Words On Water

December 9, 2021

Dr. Andrew Sanderson is Chief Medical Officer at the Water Environment Federation, a gastroenterologist with Weatherby Healthcare, and an Associate Professor at Howard University. Dr. Sanderson visited the WEFTEC Live studio at WEFTEC 2021 to talk about his role as CMO for WEF, what he learned during his first year in the position, and wastewater epidemiology, including WEF’s partnership with the CDC in developing a national wastewater surveillance network.

December 7, 2021

Antoine Walter is Senior Business Development Manager of GF Piping Systems. In this episode Antoine discusses the unique perspective on trends that a piping systems company has on the water industry. He talks about trends in upgrading facilities, onsite reuse and decentralized systems, and sensors and data, as well as how a manufacturer supports changes in these areas. Antoine also shares his perspective on the challenges in the global supply chain and how companies are adapting.

This episode is brought to you by GF Piping Systems.

December 1, 2021

Shalene Thomas is Vice President and Global Emerging Contaminants Program Manager at Wood. In this episode Shalene discusses the meaning of One Water and how it promotes the value of all water. She explains how One Water can be a framework for increased collaboration, including among a variety of stakeholders in a community. Shalene also talks about using One Water as an approach for managing emerging contaminants and for planning for a sustainable water future, and shares a case study on solutions for drinking water impacted by PFAS.

This episode is brought to you by Wood.

Episode #200
Hosted by Travis Loop

November 10, 2021

Steve Dye is the Legislative Affairs Director for the Water Environment Federation. In this episode Steve provides a briefing on the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, which will provide nearly $1.2 trillion for the nation’s infrastructure. He explains that $51 billion is allocated to drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure and provides a detailed breakdown of the investments. Steve also discusses how the historic investment was driven by years of advocacy by WEF members and the broader water sector.

Episode #199
Hosted by Steve Dye

November 1, 2021

Jamie Eichenberger is President of the WEF Board of Trustees and an Associate Vice President at HDR. In this episode Jamie talks about his background in water, journey as a WEF member, importance of students and young professionals, and this year’s priorities for the WEF Board of Trustees, which includes crafting a new strategic plan.

Episode #198
Hosted by Travis Loop

October 12, 2021

Melody White is Principal Application Development Manager at Hach. In this episode Melody discusses the state of water reuse and the continuing increase in projects around the United States. She talks about how population growth and drought are driving water reuse, the barriers of cost and public acceptance, and advancing the science and technology. Melody also speculates on where water reuse may go in the next five to 10 years.

Episode #197
Hosted by Travis Loop

September 9, 2021

Shea Dunifon is the Education Coordinator for Pinellas County in Florida. In this episode, Shea says that municipalities can shift the paradigm in how they think about engaging the public, especially younger generations. She explains creating teaching materials to accommodate multiple grade levels as well as schools with varying levels of resources because accessibility is an important pillar in her values. Shea talks about creating more informed citizens and filling the water industry’s talent pipeline of the future.

Episode #196
Hosted by Mel Butcher

August 31, 2021

Jon Koch is the Director of the City of Muscatine, Iowa’s water resource recovery facility and Stormwater Department Director. In this episode Jon discusses shepherding a multi-year project that included planning, design, construction, commissioning, and start-up of new facilities to enable co-digestion of food waste and fats, oils, and grease from local food manufacturers and businesses with the facility’s wastewater biosolids. Jon talks about a variety of topics including gathering internal support for the ambitious program, equipment selection, feedstock profiles, setting tip fee pricing, and residuals management.

This is the first of a series of episodes hosted by WEF Residuals and Biosolids Bioenergy Subcommittee Chair Sarah Deslauriers and Vice Chair Dave Baran.

August 17, 2021

Evan Kirk is the acting Senior Project Director at the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina. In this episode Evan explains the practice of integrated planning and the benefits it brings to utilities and communities. He discusses how utilities can evaluate if integrated planning is an appropriate fit. Evan also talks about common barriers to integrated planning and ways the Environmental Finance Center can assist.

Episode #194
Hosted by Travis Loop

August 3, 2021

Anniestacia Miskel is a water engineer at Arcadis, Lindsey Broderick is a structural engineer at ZFA Structural Engineers, and Gabi Itokazu is PhD Student in Biosystems Engineering at Auburn University. In this episode they discuss UNLEASH, a global innovation lab that gathers top talents to collaborate on solutions that help meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Anniestacia, Lindsey, and Gabi talk about the UNLEASH Hacks, which are are localized hackathons aimed at solving challenges. They explain how the UNLEASH USA 2021 hack focused on developing sustainable, equitable solutions for sanitation issues in Alabama’s black belt region.

Episode #192
Hosted by Travis Loop