The WQA Podcast

Welcome to WQA Radio, news and insights about the water treatment industry.

Find us at https://WQA.org, and on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This is episode #207 – if you’re a first-time listener, glad you are here. Be sure to hit that subscribe button so you never miss a show. That’s the magic of podcasting.

We’re publishing this on March 17, 2021. In this episode, we talk with Kim Redden about the 2020 Grant program, one of several research projects in the pipeline at the Water Quality Research Foundation.

She explains the reasoning behind the new website which will be the main focus of the project, the type of information it will offer and how that information will be conveyed. It’s due for completion by the end of 2021.

Plus, we’ll have our WQA Tip: how to find that next employee.

Our featured guest is WQA Lab Director Zac Gleason, discussing the new WQA Laboratory and its increased capacity for testing and product certification. Welcome to WQA Radio, news and insights about the water treatment industry.

Find us at https://WQA.org, and on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’re a first-time listener, we're glad you are here. Be sure to hit that subscribe button on your podcast app so you never miss a show. That’s the magic of podcasting.

We’re publishing this on March 10, 2021. In this episode, we talk with Zac Gleason about the new WQA Laboratory, its expanded space and capacity, its Lean efficiencies and cutting-edge technology. Also, how you can get a firsthand look at the new lab in the not too distant future.

In this episode, we talk with Joe Doss, president of the International Bottled Water Association.

Joe discusses how his members responded to the COVID pandemic as well as his industry’s legislative priorities for 2021. We’ll also talk about the public's concerns about plastic bottles, and the battle against anti-bottled water efforts at both the state and federal level.

Learn more about WQA and become a member at wqa.org/membership.

Our featured guest is Daina Grace, executive director of the Texas Water Quality Association (TWQA). Grace talks about the severe weather in Texas which resulted in widespread power and water disruptions.

“One of my members lost power at his facility, so they used Facebook (Messenger) to communicate with customers,” Grace said. Another member kept service techs on call 24/7 until their facility could reopen, she said. Another passed out bottled water to hospitals and residents in areas with boil water alerts.

WQA issued a news release to all Texas media to notify them of the resources about boil water notices available from WQA and the Water Quality Research Foundation.

Our featured guest is WQA Global Government Affairs Director David Loveday. In this episode, David talks about President Biden’s picks to head the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture, how those selections might affect PFAS regulations and groundwater concerns, plus how the DC Fly-in will change this year because of COVID-19.

All of that and our WQA Tip -- save the date for the WQA Annual meeting.

wqa.org

In this episode, we talk with WQA's Training and Program Coordinator John McCartan about the new webinar series begin offered every other month for those enrolled in WQA’s Modular Education Program, the MEP. John explains the format, the content that he’ll be covering for MEP users, and how the webinars will help you or your team get through the MEP so that you can earn your professional certification. Learn more at https://wqa.org/mepuser.

Plus, we’ll have this month’s Business Insight.

Our special guest is WQA Executive Director Pauli Undesser, who is entering year 5 in her role at WQA. We’ll get her reflections on 2020, thoughts about how WQA is poised to help members in 2021, and two key dates you’ll want to make sure are on your calendar.

Plus, we'll have our WQA tip.

Our guest is WQA Technical Affairs Director Eric Yeggy talking about the top trends and predictions he has for the water treatment industry in 2021. Concerns about Lead, PFAS and many other issues will again top the agenda. This is always a top-rated show each year.

In this episode of WQA Radio, WQA’s Susan Keaton talks with WQA President DJ Shannahan about the year that was, in 2020, the impact of COVID-19, how the industry weathered the pandemic, how WQA was able to provide valuable resources, and how the industry is positioned heading into this new year.

Later, we’ll have our first Business Insights feature of the year.

In this episode we feature some of the best of our 2020 podcasts. We’ll hear from WQA Hall of Fame award recipient Peter Cartwright, WQA President DJ Shannahan, WQA Mid-Year Leadership speaker Kendall C. Wright, National Groundwater Association President Merritt Partridge, WQRF researcher Dr. Emily Kumpel, and NASA scientist Dr. Jill Williamson, talking about water filtration at the International Space Station.

As we wrap up the year, we say thanks to WQA’s Kathleen Burbidge for contributing her frequent Regulatory Updates during the year.

Whether you’ve been listening for years or you’ve just discovered our podcast, thanks for being part of our podcast community in 2020. We hope we’ve added some insight or encouragement along the way.

Thanks for your participation in the water treatment industry. You’re the reason WQA exists. If you’re not yet a member, you really need to join us. This is the perfect time to take advantage of all of WQA’s member benefits as we begin a new year. Go to https://wqa.org/membership