The Future of Water

This discussion delves into the water crisis in Texas, climate, and what climatic events could mean for sustainable water management going forward. Over the last two weeks, Texas has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. More than 14 million people have been impacted by a freeze-out that was catalyzed by a failure of the energy and power sectors.  The result has been water main breaks, boil...

Digging into the water sector’s latest megadeal between Aegion and New Mountain Capital. Aegion Corporation, a provider of infrastructure maintenance, rehabilitation, and protection solutions announced that it has accepted an offer to be acquired by private equity (PE) firm New Mountain Capital. The transaction, valued at approximately US$963 million, represents a second big step for the PE firm a...

Out of the gates the new president, emboldened by a slim majority in the Senate and House of Representatives, has begun laying out a roadmap for change in infrastructure investment and environmental policy. The Biden administration has touched upon climate, lead & copper, water quality, and infrastructure and the outlook for change is positive.  In this episode, the Bluefield team provides the...

On average, Bluefield’s team of water experts tracks more than 125 utility acquisitions per year. Reese Tisdale talks to Bluefield Analyst Mariel Marchand about utility acquisitions and the impact of Fair Market Value policies and legislation on M&A activity . Bluefield’s quarterly analysis of deal flow and buyers and sellers allows for a well-rounded discussion on private water and the outloo...

In Bluefield’s first podcast of the year, Reese Tisdale, Eric Bindler, and Erin Bonney Casey reflect on some of last year’s biggest water headlines, discuss future challenges, and identify top trends influencing global water markets. While 2020 was unusual, to say the least, the new year ushers in an altered landscape for water solutions providers, investors, organizations addressing water as an o...

Reese Tisdale and Bluefield Analyst Cullen Mitchell discuss the impacts of a changing energy landscape and its impact on water management. Over the last decade, the advent of shale oil & gas exploration, renewables, and battery power have upended traditional system structures and the opportunities for water services and solutions providers. Now, the emerging interest in electric vehicles, hydr...

Reese Tisdale and Eric Bindler talk about the future of water management within the home. Newly announced strategic partnerships between Moen subsidiary Flo and Lennar signal growing potential for the niche market. Prior to the pandemic, the residential digital water segment had seen a flurry of activity among water entrepreneurs. Bluefield water experts discuss the COVID-related market slowdown f...

Bluefield’s Reese Tisdale and Keith Hays discuss Brazil’s municipal water market and the implications for new policies launched to invite private participation. The mercurial Latin American economy has attracted a number of companies willing to ride a wave of opportunity that is not for the risk-averse. Over 200 Brazilian municipalities are already served by fully private company concessions servi...

Over the last 8 to 12 months, the number of private equity (PE) companies coming to Bluefield for support has increased exponentially. Bluefield President Reese Tisdale and Consulting Director Keith Hays discuss why private equity is turning to water, what they are investing in, and how Bluefield sees this playing out. Also discussed, the hot topic of the 2020 presidential election and how the out...

Bluefield’s team of water experts discusses infrastructure investment and whether the market is heading up, down, or sideways. Some water industry pundits have said the pandemic is much ado about nothing. However, the Bluefield team doesn’t share this level of optimism, in fact, the team’s optimism at the start of the pandemic has eroded over the last six months because of extended state quarantin...

Reese Tisdale and the Bluefield team of water experts discuss Digital Twins—hype or reality—and what the future holds. While the concept of virtual clones of operating assets (e.g., treatment plants, pumps, pipe networks) has been around for more than two decades, their applications are only recently gaining momentum in the broader water sector. Keith, Eric, and Reese talk about the signposts that...

In this episode, Reese Tisdale sits down with Bluefield Vice President Keith Hays to talk about what we call “ Big Water. ” Veolia and Suez , two of the largest water solutions providers in the world are in merger negotiations again, and Reese and Keith discuss their perspectives on the proposed deal and companies themselves. They also get into whether a marriage between the two water behemoths is...

Bluefield water experts get into the hot topic of natural disasters and related water & wastewater infrastructure management.  Since 1980 the number of these disasters has steadily increased. From 1980 to 2019, the U.S has sustained 258 climate-related events. These resource-intensive events include hurricanes, flooding, winter storms, and wildfires which bring on more acute challenges for cit...

It’s all about deal flow and recent M&A activity in the water sector. Bluefield’s Eric Bindler and Mariel Marchand share their perspectives on utility acquisitions, utility O&M, and digital water transactions in what can be considered a new environment, even for water. While talking about broader trends, some of the companies discussed include Aquatic Informatics, Danaher, XPV, and Veolia....

In this episode, we discuss the hot topic of wastewater epidemiology and the heightened role it plays in our world today. Keith Hays, Vice President of Bluefield Research, discusses his latest research on pinpoint detection of pathogens and contagions in wastewater and the potential economic & healthcare benefits it could bring to society. Key questions addressed: What companies are leading th...

In this episode, it's all about money, that is, how exposed are utilities, their budgets, and spending in a recession? Erin Bonney Casey, Research Director for Bluefield, answers key financial questions about public utilities, which serve about 85% of the total market. -Where do public utilities get their money? -Are there ways in which short-term operating expenses and long-term capital expenses...

Cybersecurity is the issue of the day. Bluefield’s President & CEO Reese Tisdale sits down with Bluefield’s Eric Bindler, to talk cybersecurity, water infrastructure, and industry concerns. If you enjoy listening to  The Future of Water Podcast , please tell a friend or colleague, and if you haven’t already, please click to follow this podcast wherever you listen. If you’d like to be informed...

Is toilet paper more expensive than oil? Sure feels like it these days. This episode is all about water for energy, the oil patch, and the impacts of geopolitics, pandemics, and recession. Yikes! Get Bluefield analyst Nathan Goldstein’s take on the state of things.

It’s all about digital water spending, forecasts, and implications of a recession. Bluefield's Digital Water Expert, Eric Bindler, will tackle the following  key questions and more: -Is the shift to remote workforces and monitoring a catalyst for change -Does all this disruption change Bluefield's perspective? -What’s next? And Is there a silver lining somewhere in the value chain

In this episode, it’s all about municipal water spending, market forecasts, and the implications of a recession. Podcast host  Reese Tisdale speaks with Bluefield's Erin Bonney Casey about how to get smart in water and explores relevant questions about the potential impacts of Covid-19 on the market by addressing these questions and more: Market Outlook: Will the market collapse in coming weeks, m...

Introducing The Future of Water , Bluefield’s new podcast series, where we talk about all the ways in which companies, utilities, and people are addressing the challenges and opportunities in water. Have a listen!