Water Values Podcast

My friend Jay Madigan joins The Water Values Podcast to discuss his charitable work for the Lake Cane Restoration Society. Jay tells a wonderful story of how a dedicated and passionate group of citizens, and one determined champion, brought Lake Cane back to swimmable quality. It’s a story that can be duplicated elsewhere if people learn the lessons from the Lake Cane Restoration Society’s bluepri...

Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) CEO Todd Reeve provides a fascinating look into BEF’s work. Todd discusses BEF’s creation of water restoration certificates, relates his insights into key drivers for businesses when making water investments and much more in this episode of The Water Values Podcast.

Reese Tisdale returns for an in-depth discussion of the business of water and specifically, the flurry of M&A activity the water industry has seen over the last few years. As president of Bluefield Research, Reese and his team track deals, identify trends and explain why events unfold the way they do. Reese brings that knowledge to the table for you in this episode of The Water Values Podcast.

Stacey Isaac Berahzer with The Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (EFC) discusses customer assistance programs (CAPs), how to fund them, legal hurdles and their expanding importance. With the crushing need for infrastructure investment and the attendant upward pressure on utility rates, CAPs are taking on an evermore important role in the rate design an...

Cristina Ahmadpour, the president of Isle Utilities US division joins The Water Values Podcast and shares her insights on technology adoption by utilities. She explains Isle Utilities’ market position that vets technologies and allows utilities to avoid the cost and expense of reviewing unproven technologies. This is a must listen for those interested in pursuing technology adoption within the uti...

Peter Nelson returns and joins Walter Block to provide a follow-up discussion on their book Water Capitalism. Walter and Peter discuss a wide range of libertarian issues ranging from specific water-related examples of libertarian water thought to the framework in which their libertarian water construct would exist. It’s a long but interesting interview that will be sure to make you think twice abo...

Jimmy Emmons, a 3rd generation Oklahoma farmer, describes the benefits of no-till farming combined with a soil health program. Jimmy explains how no-till farming uses less water, fits within the natural water cycle and reduces nutrient run-off and soil loss. You will be amazed as Jimmy explains the results of his conversion of his farmland to the no-till method with soil healthy practices.

Water legend Ken Wright enlightens us on paleohydrology. Ken’s studies of how ancient cultures used water over the last quarter century have shed tremendous light on how those cultures engineered their water infrastructure and planned for their water resources. This is a fascinating episode for anyone who is interested in history and how ancient cultures like the Inka (read Charles C. Mann’s 1491...

The one and only Pat Mulroy joins The Water Values Podcast for a discussion about water leadership and training the next generation of water leaders. Pat also discusses utilities facing problems, solving those problems, and preparing and planning for the future. This is a can’t miss episode of The Water Values Podcast.

James Eklund returns as a guest to The Water Values Podcast and discusses alternative transfer methods (ATMs) in this episode, which is a topic requested by a DU law student (sorry it took me so long to get to this topic). James does a great job of explaining ATMs, their uses, variants and issues surrounding them. Take a listen for a great primer and deep dive on ATMs!

Water investor Bill Brennan joins the podcast and discusses a wide range of water investments, including some historical analysis of the water investment cycle, how he views water investing changing over time, and more. It’s a terrific inside look at an investor who’s been around the water industry and how he views the water market. Reese Tisdale discusses decentralized water systems and the recen...

Hydrogeologist Steve Baker joins us in this episode to discuss educating water well users about their groundwater so they can make decisions and change behaviors based on that knowledge. Steve’s Know Your Water Program creates a profile of water wells and allows well users to proactively manage their water use rather than wait until the well goes dry to realize a problem exists. It’s a great episo...

Peter L. Nelson, P.E., brings a novel approach to water and water rights. Peter teamed up with Professor Walter Block to write Water Capitalism: The Case for Privatizing Oceans, Rivers, Lakes, and Aquifers. Peter and I spent nearly 40 minutes discussing privatization, and we barely scratched the surface of the subject! Reese Tisdale discusses the implications on industrial water users and water ut...

TWV #001 guest Matt Klein returns to turn the tables on Dave. Matt and Dave discuss a wide range of issues affecting the water industry, and Matt does a terrific job leading the discussion. Take a listen to Dave on the hot seat!

Splashlink co-founder Jason Wuliger joins The Water Values Podcast to discuss how SplashLink, an online marketplace for the water sector, creates connectivity among sector participants. Jason walks us through how utilities and market participants can use SplashLink to identify problems or issues and then to find the right product or service to remedy the problem. Will Maize talks smart water and t...

Episode TWV #100!!! Three prize winning water innovators and an intro from Ku McMahan (TWV #059) from around the globe come on The Water Values Podcast to describe their innovations, the problem they sought to solve and how their innovations solve those problems. These innovators are based in Europe, Nepal and Uganda, so we really spanned the globe for you on this episode. It’s a great study in in...

Mark Slavens of Scotts Miracle-Gro discusses how fertilizer affects water quality. Mark shares a tremendous amount of knowledge on fertilizers and tips to ensure that you aren’t contributing to water quality problems when fertilizing your lawn, as well as some practical advice on watering your lawn (hint: you probably don’t need to water your lawn as much as you do). Reese Tisdale discusses a numb...

John Fleck, Director of the University of New Mexico’s Water Resources Program, author and retired water journalist, joins The Water Values Podcast for a discussion of water journalism and why it (and other areas of journalism) are so important to a citizenry understanding their government. He also delves into his journey where he flipped from seeing a water apocalypse to seeing a world where adap...

Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) General Counsel Jason Oyler provides a fascinating look at how the SRBC sprung into action when unconventional gas drilling (i.e., fracking) started in the Susquehanna River Basin. Jason covers how the SRBC promulgated rules quickly, addressed the quantity and location of water used, implemented a system of low flow pass-bys, and monitored water quality. R...

Mark Ryan, a former top US EPA attorney now in private practice, provides an insider’s view on the Clean Water Act and several important developments affecting the Clean Water Act. Apart from his outstanding analysis of three pending cases (Waters of the U.S. Rule, Water Transfer Rule, and Des Moines), Mark also fills us in on some general administrative law issues (the Regulatory Accountability A...

John Williams, Chairman and CEO of Impact Infrastructure, Inc., joins The Water Values Podcast and discusses economic assessment of infrastructure projects. John’s insight into how utility (and other public and private) decision-makers can implement infrastructure projects in a manner that optimizes financial, social and environmental returns on investment is invaluable.

This episode gives you a front row seat at the opening plenary session of the American Water Resources Association’s 2016 Annual Conference (panelists include: Lester Sola and Hardeep Anand, Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, Cindy Wallis-Lage, Black & Veatch’s Water Business, and Shawn Grindstaff, Senior Resolution Counsel at the US EPA. This week’s podcast is the Q&A session from tha...

What a terrific year 2016 has been – thank you for making it so! Without you, the listeners and readers, I wouldn’t have been able to pull of a third year of The Water Values, so a heartfelt thank you to each of you.

Marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols joins The Water Values Podcast and discusses his observations on how water makes us feel and the therapeutic nature of water. His book, Blue Mind, is an international best seller, and he does a phenomenal job laying the foundation for how water helps to de-stress our lives. Take a listen, preferably around, in, near, or on some water …

Erin Wilson of Wilson Water Group joins The Water Values podcast in a (long awaited) episode TWV #090. Erin does a fantastic job of walking us through aspects of the water engineering profession, explaining the importance of data, and discussing how various sectors of the economy address water resources planning and how they factor climate change into the planning process. I learned a lot, and you...