Claus Helix-Nielsen, the Vice President of Public-Private Partnerships for Aquaporin A/S, joins The Water Values Podcast to discuss the state of membrane technology and the Aquaporin A/S forward osmosis membrane. Claus’ depth and breadth of experience will impress you as he provides the history of how these membranes are deployed to provide commercial benefits. Claus also provides unique insight into the research and development process and how funding is such a critical element of technology development.

Retired Colorado Supreme Court Justice, Greg Hobbs, shares his knowledge of western water law, specifically the doctrine of prior appropriation and its impact on how the West developed. Justice Hobbs uses his deep and broad knowledge of water law to explain how the doctrine of prior appropriation developed. He provides an eye-opening analysis of water law and contrasts differing versions of prior appropriation (Colorado with California; court adjudicated rights versus administratively granted rights).

Drew Bender of VS Engineering provides a wide-ranging discussion about green infrastructure, and in particular, constructed wetlands. Drew also poses a fundamental question that should be asked about every infrastructure project so that the project is built as efficiently, from a sustainability standpoint and from an economic standpoint, as possible. Drew also has ideas about whether green infrastructure should be mandated by local governments – he approaches this issue with a heavy dose of common sense.

Trevor Hill discusses an array of technology issues affecting water utilities. Trevor describes the utility market in which technology providers participate and identifies the challenges of speeding technology adoption. Using his experience at FATHOM, Trevor explains how FATHOM rose out of the consolidation of a number of utilities that needed technology integration but could not individually justify the expenditures to create the FATHOM platform. It’s an interesting peek inside the water technology world

Two water lawyers, Nathan Bracken of Smith Hartvigsen and Jan Neuman of Tonkon Torp, discuss the state of our federal water policy. Both Nathan and Jan are well-versed in water law and policy issues, and they have a number of recommendations for updating federal water policy. They also have interesting and provocative thoughts on what needs to happen in order to get the federal government, the states and the tribes in a position where updates to federal water policy might have a chance at success.

Frank Holleman, a lawyer with the Southern Environmental Law Center, addresses the contaminants contained in coal ash, the historical manner of its disposal and storage, the evolution of utilities in dealing with coal ash storage issues, and much more. While cleaning up coal ash storage sites and protecting water quality is a work in progress, utilities have evolved from coal ash lagoon storage to the more preferable solution of dry, lined storage, or even re-use of coal ash in products like cement.

Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) Asst. Prof. Shahzeen (“Shaz”) Attari, discusses the state of research into human behavior and resource use, specifically in this episode, water use. She walks us through the existing research, identifies new areas of research and helps us understand why we think the way we do about water. She relates some fascinating research results, especially in the area of curtailment versus efficiency actions and our own choices with respect to each.

Parjana CEO Greg McPartlin explains the patented technology that helps replenish groundwater and mitigate surface water problems. Through Parjana’s invention of an “artificial tree root”, surface water is more easily dispersed in the ground and thus achieves groundwater balance. New applications for the Parjana technology occur on a frequent basis, and you’ll be interested to hear how the technology has been applied to date and how it works in this great episode of The Water Values Podcast.

ValveTek’s Jeff Favina discusses main flushing and ValveTek’s use of the patented NO-DES flushing solution. Starting with the basics of main flushing, Jeff explains why main flushing is important from a water quality standpoint and outlines the conventional methods of main flushing. He then expands into the NO-DES flushing solution and demonstrates how it works and how it does not waste water. Avoiding water waste with the NO-DES system demonstrates how utilities can walk the conservation walk.

Paul Kramer of Gresham, Oregon, joins The Water Values Podcast to discuss a subject too infrequently discussed: Fats, Oils and Grease, or FOG. Paul walks us through what FOG is and how it gets into the sewer system and disrupts the system’s operation. He then discusses elements of a FOG program, including the extensive internal and external communication necessary, and what a FOG program launch entails. If you’d never heard about FOG before, or even if you had, this episode will be a real eye-opener.