Water Values Podcast

Ken Kirk, Executive Director of the National Association of Clean Water agencies, discusses the important role that NACWA plays in various areas of the water industry, from the federal government, other utility industries, and to small communities across the United States. Ken also talks us through the various programs that NACWA has created & implemented to be educational for other industries & everyday citizens to show the importance of how water & other utilities affect local communities and governments.

Bob Iacullo, Executive Vice President with United Water, discusses the history of the public-private partnership model in the water sector, how the model has changed and what innovations are taking place. Bob discusses a recent United Water’s P3 agreement with a New Jersey municipality that helped the city save money and earn a better credit rating. Bob also discusses the impact the IRS has on P3 agreements, concessions agreements versus O&M agreements, indices used to adjust the compensation and much mor

Lisa Sparrow, President and CEO of Utilities, Inc., a water and wastewater utility company with a national reach, joins The Water Values Podcast to discuss acquisition strategy, her approach to finding solutions to important problems, and a discussion about women as contributors in the utility industry and about attracting women to the field.

Thought leaders in the water industry join Dave McGimpsey to discuss important questions and systemic challenges facing the water utility industry. Hear how the panel and the event audience exchange ideas about the latest impact of regulations on water utility funding and operations, and how to best to educate consumers and communicate across the industry to better meet water challenges together.

Peter Yolles, CEO & Founder of WaterSmart Software, shares his perspective about how cloud-based, water efficiency technology can advance sustainable water management in water utilities – allowing utilities to connect directly with customers about usage strategies to save water & money. Peter describes the three primary benefits of WaterSmart Software: customer engagement, water efficiency & data analytics. Finally, Peter offers his thoughts on how water technology is gaining a foothold with utilities.

Dave Nettles, the Division Engineer with the Colorado Division of Water Resources’ Water Division One, provides a background on Colorado water law and why augmentation plans are needed. He outlines how an augmentation plans are created, what the issues are, models used to predict future groundwater flows, and how augmentation plans are implemented. Dave also discusses the latest developments in augmentation plans, as well as the impact these plans have had on the water industry.

Mary Ann Dickinson, the President and CEO of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, examines a range of current issues involving water efficiency and to discuss her organization’s advocacy for water efficiency. She identifies a number of issues and describes how water efficiency actually is the least cost alternative for holding down rates. Mary Ann explains how water and energy are interrelated. She also identifies the wide gulf in the public’s understanding about how much water we actually use.

Chris Peacock, water sector entrepreneur and founder of the Water Innovation Project, takes us on a journey in search of “smart water”. He shares what he has learned about the water market over the years and how new information technologies are helping us better understand how to manage our vital water resources. Chris also announces details about his book release, a compilation of 25 essays by thought leaders on water issues, which describes what people are doing to make a difference in the world of wa

Margaret Palmer, University of Maryland Professor and Director of the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, shares with the impact that mountaintop removal coal mining is having on inland streams and rivers. She discusses the scientific evidence she brings to the courtroom to illustrate the reality of what is happening in the environment. Margaret also relates how the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center uses research from multiple disciplines to creatively solve environmental problems.

Chmn. Alaina Burtenshaw of the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (also a Co-Vice Chair of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ (NARUC) Committee on Water), explains how state utility commissions are helping water utilities improve operations and how the NARUC gets state water utility interests seen and heard at the national level. Chmn. Burtenshaw identifies a number of regulatory tools that utility commissions are using to improve the regulatory process for water utilities.