Water Values Podcast

By Dave McGimpseyBusiness

Water Values Podcast episodes

March 05, 2024Water Service and Inequity in Mobile Home Parks with UCLA’s Greg Pierce
Today’s podcast episode features Greg Pierce, Professor of Urban Planning at UCLA, Research and Co-Executive Director at UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation, Director of UCLA’s Water Resource Lab, and Director of UCLA’s Human Right Water Lab.
During this conversation, Greg addresses water equity issues affecting mobile home parks, emphasizing the importance for anyone concerned about small systems to also prioritize the issues faced by these communities, i.e., mobile home park water systems. Plus, Reese Tisdale makes an appearance to discuss Eversource’s decision to divest Aquarion on this month’s Bluefield on Tap segment.
In this session, you’ll learn about:
Greg’s unique journey to the water industry and WASH research focused on the United States
How Greg defines mobile home parks and how mobile home parks compare and contrast with manufactured housing
Why mobile home parks are an important barometer for measuring WASH issues
How mobile home parks typically receive and manage water services
The challenges mobile home park water systems face in complying with Safe Drinking Water Act regulations
The technical, managerial, and financial challenges faced by mobile home park water systems
Why it’s difficult to gather data on how much mobile home park residents pay for water services
Why neighboring water systems often decline to provide water services to mobile home parks
How water equity issues in mobile home parks are emblematic of broader inequity issues facing mobile home parks including general infrastructure, heat, fire, ramifications of climate change, stigma, and more
What “premise plumbing” means for mobile home parks and why it’s a problem
Potential solutions and policy initiatives to improve water equity in mobile home parks
Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:
Greg’s LinkedIn page
Greg’s email address
Greg’s X handle
UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation’s website
NIST website
Thank You!
Thanks to each of you for listening and spreading the word about The Water Values Podcast! Keep the emails coming and please rate and review The Water Values Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher if you haven’t done so already. And don’t forget to tell your friends about the podcast and whatever you do, don’t forget to join The Water Values mailing list!
44 min
February 20, 2024Cybersecurity for Water Utilities with Dentons Partner Kyle Miller
Dave’s law partner at Dentons, Kyle Miller, is a cybersecurity and data privacy lawyer who provides a tremendous discussion on a wide range of cybersecurity issues for water utilities. Water utilities (and all critical infrastructure providers) will find Kyle’s in-depth knowledge and experience on cybersecurity and data privacy issues well worth the time investment.
In this session, you’ll learn about:
Kyle’s background in cybersecurity and information technology before becoming a data privacy and cybersecurity lawyer
Recent cybersecurity incidents involving water utilities
Traditional profit-based cyber attacks and the rise of politically motivated attacks
The reasons why utilities have difficulty with cybersecurity
Why some utilities have a false sense of security over cybersecurity
The cybersecurity vulnerabilities present in utilities
Why the integration of information systems and operations systems presents a risk
The regulation that wasn’t in 2023 (U.S. EPAs withdrawn regulation)
The legal requirements of the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act that utilities need to be aware of
Why utilities need to know the applicable regulations in advance (because you won’t have time to look them up during an incident)
Two important members of the acronym soup of cybersecurity:
CISA: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
NIST: National Institute for Standards and Technology
Kyle’s terrific “leave behind” message for water utilities on cybersecurity
Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:
Kyle’s LinkedIn page
Kyle’s bio on Dentons’ website
CISA website
NIST website
Thank You!
Thanks to each of you for listening and spreading the word about The Water Values Podcast! Keep the emails coming and please rate and review The Water Values Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher if you haven’t done so already. And don’t forget to tell your friends about the podcast and whatever you do, don’t forget to join The Water Values mailing list!
37 min
February 06, 2024Sustainable Water Supply with Eastern’s General Manager Joe Mouawad
Eastern Municipal Water District (Eastern) General Manager, Joe Mouawad, provides a fantastic discussion of Eastern’s Purified Groundwater Replenishment Program and its attendant benefits, as well as a discussion about water usage and water efficiency in Eastern’s service area.
In this session, you’ll learn about:
Joe’s background in water and path to Eastern’s General Manager position
Eastern’s water resource portfolio
Eastern’s brackish groundwater desalination program
Eastern’s customer growth and how Eastern has creatively reused water
Eastern’s Purified Groundwater Replenishment Program
The groundwater infiltration and aquifer recharge process and cycle
The climate extremes driving Eastern’s water resource portfolio diversification
The federal and state support for the groundwater purification project
How the aquifer recharge supports groundwater resources throughout the entire basin
How the Water Master administers and improves the basin’s groundwater resources
The groundwater replacement program’s impact on subsidence and energy usage
Water efficiency measures adopted by Eastern
Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:
Joe Mouawad LinkedIn profile
Eastern Municipal Water District’s Website
Thank You!
Thanks to each of you for listening and spreading the word about The Water Values Podcast! Keep the emails coming and please rate and review The Water Values Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher if you haven’t done so already. And don’t forget to tell your friends about the podcast and whatever you do, don’t forget to join The Water Values mailing list!
42 min
January 16, 2024Key Water Megatrends with Art Umble
Art Umble, Director of the Stantec Institute for Applied Science, Technology & Policy, provides a fascinating discussion identifying the key megatrends impacting water and exploring the issues driving those megatrends.
In this session, you’ll learn about:
Art’s distinguished background in water
The work undertaken by the Institute for Applied Science, Technology and Policy
The knowledge gaps we need to fill in order to develop a strategy to address water stress
Key water megatrends: (1) Water Stress; (2) Global Urbanization; (3) Transboundary Water; (4) Agricultural Productivity
Water stress as a global, national, and regional issue
The three S’s of water stress: scarcity, socio-economics, and security
Water stress is usually discussed in scarcity terms, but socio-economics factors (i.e., infrastructure adequacy) also plays a significant role
The global urbanization challenge and the concentration of water demand
How population growth will affect water stress
Agriculture water sources – “blue water” and “green water” and what they are
How evapotranspiration affects green water
Unsustainable irrigation and the reasons behind it
Art’s thoughts on how we address water stress
Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:
Art’s LinkedIn page
The Stantec Institute for Applied Science, Technology & Policy’s website
TWV #227: A Refreshing Vision for Water with Metropolitan’s Adel Hagekhalil
Thank You!
Thanks to each of you for listening and spreading the word about The Water Values Podcast! Keep the emails coming and please rate, review and subscribe to The Water Values Podcast on Apple Podcasts if you haven’t done so already. And don’t forget to tell your friends about the podcast and whatever you do, don’t forget to join The Water Values mailing list!
47 min
January 02, 2024A Fresh Take on Digital Transformation with Seth Johnstone
Seth Johnstone, the Client Engagement Leader for Water Utility Digital Solutions at 1898 & Co., provides a fresh perspective on digital transformation at water utilities. Seth crushes this interview, and no matter how much you think you know about digital transformation, you will learn from taking a listen to Seth. Plus, Reese Tisdale kicks off another year of Bluefield on Tap with a Top 5 issues list. See if your issues list matches Reese’s list.
In this session, you’ll learn about:
Seth’s unique background in water
What an underwater archaeologist does
Seth’s thoughts on technology and workforce replacement
Seth’s awesome take on the essential function of technology for a utility
Why Seth believes most of what a utility does from an asset perspective is location-based
What the “laser guided shovel” is
Cybersecurity issues for utilities
The IT and OT cybersecurity issues and how to marry them together
Why utilities need to prepare for and respond to hyperlocal issues
Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:
Seth’s LinkedIn page
1898 & Co.’s website
Thank You!
Thanks to each of you for listening and spreading the word about The Water Values Podcast! Keep the emails coming and please rate, review and subscribe to The Water Values Podcast on Apple Podcasts if you haven’t done so already. And don’t forget to tell your friends about the podcast and whatever you do, don’t forget to join The Water Values mailing list!
45 min
December 19, 2023The Year in Water 2023 with Rajan Ray, Sarah Porter, and Vic Kelson
An all-star panel of water leaders participate in a roundtable discussion about what happened in the year that was 2023, and provide insights on what 2024 might hold for the water sector.
In this session, you’ll learn about:
The diverse backgrounds of industry segments and geographies served by our panelists
Key takeaways from 2023 in the water sector from our panelists
Use of technology to address climate adaptability and improve customer engagement
The panelists’ experiences using technology to improve customer engagement
Why climate change impacts aren’t always apparent, especially to customers
The impact on affordability and equity our panelists saw in 2023
How engineering and capital planning decisions impact affordability and equity
The use of a regulator device in the context of water equity
Our panelists’ thoughts on the big issues for the water sector in 2024
Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:
Vic’s LinkedIn page
Raj’s LinkedIn page
Sarah’s LinkedIn page
Trinnex’s website
Kyl Center for Water Policy
Arizona Water Blueprint
Thank You!
Thanks to each of you for listening and spreading the word about The Water Values Podcast! Keep the emails coming and please rate and review The Water Values Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher if you haven’t done so already. And don’t forget to tell your friends about the podcast and whatever you do, don’t forget to join The Water Values mailing list!
50 min
December 05, 2023“On the River” with Tillie Walton
Host of the PBS series Wild Rivers with Tillie, Tillie Walton, relates her love for water, time “on the river” and water’s restorative powers. So sit back, relax, and learn about the role water can play, making your life and world better. Plus, Reese Tisdale joins us for another Bluefield on Tap segment.
In this session, you’ll learn about:
Tillie’s unique background
Tillie’s awesome water origin story
How Tillie came to host a TV show
The rivers Tillie has been on
Tillie’s definition of “time on the river”
How Tillie has seen rivers change over time
Some of the river restoration projects Tillie has been involved in
How river restoration projects do more than just improve environmental outcomes
The “Blue Mind” effect
Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:
Tillie’s LinkedIn profile
‘Wild Rivers with Tillie’ website
Thank You!
Thanks to each of you for listening and spreading the word about The Water Values Podcast! Keep the emails coming and please rate and review The Water Values Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher if you haven’t done so already. And don’t forget to tell your friends about the podcast and whatever you do, don’t forget to join The Water Values mailing list!
44 min
November 21, 2023A Multi-Faceted Approach to Asset Management with Tacoma Zach
Tacoma Zach, Co-founder and CEO of MentorAPM, delves into the problem of prioritization for utilities. Tacoma provides an insightful look at ways utilities can efficiently prioritize their asset management programs and their business organizations.
What Tacoma’s been up to since his last guest appearance
The BIG news at MentorAPM
Why prioritization problems are not unique to utilities
The ISO 55000 asset management standard
The “minimum level of service” concept
How a holistic approach helps organizations refine their values and “own” them
Building consensus with stakeholders, both internal and external
How getting different business units communicating helps organizational efficiency and asset management
How criticality analyses assist utilities with prioritization
Dynamic versus endemic risk
Pulling all aspects of the utilities business together to prioritize decision-making
Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:
Tacoma’s LinkedIn page
MentorAPM’s website
Thank You!
Thanks to each of you for listening and spreading the word about The Water Values Podcast! Keep the emails coming and please rate and review The Water Values Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher if you haven’t done so already. And don’t forget to tell your friends about the podcast and whatever you do, don’t forget to join The Water Values mailing list!
38 min
November 07, 2023Holistic Data and Change Management for Utilities with David Lynch
David Lynch, CEO & Co-founder of Klir, provides an absolutely fabulous interview discussing how utilities manage data and AI applications, as well as delivering some key insights for holistically handling data, AI and the myriad changes that utilities face every day.
In this session, you’ll learn about:
Dave’s unique background and how he came across the pond from Ireland
What sparked Dave to found Klir
Dave’s perspective on constraints facing utilities and water management
Why Dave thinks data management is a huge hurdle for utilities and water management
Dave’s thoughts on AI and its use in utilities
Why utilities need holistic solutions rather than piecemeal applications
Why knowing where your organization “hangs out” is so important
“Pilot fatigue” – why the water industry has more pilots than the airline
Why change management is key for utilities
Dave’s observations on the labor force and people’s desire for work with a purpose
How to build customer engagement and trust
Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:
Dave’s LinkedIn page
Klir’s website
Thank You!
Thanks to each of you for listening and spreading the word about The Water Values Podcast! Keep the emails coming and please rate and review The Water Values Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher if you haven’t done so already. And don’t forget to tell your friends about the podcast and whatever you do, don’t forget to join The Water Values mailing list!
38 min
October 17, 2023AWS’s Approach to Water with Will Hewes
Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) Global Lead for Water Sustainability, Will Hewes, provides an insightful look at AWS’s approach to water and discusses AWS’s Water Positive program that strives to return more water than it uses to the communities in which it does business, by 2030.
In this session, you’ll learn about:
Will’s varied background in the water sector
How Will became the Global Lead for Water Sustainability at AWS
AWS’s Water Positive program
How AWS proposes to return more water in the communities in which it does business than it uses, by 2030
How AWS uses water in its facilities
AWS’s use of IOT data to efficiently use water
How evaporative cooling provides greater efficiency than air conditioning
Why liters per kWh is the metric of choice for water efficiency measurement
How AWS recycles cooling water and harvests rainwater in its facilities
Will’s perspective on how AWS interacts with local communities on social license issues
How AWS supported invasive species removal to help increase local water availability
How geographic locale and temperature drive water usage at AWS’s facilities
Organizations AWS partners with in order to improve sustainability
Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:
Will’s LinkedIn page
AWS’s Water Sustainability website
Thank You!
Thanks to each of you for listening and spreading the word about The Water Values Podcast! Keep the emails coming and please rate and review The Water Values Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher if you haven’t done so already. And don’t forget to tell your friends about the podcast and whatever you do, don’t forget to join The Water Values mailing list!https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/natural-resources/water
33 min

About Water Values Podcast

From the publisher's feed

The Water Values Podcast series is presented in collaboration with Bluefield Research. This podcast series explores water issues from a variety of perspectives with the goal of uncovering the true…