The Water Zone

Special guest Steven Moore, CEO of Moore Water Management, talks about best practices in water management and how they can be practically applied in the real world.  He describes evapotranspiration (ET) and factors to consider when developing watering plans like crop coefficients, soil conditions, temperature, humidity, wind, and solar radiation. Finally, he discusses smart controllers and soil moisture sensors, how each works hand-in-hand to provide the right watering schedule and how ET data plays a role in delivering precise irrigation schedules.

Podcast Recorded on May 16, 2024

Moses West Foundation leverages cutting edge atmospheric water generation technology to provide water access, foster community development and promote environmental responsibility. Founder Moses West joins the show to present the foundation’s latest technology for atmospheric water generation. He also shares how the foundation has generated over 5 million gallons of clean water around the world since its launch and how it has provided many potable water generator systems to the US military, the Red Cross and others. This unique technology has proven effective in any type of environment, even in the hottest deserts.

Podcast Recorded on May 9, 2024

We are joined by friend of the show, John Farner, executive director of the Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy, a center at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. John provides insight on the center’s activities and objectives. He also details the history and importance of the Colorado River Basin and why the center started its work there. He addresses the biggest challenges facing the basin and highlights some key programs relevant to overall global water challenges.

Podcast Recorded on May 2, 2024

This week’s guest is Thomas Schumann, CEO of Thomas Schumann Capital (TSC). TSC has emerged as a leading advocate for sustainable freshwater management and global water security. Recognizing the importance of water, TSC’s mission is to harness innovative strategies to protect freshwater supplies for the future. The company has also developed innovative financial instruments to promote water security, including the world’s first security token backed by real-world assets in the form of Arctic freshwater exploration rights. They have also developed the TSC Water Security Index, the world’s first index family to measure water risks in equities and portfolios for global capital markets.

Podcast Recorded on April 25, 2024

Chris Willis, owner of Colorado Total Maintenance company located in Denver, Colorado details his journey from grounds worker to business owner.  Colorado Total Maintenance manages landscape and irrigation for the City of Denver Parks & Recreation along with other large scale commercial properties. Chris believes that his experience starting in the industry and the opportunity to learn from experts has made him a wiser businessman and a owner. He provides insight to the many irrigation opportunities that his company deals with each day, educational resources from the Irrigation Association and Colorado State University, and mentorship experiences in the soil, water and plant testing laboratory.

Podcast Recorded on April 18, 2024

Theo Wirtz and Philliph Prosenko of the IRRISketch company discuss their low-cost, innovative web-based irrigation system planner for landscape professionals and homeowners. Their software can significantly reduce the time to create a professional irrigation system design down to approximately 30 minutes. The system automatically determines pipe size, spray heads or rotors required and how many can be operated by each valve. IRRISketch also identifies all the components needed to install the irrigation system from to PVC connectors to the controller. IRRISketch’s suggested pricing is around $450 versus the thousands of dollars for other design systems.

Podcast Recorded on April 11, 2024

Part two of our discussion on cybersecurity affecting the water, electrical and petroleum industries. Contributors to the discussion are Frank Taylor, former under secretary for Intelligence and Analysis at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Sherri Ramsay, former director of the National Security Agency/Central Security Service Threat Operations Center, Hafsah Lak, former FBI Department of Cyber Security chief, and Harri Hursti, world-renowned data security expert. They discuss issues like the risk of cell phone use for cyber attacks, the dark web, infrastructure safety, the future of cyber security, and how we can get involved.

Podcast Recorded on April 4, 2024

The first of an eye-opening two-part series, this episode dives into the heart of cybersecurity, featuring an elite panel including Frank Taylor, former Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Sherri Ramsay, former Director of the NSA/CSS Threat Operations Center, Hafsah Lak, former FBI Cyber Security Chief, and Harri Hursti, a world-renowned data security expert. Together, they illuminate the potential cyber threats targeting vital infrastructures like water and electrical utilities, and petroleum refineries, while outlining robust response strategies of government agencies and practical measures for private sectors to fortify their IT systems.

Podcast Recorded on March 28, 2024

The New Jersey Irrigation Association is known for its leadership in groundbreaking legislation for the industry. The New Jersey IA helped drive legislation that requires all irrigators in the state to be licensed. Gregg Rogers, owner of Garden Irrigation in New Jersey, chronicles his efforts to help drive new legislation through his work with the Irrigation Association and discusses his company’s growth over the past 30 years. He also describes the many educational activities that they have initiated to provide homeowners and contractors with a wealth of knowledge on irrigation technologies and state regulations.

Podcast Recorded on March 21, 2024

Tom Lucas, president of Performance Nursery, provides a history of how and what attracted him to the green industry. He recounts the changes to the industry over time and how those changes have shaped the sales of low water use plant materials and water conservation. Tom also shares how these changes have impacted marketing, promotion and produced a more educated customer base.

Podcast Recorded on March 14, 2024