Alexander Loucopoulos, a partner with Sciens Water, provides an overview of Sciens Water’s well-thought out market and investment strategy. Alexander also makes the case that water is a great investment and that we need more people investing in water.

In this session, you’ll learn about:

• The story of how Alexander and Sciens Water landed in the water sector
• Why Alex chose to approach water investments in the mid-market private equity space with a focus on real assets
• How water offers the ability to earn private returns while making a positive impact on people and communities
• Alexander’s thoughts on the current economic climate and the water mid-market’s capital attraction possibilities
• The themes that Sciens Water supports with its water investments: 1) water utility consolidation; 2) recycle/reuse; and 3) deep infrastructure (targeting prestressed concrete tanks)
• The overlay strategies Sciens Water uses to enhance its core water investments
• How Sciens Water uses digital solutions to bring efficiencies to small systems through scale
• The types of utility systems Sciens Water is consolidating
• Why the water sector is a great place to invest

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:

• Alexander’s LinkedIn profile
• Sciens Water’s website
• Central States Water Resources’ 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!

Dr. Stephanie Smith, Product Segment Manager for Xylem’s Laboratory Solutions for North America, presents a great opportunity for water in solving the climate crisis. Stephanie explores practical methods for the water sector to address its climate impacts and also provides her position to get water higher on the policy agenda.

In this session, you’ll learn about:

• Stephanie’s awesome story of how she came to the water sector
• How Stephanie views the climate crisis as a huge opportunity
• How the Integrated Panel on Climate Change was formed and what it does
• Water’s role in climate change
• How the water sector has a business opportunity to help solve climate change
• The link between nonrevenue water and greenhouse gas emissions
• How digital tools play a role in the solution to climate change
• Why utilities cannot afford not to make changes
• Why data needs to support changes rather than relying on the generalities of climate change
• How to get water on the policy agenda
• Stephanie’s great leave behind message

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:

• Stephanie’s LinkedIn profile
• Xylem’s website for YSI
• The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’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!

Emily Simonson, the Director of Strategic Partnerships of the US Water Alliance, shares findings, insights and strategies distilled from the US Water Alliance’s recent report entitled Catalyzing Community-Driven Utility Consolidations and Partnerships. Plus, Reese Tisdale joins us for another Bluefield on Tap segment discussing The Digital Water Revolution.

In this session, you’ll learn about:

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:

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!

Aaron Tartakovsky, CEO & Co-founder of Epic Cleantec, provides an outstanding overview of water reuse systems, their benefits and how centralized and decentralized components of a water system support and strengthen each other.

In this session, you’ll learn about:

• Epic Cleantech’s origin story in the onsite water reuse space
• The policy background driving onsite reuse
• How onsite reuse supplements centralized treatment systems
• Why and how San Francisco implemented its requirement for onsite reuse systems
• How onsite water reuse regulation is spreading across the United States
• How onsite reuse diversifies supply and enhances resiliency of water supply
• How onsite reuse helps recapture waste heat from wastewater
• How the waste heat provides significant energy savings
• Overcoming the “Yuck!” factor
• Individual home vs. district water reuse systems
• Where the U.S. is on the spectrum of water reuse around the globe
• Aaron’s thoughts on what the U.S. can do better in the policy arena to promote better water stewardship

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:

• Aaron’s LinkedIn profile
• Epic Cleantech’s website
• San Francisco’s water reuse regulations
• NBC News story on Epic Cleantec

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!

Alan Tucker, Information Technology Program Manager with Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, provides a compelling case for collaboration in the utility technology space.

In this session, you’ll learn about:

• Alan’s background and how he came to the water sector
• Alan’s thoughts on state of innovation and data usage in the water utility industry
• Alan’s work on Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District’s digital twin
• The paradox between speed of technological advancement and utility adoption
• Why Alan thinks its unfair to peg utilities as slow to adopt technology
• Some of the organizational obstacles that hinder technology adoption
• Candidate attraction challenges
• Why technology for technology’s sake is a recipe for failure
• What Alan thinks will drive technology adoption
• Making the pivot from reactive to proactive decision-making
• Why collaboration is key to achieving technological advancement in utilities

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:

• Alan’s LinkedIn profile
• Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer 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!

Mike Sumner, the Director of Information Technology for the Consolidated Utility District of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, provides cybersecurity basics and tips. Mike entertains with his description of the Oldsmar, Florida, water utility cyberattack and its context occurring during Super Bowl week.

In this session, you’ll learn about:

• Mike’s background in cybersecurity in the auto and utility industries
• A comparison of cybersecurity issues in the auto and utility sectors
• Password/passphrase basics
• What hackers are after
• Why data security is so important
• Why layers of cybersecurity provide greater protection
• The different types of cyberattacks
• An analysis of the Oldsmar, Florida, cyberattack and its timing vis-à-vis the Super Bowl
• What a honeypot website is
• Why your cybersecurity plan needs to include “people, process, and technology”
• Why cybersecurity testing and auditing is important
• Why a VPN is an important cybersecurity tool
• Why a firewall is important
• Mike’s suggestions for getting a basic cybersecurity plan together

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:

• Mike’s LinkedIn profile
• Consolidated Utility 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!

Kendall Dix, National Policy Director for the Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy, comes on to discuss his recent article for the People’s Policy Center advocating for elimination of water rates.

In this session, you’ll learn about:

• Kendall’s background 
• Why Kendall wrote his article advocating for elimination of residential water rates
• Why residential water rates are typically regressive
• Why Kendall believes water usage is inelastic
• How Kendall proposes to replace water utility revenues
• How Ireland essentially is already doing this
• Why Kendall believes the relationship between water availability/shortages and water rates support his view that water rates should be eliminated
• How to overcome the public’s reticence to pay more taxes
• Kendall’s perspective on how his proposal applies to investor-owned utilities

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:

• Kendall’s LinkedIn profile 
• Kendall’s Twitter handle: @kendix
• Link to Kendall’s article: Water For All

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!

Katrina Donaghy, founder of Civic Ledger and Water Ledger and blockchain leader, comes on to discuss blockchain and how it can benefit the water sector.

In this session, you’ll learn about:

• Katrina’s background in Australian disaster response and how it transitioned her into the utility space
• Katrina’s work in the “utility of the future” space for a major utility
• A lay explanation of blockchain
• The connection between data and blockchain
• How blockchain helps interoperability of data across enterprises (i.e., how blockchain frees data from data silos)
• How blockchain helps the water sector
• How blockchain brings trust, accountability and transparency to data
• What needs to happen before a company/market can engage in blockchain
• Why blockchain will not solve “bad data”
• Why blockchain is not an answer for every situation
• Katrina’s problem first, tech second approach to determining when blockchain should be used
• How blockchain can help the tragedy of the commons involving water
• How blockchain serves the public interest and strengthens property rights
• Blockchain’s role in democratizing information and making markets more efficient
• Why the agricultural water sector is ripe for blockchain (and how blockchain is used in Australian water markets)

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:

• Katrina’s LinkedIn profile
• Civic Ledger’s website
• Water Ledger’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!

Bryan Stubbs, the President and Executive Director of the Cleveland Water Alliance, provides a compelling case for the water tech model that embraces economic development while nestled along the shores of the Great Lakes where 21% of the world’s fresh surface water resided.

In this session, you’ll learn about:

• Bryan’s entrepreneurial background in sustainable economic development
• How Cleveland Water Alliance promotes the water economy in the Cleveland area
• How the Cleveland Water Alliance has fostered job growth in the Cleveland area
• Bryan’s explanation of innovation test beds for water technologies
• How the municipal utility test bed is trying to identify lead service lines without breaking ground
• How mobile test beds allow greater technology testing and further reach
• How the Cleveland Water Alliance has expanded into a regional player involving multiple geographies
• How a Data as a Service model helped accelerate the technology testing
• The role of legal and insurance in building trust and making sure all risks are considered and adequately addressed
• The process for accepting companies into the Cleveland Water Alliance’s programs
• How Cleveland Water Alliance has developed buy-in with market participants and built up trust with utilities and other market participants
• Bryan’s perspective on climate change and its impact on water tech innovation and the impacts on the Great Lakes

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:

• Bryan’s LinkedIn profile
• Cleveland Water Alliance’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!

Iris Gonzales, Philippine Star reporter and columnist, provides an eye-opening discussion on water in the Philippines and the Manila water concessions. Iris also explains the impact of the recently enacted legislative franchises granted by the Filipino government.

In this session, you’ll learn about:

• Iris’ coverage of water in the Philippines
• How the Philippines set up water utilities after achieving independence on July 4, 1946
• Why President Ramos privatized the water utility industry in the Philippines
• Where President Ramos got the idea to privatize the water utility industry
• The background on the Manila water utility concessions
• Why Manila split its water utility concessions between an East Zone and a West Zone
• How the Manila water concessions are ––structured
• How the Manila water concessionaires are regulated
• The legislative franchise the Congress of the Philippines enacted for the concessionaires 
• How the legislative franchise interfaces with the Manila water concessions
• Why the legislative franchise provides a safety net for the concessionaires’ investment in water infrastructure
• Whether privatization improved water utility service in the Philippines
• Iris’ take on the Filipino view of water as a right

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:

• Iris’ page on the Philippine Star’s website
• Iris’ Twitter handle & Instagram handle: @eyesgonzales
• Manila’s Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Service webpage explaining the concessions

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!