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In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses extreme weather with Texas State Climatologist, Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon. He is a Regents Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University and also serves as the Director of the Southern Regional Climate Center.

John Nielsen-Gammon has been on the faculty at Texas A&M University since 1991. He conducts research on various types of extreme weather from droughts and floods to air pollution and computer modeling. As Texas State Climatologist, he helps the state of Texas make the best possible use of weather and climate information through applied research, outreach, and service on state-level committees. He is a fellow of the American Meteorological Society. 

Also, just a note that Talk+Water has again been ranked as one of the top water podcasts in the world! https://podcast.feedspot.com/water_podcasts/?feedid=5297819&_src=f1_featured_email

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In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses the 89th Texas Legislative session with Vanessa Puig-Williams, Senior Director of Climate Resilient Water Systems at the Environmental Defense Fund, Jeremy Mazur, Director of Infrastructure and Natural Resources Policy at Texas 2036, and Carlos Rubinstein, Principal at RSAH​2O, LLC.

The 89th Legislative Session was a historic, generational water infrastructure-focused session. From legislation geared toward water infrastructure funding, coalitions formed to investigate and address water challenges in Texas, and more, these water policy experts discuss the outcomes of this session over a jovial luncheon.

Also, just a note that Talk+Water has again been ranked as one of the top water podcasts in the world! https://podcast.feedspot.com/water_podcasts/?feedid=5297819&_src=f1_featured_email

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In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses water challenges in the Rio Grande with Martha Pskowski, a Texas reporter for Inside Climate News based in El Paso.

Martha reports on water, oil and gas, and the impacts of climate change. She was previously an environmental reporter at the El Paso Times and a freelance reporter in Mexico City.

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In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses Multidecadal drought impacts on the Lower Colorado Basin with implications for future management with author, Dr. Bridget Scanlon, Research Professor at the Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Scanlon's current research focuses on various aspects of water resources, including global assessments using satellites and modeling, management related to climate extremes, and water energy interdependence. She has authored or co-authored ~200 publications. Dr. Scanlon is a fellow of AAAS, AGU and GSA and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. 

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In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses El Paso water resources with El Paso Water's Gilbert Trejo, Vice President of Operations and Technical Services, and Christina Montoya-Halter, Communications and Marketing  Manager.

Gilbert Trejo oversees engineering, operations and technical services. Previously, he served as Chief Technical Officer. Before coming to El Paso Water in 2014, he was the Principal in charge of Arcadis' Water Division in the El Paso, Texas region. In that role, he led business development, designed and managed projects, and ensured financial performance. Trejo is also past chair and former board member for the WateReuse Association and Water Research Foundation. He is a published author on water reuse and water infrastructure topics. He is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Texas, a Certified Floodplain Manager and a Board-Certified Environmental Engineer.  Trejo earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso and a Master of Science in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering from the University of Texas, Austin.

Christina Montoya-Halter has 24 years of media, communications and marketing experience. She is the Communications and Marketing Manager for EPWater, overseeing internal and external communications. A University of Southern California graduate, prior to her role at EPWater, she was a broadcast journalist in El Paso. She is President of WateReuse Texas and is serving her third term on the American Water Works Association's Public Affairs Council.

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In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses Austin water resources and the 100-year water plan with Shay Ralls Roalson, Director of Austin Water, and Marisa Flores Gonzalez, Program Manager for Austin Water's Water Forward Plan.

Shay Ralls Roalson P.E. became the Director of Austin Water in January 2023, leading a team of 1,300 employees committed to providing high quality drinking water, wastewater, and reclaimed water services to more than one million people in the Austin metropolitan area.

Shay has 29 years of experience working with water utilities on the planning, design, and construction of complex water and wastewater infrastructure projects. She joined Austin Water as Assistant Director in April 2020, where she led the engineering services team responsible for delivering the utility’s $1.4 billion five-year capital program. Prior to joining Austin Water, Shay was a consulting engineer, working with utilities across Texas.

Shay is a past Chair of the Texas Section of the American Water Works Association and has served on the External Advisory Committee for the University of Texas Cockrell School of Engineering. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Texas Section AWWA George Warren Fuller award.

Shay received a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Science degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Marisa Flores Gonzalez leads the Water Resources Team at Austin Water and is the project manager for Water Forward, Austin’s 100-year Integrated Water Resource Plan. Ms. Flores Gonzalez has 14 years of experience working in local government and utilities in multiple areas including water supply, water distribution, wastewater collection, and stormwater management planning. 

She brings a holistic approach to water planning, with a belief in the value of community engagement and adaptive management to create a resilient and equitable water future for the Austin community. Ms. Flores Gonzalez holds a B.A. in Geography and the Environment from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s in Public Administration from Texas State University.

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In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, explores the importance of communication in addressing Western water issues with Daniel Rothberg, a writer who focuses on research regarding water, public land, mining, and energy.

Daniel writes a newsletter, Western Water Notes, focusing on water in the Western U.S. For six years, Daniel worked as an environmental reporter for The Nevada Independent, where his work was recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, Best of the West, and the Society of Environmental Journalists. During that time, he served as president of the Nevada Press Association, working to support and advocate on behalf of outlets across the state. Daniel’s environmental writing has been published in The Nevada Independent, The New York Times, Smithsonian, Inside Climate News, Sierra Magazine, Vox, and High Country News. He is currently based in Davis, California, where he is working toward a master’s in environmental policy.

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In this conversation (recorded on 12/09/2024), Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses Texas' statewide flood plan with L'Oreal Stepney, P.E., Chairwoman of the Texas Water Development Board. This plan provides a comprehensive assessment of flood risk and solutions to mitigate that risk.

L'Oreal Stepney was named Chairwoman of the Texas Water Development Board by Governor Greg Abbott on January 8, 2025. Governor Abbott appointed her to the Board in December 2022 for a term beginning January 1, 2023.

Stepney previously served as the deputy executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). She began working for TCEQ in 1992, first in the Air Permitting Division for eight years, then as section manager for the Wastewater Permitting Section before being promoted to director of the Water Quality Division in 2003. She also served as deputy director of the Office of Water upon its creation in 2009. The Office of Water encompasses TCEQ's water availability, water districts, groundwater, river compacts, water quality permitting and planning, and public drinking water functions. During her time at TCEQ, Stepney worked closely with the Texas Water Development Board on several water programs.

Additionally, Stepney has participated in the group from Texas that meets with Mexico and the International Boundary and Water Commission to negotiate water deliveries under the Rio Grande 1944 Treaty. She is a board member for the Mickey Leland Environmental Internship Program and a graduate of the University of Texas Governor's Center Executive Management Program and the University of Texas Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution Fellows Program.

Stepney received a bachelor of science in aerospace engineering and a master of science in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Her term will expire February 1, 2029.

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In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, explores the complexities of Colorado River management and related water issues in Utah, with Emily E. Lewis, a Director, Shareholder, and Co-Chair of the Natural Resources and Water Law Practice Group at Clyde Snow and Sessions in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Emily assists clients in navigating and solving complex water problems. She regularly advises individual water right owners, water conservancy districts, municipalities, mining companies, investors, and mutual shareholder irrigation companies. Her strategic projects practice extends to innovative policy work and specialty project management. For example, she recently oversaw the Utah Statewide Water Marketing Strategies Project, produced a comprehensive Water Law Policy Inventory and Assessment to inform the Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan, and hosts a weekly podcast, Ripple Effect – A Podcast Putting Water in Context. Emily is curious, creative, and an upcoming thought leader in the water space.

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In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses water infrastructure funding and the Texas economy with Jeremy Mazur, Director of Natural Resources and Infrastructure Policy for Texas 2036, and Gabriel Collins, Baker Botts Fellow in Energy and Environmental Regulatory Affairs at Rice University’s James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy (Baker Institute).

Jeremy Mazur has over 25 years of working in and with the Legislature and state leaders on water and energy policy issues. Before joining Texas 2036 in 2021, he served as Director of Government Relations for the Railroad Commission of Texas and worked on water policy in the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate. 

Gabriel Collins is a member of the Center for Energy Studies team member at the Baker Institute and a lead member of the Water-Energy Nexus Thrust at Rice University’s WaTER Institute. He is also an editor at the Texas Water Journal. Gabriel has a J.D. from the University School of Law.

Episode Links:

• Prospective Costs and Consequences of Insufficient Water Infrastructure Investment in Texas Report
• Assessing Texas' Water Infrastructure Needs Report

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