Words On Water

Predicting 30 years into the future requires big, bold thinkers with strong voices, gathering with like-minded peers who might have opportunities to put those bold thoughts into action. At WEFTEC 2021, the Waterside Chat featured a group of water experts discussing the Future of Water in 2051. They discussed similarities, differences, sustainability, and change impediments for water in 30 years. Panelists also explored societal and technological influences on water. The panelists are:

– Albert Cho, Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy & Digital Officer for Xylem
– Amy Corriveau, Vice President and Director of Digital Solutions for CDM Smith
– Zhen (Jason) He, Professor of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering and the Director of Center for Water Innovation at Washington State University in St. Louis.

Make plans to attend this year’s WEFTEC at https://www.weftec.org

May 25, 2022

Jane Madden is a Senior Vice President and Global Practice Leader for Water Reclamation at CDM Smith. In this episode Jane discusses various aspects of PFAS including ways to manage the chemicals at water facilities, their presence in biosolids, and gaps in research that need to be filled. 

May 16, 2022

Anna Mehrotra is the Director of the Wastewater Surveillance Program for the Water Environment Federation (WEF). In this episode, Anna and Carley Truyens, Public Health Associate at WEF, explain how WEF is inviting applications from small utilities interested in receiving free automatic wastewater samplers to help expand participation in wastewater surveillance programs. They discuss the use of autosamplers with Aaron Anson of Hach and Kaushal Trivedi of Teledyne ISCO, who were selected through a competitive Request for Proposal process to supply autosamplers as part of this program. Visit this page to learn more about the program and how to apply.

May 9, 2022

Andy Kricun is Managing Director at Moonshot Missions and a Senior Fellow at the U.S. Water Alliance. In this episode, Andy discusses a compendium of 21 case studies on how water utilities improved workforces through educational programs and internships, recruitment practices, employee optimization, and transfer of institutional knowledge. He also talks about the water sector’s workforce challenges and how addressing them can also benefit justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts. Learn more and access the compendium on WEF’s website.

Episode #218
Hosted by Travis Loop

April 18, 2022

Mark Poling is a past member of the WEF Board of Trustees and current member of its House of Delegates. In this episode Mark discusses a variety of WEF programs including WISE (Water Intrapreneurs for Successful Enterprises) and the Intelligent Water Systems Challenge.

April 5, 2023

Charlie Stevens is Utilities Operations Officer at KC Water and Chair of WEF’s Government Affairs Committee. In this episode Charlie talks about how it feels that after years of advocating for infrastructure investment to finally have Congress pass massive legislation to provide funding. He explains that the work is not done and the water sector needs to continue talking to legislators about appropriations and policy implementation under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Charlie also discusses the benefits of participating in Water Week in D.C. and urges people to attend this year’s events in late April.    

Episode #216
Hosted by Travis Loop

March 28, 0222

Abhijeet Jain is Vice President and Business Line Manager of the Power and Flow Division for North America for Atlas Copco. In this episode, Abhijeet discusses current trends in pumps, including the changes to operations, drive for efficiency, and concern for sustainability. He also shares insights on what customers are asking for in pumps and where the equipment may be headed in the future.

This episode is brought to you by Atlas Copco.

March 14, 2022

Rajan Ray is Vice President of Strategy and Marketing at Trinnex and Eoin Howlett is Vice President of Product Development at Trinnex. In this episode, Rajan and Eoin talk about where the water sector stands on the path of digital transformation, including adaptation by different size utilities, the latest with sensors and data, and the role of digital twins. They also discuss the launch of Trinnex and the benefits of its affiliation with CDM Smith.  

This episode is brought to you by Trinnex.

March 10, 2022

Kelley Dearing Smith is Vice President of Communications and Marketing at Louisville Water. In this episode Kelley talks about building a communications team, utilizing storytelling, the importance of public education, and managing a variety of branding activities including for the trademarked Louisville Pure Tap. She also takes questions from the audience about social media, risk communications, and beer made with recycled water.

March 2, 2022

Kari Brisolara is Associate Professor of Environmental Health at Louisiana State University and Chair of the Disinfection and Public Health Committee for the Water Environment Federation. In this episode, Kari discusses the historic connection between water and public health and how the coronavirus pandemic raised awareness about the role of the water sector in public health. She talks about the increased collaboration between the water sector and public health sector, particularly to advance wastewater-based disease surveillance. Kari also explains the benefits to water organizations of closer relationships with health organizations and the role of wastewater epidemiology beyond COVID.