The Water Online Show

This episode of The Water Online Show: On Location captures the cutting-edge innovations and thought leadership defining the AWWA ACE 2026 conference. Hosts Travis Kennedy and Angela Godwin highlight the event’s central theme, "Water Heroes," celebrating the often-unsung workforce responsible for global public health, while diving into the technological turning points transforming the in...

Tune into this episode for a wide-ranging conversation with Jim Good, Chairman and Founder of Parkview Advisors, that explores why progress in the water sector often moves more slowly than the technologies designed to advance it. Rather than focusing on any single solution, the discussion highlights the interplay between risk tolerance, operational realities, and the scale of the market itself, re...

The clock is ticking for water utilities across the nation. With federal compliance deadlines for PFAS and other contaminants of emerging concern looming on the horizon, the municipal water sector is facing an unprecedented wave of operational and regulatory pressure. Are communities truly prepared for what’s coming, or are they waiting too long to act? In this episode, host Travis Kennedy sit dow...

As utilities worldwide race to modernize, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) has emerged as one of the most talked-about — and often misunderstood — investments in the water sector. In this episode, our hosts are joined by Smart Water Network Forum (SWAN) members Shirley Ben-Dak (SWAN Senior Advisor) and Richard Relyea (Senior Project Manager for Water Loss and AMI Technology at GHD) to discus...

In this episode of The Water Online Show, Travis Kennedy and Kevin Westerling sit down with Seth Werlinsky, Director of Strategy and Growth for Boeh Agency, to tackle a question that continues to frustrate the water sector: if digital solutions are so powerful, why aren’t utilities embracing them faster? 

Each month, host Travis Kennedy and co-host Kevin Westerling break down the top issues on the minds of engineers, operators, and utilities across the industry. In this kickoff episode, the two cover five pressing topics — from energy costs and AI adoption to workforce development and customer satisfaction — making the case that the water sector is at a turning point that will require utilities to...

In this segment of The Water Online Show, hosts Travis Kennedy and Kevin Westerling sit down with Karine Rougé, Executive Vice President of Strategic Transformations and Chairwoman of Regulated Water for North America at Veolia, and Rob Powelson, President and CEO of the National Association of Water Companies, to unpack a growing shift in the U.S. water sector: treating water infrastructure as an...

In the latest episode of The Water Online Show , host Travis Kennedy sits down with Bobby Barker, Senior Director of Global Utility at Geospace, to explain why the humble water valve is being reimagined as a powerhouse of ROI. The most immediate drain on a utility’s budget often isn't a pipe leak—it's the vehicle. Barker reveals that a single manual disconnect and reconnect cycle can cos...

As global supply chains grow more unpredictable, the water industry is rethinking how and where critical technology gets made. In this episode, Kamstrup’s James Salisbury reveals how localized manufacturing—bringing key suppliers closer to home—is transforming resilience, quality, and responsiveness. From Georgia-based production hubs to in-house supplier integration, discover how smart meter inno...

In this episode of the Water Online Show, host Travis Kennedy sits down with Elisa Meyerberger of Calgon Carbon to explore the growing importance of thermal reactivation in water treatment.

In this episode of the Water Online Show, hosts Travis Kennedy and Kevin Westerling welcome back Pam Elardo, Senior Director of Strategic Services at Brown and Caldwell, for a dynamic conversation about what’s truly reshaping the water sector in 2026. Pam teases a surprising insight: the biggest challenge utilities face isn’t any single headline threat, but the hidden complexity beneath them — and...

On this episode of The Water Online Show, hosts Travis Kennedy and Kevin Westerling interview Fred Gerringer, Brown and Caldwell’s Water Reuse National Practice Leader, about the creation of a first-of-its-kind State Water Reuse Regulatory Guide being developed for the WateReuse Association and its partner organizations. Gerringer explains the growing need for consistent and practical state-level...

 AI is everywhere—but what does it actually mean for water and wastewater utilities? In this episode of the Water Online Show, host Travis Kennedy sits down with Andrea Dumont of Bentley Systems to cut through the hype and explore how artificial intelligence is really showing up in the field. 

Rob Collier, Group President of Water Treatment at Veralto and former President of ChemTreat (now part of Veralto), joins Water Online’s Travis Kennedy and Kevin Westerling to discuss how the explosive growth of AI and data centers is dramatically increasing water demand — often to the scale of small cities — and putting new pressure on local utilities. He explains that early collaboration between...

The latest episode of the Water Online Show's In The Flow series features hosts Travis Kennedy and Chief Editor Kevin Westerling outlining the top 10 trends shaping the water sector in 2026, based on insights from their audience, industry experts, and past guests. They explore major themes including PFAS regulations, infrastructure funding, digitalization and the adoption of AI, and much more...

The Water Online Show kicks off its new season with an in‑depth discussion on stormwater management, focusing on New York City’s innovative partnership with Arcadis. Guest Shandor Szalay, the National Stormwater Resilience Practice Lead at Arcadis, explains how climate‑driven superstorms and aging urban infrastructure have pushed the city to rethink stormwater strategies. The program, called Resil...

In this episode of The Water Online Show, host Travis Kennedy explores the technology reshaping chemical dosing: Blue-White’s Enhanced MD1 metering pump. President Rob Gledhill breaks down how the pump’s dual-diaphragm design delivers near-continuous feed, eliminates vapor lock risks, and boosts accuracy without stroke adjustments.

In this episode of the Water Online Show, hosts Travis Kennedy and Kevin Westerling explore AI's transformative role in water utility operations with guest Dave Brown, Director of Maintenance at Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD), which serves nearly a million customers across 682 square miles in Southern California. Brown details EMWD's successful use of AI for non-invasive pipelin...

In this episode of The Water Online Show, host Travis Kennedy delves into one of the most transformative shifts in the water sector: the digital evolution of metering and data-driven utility management. Joined by Badger Meter’s Matt Stephenson and Erica Hermann, the discussion explores how utilities are turning advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) into a foundation for smarter, more connected op...

In this episode of The Water Online Show, Travis Kennedy sits down with Ben Goecke from Calgon Carbon to talk about optimizing the design choices for your treatment system. The design of media vessels is a crucial, yet often overlooked, factor that significantly impacts the cost, downtime, and safety of granular activated carbon (GAC) and ion exchange treatment operations. When media reaches the e...

The water industry touches virtually everything — from access and equity to innovation and infrastructure—yet the women driving its progress are often unseen. In a field traditionally dominated by men, women are now leading the charge, building resilient infrastructure, restoring watersheds, leading utilities, and conducting cutting-edge research. This episode features three of the industry's...

On this episode of The Water Online Show, Travis Kennedy spotlights LeakZon’s breakthrough hybrid solution that bridges the gap between traditional AMR and full AMI systems. CMO Tomer Eisner explains how the technology seamlessly integrates with existing infrastructure, enabling utilities to capture AMI-like insights without costly overhauls.

In this episode of In The Flow, hosts Travis Kennedy and Kevin Westerling delve into one of the most pressing issues facing water managers throughout the world: the shrinking supply of freshwater . While 71% of Earth is covered in water, only 3% is freshwater — and less than half of that is accessible to humans. New research, powered by NASA’s GRACE satellite mission, shows that dry regions are ex...

This episode of The Water Online Show features Jesse M. Keenan, a leading scholar on climate change and Associate Professor at Tulane University, and Edgar Westerhof, a climate adaptation expert from Arcadis, who discuss the financial implications and adaptation strategies for water infrastructure.

This episode of Water Online Show examines the critical issue of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) contamination in water systems, focusing on Salem, New Jersey's proactive response. Salem partnered with New Jersey American Water, which took over the town's water and sewer utility after a community referendum, leveraging its expertise and resources to tackle the PFAS challenge.