The Drop: Preparing for the Revised Lead and Copper Rule
E32: The revised Lead and Copper Rule (LCRR) will mean significant changes for the water industry. Black & Veatch process engineer Emily Tummons outlines some of the biggest impacts and offers guidance for preparing for compliance by the 2024 deadline. (Hint: Don't wait!)
Air date: July 27, 2020
The Drop: Challenges and Opportunities in Today's Water Industry
E31: Black & Veatch released its 9th annual Strategic Directions: Water Report in June. Cindy Wallis-Lage, president of BV's water business, shares some of the key findings, which indicate an industry moving further from siloed solutions towards a holistic, programmatic approach to addressing challenges and meeting needs.
Air date: June 1, 2020
The Drop: Water Market Impacts from COVID-19
E30: Almost no segment of the U.S. economy has been immune to the impacts of coronavirus and the water sector is certainly no different. Bill Malarkey, Amane Advisors' managing partner for the North America region, shares his perspectives on how a seemingly recession-proof industry is weathering the pandemic.
Air date: May 26, 2020
The Drop: Balancing Investment and Risk Management Post-Coronavirus
E29: For water and wastewater utilities, risk and resilience are no longer peripheral considerations but rather are central to day-to-day planning. Will Williams, a risk and asset management expert with Black & Veatch, explains and shares his perspective on the new normal ahead.
Air date: Apr. 6, 2020
The Drop: Young Hero Spreads Awareness of Microplastics Pollution
E28: Meet Anna Du, an extraordinary eighth grader from Andover, Mass., who has made it her mission to educate people about the dangers of microplastics. Anna not only built an underwater ROV that detects microplastics, she has been recognized with the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, gotten the attention of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and written a children's book -- all before her 14th birthday.
Air date: Mar. 16, 2020
The Drop: WEF's Walt Marlowe Comments on COVID-19
E27: Special guest Walt Marlowe, executive director of the Water Environment Federation, offers comments and guidance on coronavirus as it relates to water and wastewater.
Air date: Feb. 17, 2020
The Drop: Orchestrating Change in Today's Workforce
E26: Kit Krugman explains the psychology of change and why it's so difficult to break out of traditional boundaries. She offers guidance and strategies for supporting diversity throughout your organization.
Air date: Feb. 10, 2020
The Drop: Water Technology Innovation in Gwinnett County
E25: Water technology accelerators and innovation clusters develop and support cutting edge technologies to help water utilities address the complex challenges before them. Melissa Meeker explains how Georgia's Gwinnett County is poised to join those ranks with its water innovation center: The Water Tower.
Air date: Jan. 27, 2020
The Drop: Proactive Approach to Potable Reuse Treatment
E24: Potable reuse expert Eva Steinle-Darling with Carollo discusses technology trends for addressing contaminants of concern as well as pathogens in potable water reuse applications. Also discussed: monitoring and treating PFAS compounds in reuse projects.
Air date: Jan. 13, 2020
The Drop: Establishing a Stormwater Program Value Chain
E23: Prabha Kumar, stormwater utility consulting practice lead for Black & Veatch, discusses the importance of a clear cost-fees-benefits nexus when building a stormwater program. Also discussed: the shift from regarding stormwater as a nuisance to seeing it as a valuable resource.
Air date: November 25, 2019
The Drop: Portland's Approach to Stormwater BMP Maintenance
E22: Jason Schmidt from the Bureau of Environmental Services in Portland, Ore., shares his city's approach to managing stormwater infrastructure on private property, which transfers maintenance responsibility to the property owner.
Air date: November 18, 2019
The Drop: Award-Winning Commitment to Water Quality in Idaho
E21: Brown and Caldwell's Matt Gregg discusses the 20-year effort to modernize the Nampa, Idaho, wastewater treatment plant. He explains the unique project management approach at the heart of this award-winning project that will ultimately deliver Idaho's largest wastewater recycling program by 2025.
Air date: October 14, 2019
The Drop: PFAS and Biosolids - Connections, Concerns and Consequences
E20: Concerns about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as water-supply contaminants have recently spurred a lot of research and regulatory activity. Lynne Moss, Black & Veatch Practice Leader for Residuals and Odor Control, discusses the relationship between these substances and biosolids.
Air date: September 23, 2019
The Drop: PFAS 101
E19: Black & Veatch's Chris Tadanier provides some basic context around per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): what they are, where they come from, and why they are causing so much concern. Also discussed: treatment options.
Air date: September 16, 2019
The Drop: Risk and Resilience under America's Water Infrastructure Act
E18: Carollo's Sarah Deslauriers rejoins Angela on The Drop to discuss how planning for natural hazards and malevolent acts is now required under America's Water Infrastructure Act. Also discussed: compliance, penalties, and assessment schedules.
Air date: August 19, 2019
The Drop: Demystifying Intelligent Water
E17: Eric Bindler and Jim Cooper discuss a new research report from Bluefield Research and Arcadis that looked at the human aspect of smart water technologies and how these advancements can address resiliency and affordability needs.
Air date: July 29, 2019
The Drop: Planning for Potable Reuse in Arizona
E16: Indirect potable reuse has been practiced in Arizona for some time but recently direct potable reuse (DPR) has gotten a lot of attention. Brown and Caldwell's Katie Vanyo explains why focus has shifted and how one city is preparing for change.
Air date: July 22, 2019
The Drop: Lead and Copper -- Issues, Drivers and Outlook
E15: Dr. Emily Tummons, a process engineer with Black & Veatch, discusses lead and copper issues facing utilities, including drivers of change, compliance considerations, and what to expect from proposed changes to the Lead and Copper Rule.
Air date: July 8, 2019
The Drop: Bringing a Fresh Perspective to the Water Industry
E14: Meet incoming AWWA President Jim Williams, a water industry veteran with 30 years of experience. He discusses his major objectives for his term and touches on critical topics such as PFAS, lead, and affordability.
Air date: June 3, 2019
The Drop: San Francisco's One Water Approach to Resiliency
E13: Paula Kehoe, director of water resources for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, discusses SFPUC's approach to sustainable water resources management.
Air date: May 20, 2019
The Drop: Automating water quality testing and data tracking
E12: 120WaterAudit took the top spot in Imagine H2O's accelerator program and now this energetic startup is poised to become the Amazon of water quality testing. CEO Megan Glover joins us to explain how her company is helping municipal water utilities and public agencies execute and streamline their lead-in-drinking-water programs.
The Drop: Water Treatment on the ISS
Air date: May 6, 2019
E11: Water treatment on the International Space Station is truly circular with the recycling of its two primary waste streams, urine and condensate. Here, NASA's Layne Carter describes the process as well as the challenges associated with treating water in microgravity.
The Drop: Supporting sustainable water management with expert resources
Air date: Apr. 22, 2019
E10: Cynthia Koehler, CEO of the WaterNow Alliance, discusses her organization's network of expert resources ready to help communities identify and implement decentralized water management strategies to diversify their portfolios.
The Drop: Water education -- Start with the kids
Air date: Apr. 8, 2019
E9: How do you educate the public about water and wastewater? Start with the kids! Meg Tabacsko runs the Mass. Water Resources Authority's school education program. Here, she shares her utility's amazing educational outreach initiative.
The Drop: Attracting and supporting new water/wastewater professionals
Air date: Mar. 25, 2019
E8: Portland (Maine) Water District has developed a fantastic apprenticeship program to attract and support new entrants into the water industry. Scott Firmin, director of PWD's wastewater services, discusses the initiative.
The Drop: Planning for the unexpected
Air date: Mar. 11, 2019
E7: Water utilities must prepare for both natural and manmade threats but expecting the unexpected can be daunting. Here, Jim Barsanti and Kate Novick share experiences from the city of Framingham, Mass., emergency response program.
The Drop: NEWEA president shares passion and perspective
Air date: Feb. 18, 2019
E6: Like many, incoming NEWEA president Ray Vermette didn't plan to have a career in wastewater. But since his early days as an intern back in 1986, he's been a passionate water industry champion.
The Drop: Making an emotional connection with customers through social media
Air date: Jan. 8, 2019
E5: Social media is one way in which NEORSD educates, engages and entertains its customers. John Gonzalez shares the utility's strategy for success.
The Drop: The maturation of nutrient recovery technology
Air date: Dec. 26, 2018
E4: Black & Veatch's Dr. Andrew Shaw discusses nutrient recovery and its evolution from theory to practice, with several technologies now available to recover not just phosphorus and struvite but also brushite and nitrogen.
The Drop: Wastewater's role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Air date: Dec. 3, 2018
E3: Climate change expert Sarah Deslauriers of Carollo Engineers discusses how concern about greenhouse gas emissions, such as methane, is driving exciting changes to wastewater treatment strategies in California.
The Drop: Rethinking our approach to wet weather infrastructure
Air date: Nov. 19, 2018
E2: Jim Fitzpatrick with Black & Veatch is a wet weather expert. Here he discusses resiliency and how extreme storms and drought are forcing us to rethink our approach to infrastructure. Also discussed: dual-use, enhanced high-rate treatment.
The Drop: Innovation goes beyond technology
Air date: Nov. 5, 2018
E1: Todd Danielson of Avon Lake Regional Water is a champion of change, leading the way in his efforts to embrace innovation across his organization -- not just with technology but policy as well.
