The Drop

In the second episode of our two-part series, we’re joined by Dr. David Sunding, Professor in the College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley and a leading expert in environmental economics, to explore the pivotal role of California’s State Water Project. Together, we examine how this vital infrastructure supports sustainable water management and secures California’s economic future.

In the first episode of this two-part series, we sit down with Karla Nemeth, Director of the California Department of Water Resources, to explore the past, present, and future of the State Water Project. Join us as we dive into the story of one of the nation’s most critical—and most vulnerable—pieces of infrastructure.

The September 30, 2024 deadline for Governor Gavin Newsom to sign or veto legislation is looming, and there are several bills and other pieces of legislation that EMWD is tracking. In this episode, we're joined by Pacal Cornejo-Reynoso, Senior Policy and Government Affairs Manager, to discuss state legislation EMWD is tracking and its impact.

The State of California is poised to adopt water use efficiency regulations surrounding the management of urban water use. This episode, we’re joined by Jenna Shimmin, Director of Water Use Efficiency, to discuss these regulations titled Making Conservation a California Way of Life and what they mean for us and for you.

EMWD's service area is only 43 percent built out and as we look towards our region's future, we need to be prepared to serve water, wastewater and recycled water service today AND tomorrow. So how do we do that? In this episode, Gordon Ng, Principle Engineer, discusses how we look towards the future to predict where water resources will be needed in our growing region.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS are a collection of thousands of chemicals that are taking center stage in the world of water quality and regulation. In this episode, we are joined by EMWD’s Director of Environmental and Regulatory Compliance, Anthony Budicin, to discuss what PFAS is, the regulations on PFAS as they stand today, what we can expect in the future, current legislation to help combat PFAS clean up and how water agencies have been left to solve an issue they had no role in creating.

So, it rained. And while Californians love a good snowy mountain view on a sunny day, us water nerds can’t help but wonder… “what happens to all the snow when it melts?” In this episode, we sit down with Jerry Brown, Sites Project Authority Executive Director, to discuss Sites Reservoir. What is it? Where is it? What’s off stream? How will the reservoir capture winter runoff? And what’s its impact on California's water future?

We're back with season two of The Drop! To kick off this new season, we sit down with EMWD's General Manager, Joe Mouawad, to discuss some of the big highlights from 2023 and what we're looking towards in 2024.

The Drop returns with a new season in January 2024! This season we'll continue to explore the ever-changing landscape of water regionally, statewide and nationally. Catch us wherever you get your podcasts.

Think about your dream career when you were a kid. Was it to be a water or wastewater operator? What about an electrician or engineer? Maybe not, but those are key careers in the water, wastewater and recycled water industry. Our workforce is evolving and we're working to meet that evolution through a variety of programs and partnerships. This week, we take a look at building awareness of careers in the water industry through the lens of a former intern and EMWD staff that are working to implement partnerships and support workforce development policy.