Water Summit in Minneapolis and how water equity was the underlying theme among sessions.

Lastly, the hosts interviewed Melanie Holmer, National Water Reuse Leader for Brown and Caldwell. Holmer talked about several one water efforts happening right now and explained what one water means to her.

Listen to the full episode, including the interview with Holmer, below. And don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes or Google Play!

Show notes and news links:

On July 9, Starbucks announced it plans to eliminate plastic straws from all of its stores by 2020. According to Starbucks, the decision to remove straws will mean a billion fewer plastic straws per year. To eliminate straws, the company will serve cold beverages—excluding frappuccinos—with a new lid featuring a raised lip.

Major corporations like Starbucks, Bacardi Rum, Bon Appétit Management Company, Marriott hotels, Alaska Airlines, and American Airlines have publicly announced that they will phase out plastic straws in the coming years. And they aren't the only ones.

Brown and Caldwell, a full-service environmental engineering and construction firm, and the Water Research Foundation have developed and released this week Blueprint for One Water, a practical guide for agencies seeking to manage water resources holistically and sustainably. One Water is an integrated planning and implementation approach to managing finite water resources for long-term resilience and reliability, meeting both community and ecosystem needs.

David Loveday of @wqaorg is giving the group an update on the tariffs impacting the water quality industry. #TWQA pic.twitter.com/S7hZswrDTS

Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Water & Wastes Digest (WWD), Water Quality Products (WQP) and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, point of use, point of entry, residential, storm water and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and on-site interviews with experts for WWD, WQP and SWS. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com

Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing [email protected]. Join the conversation by commenting below or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.