From plant walk-throughs and project spotlights to expert interviews and explainers on emerging challenges, WaterWorld’s most-watched videos of 2025 brought the water sector to life. These videos gave water professionals a closer look at innovative technologies, regulatory shifts and real-world solutions shaping drinking water and wastewater systems. Here’s a look back at the top WaterWorld videos of 2025 and the stories that captured the most attention.
1. Mike McNutt of Las Virgenes Municipal Water District discusses California wildfires
Public Affairs and Communications Manager for Las Virgenes Municipal Water District Mike McNutt speaks with WaterWorld Editor-in-Chief Mandy Crispin about how the California wildfires are affecting utilities.
2. Understanding microplastics in water: Fact vs. fiction
While microplastics are detected nearly everywhere, including the human body, Arcadis Vice President and Director of Applied Research Brent Alspach cautions against conflating their occurrence with proven risk. He explains that the water industry is currently on a "major fact-finding mission" regarding microplastics due to significant knowledge gaps and that the current science does not yet fully support the conclusion that microplastics are dangerous simply because they are present.
3. How AI is being used in water reuse
Artificial intellegence is being used for many things in the water industry. Learn about how why there is confusion in the water reuse space, how AI is helping to reduce that confusion and where this tool was developed. Erin Mackey is the drinking water national technical leader at Brown and Caldwell, she presented this project at ACE, and she took a few minutes to discuss the topic with Endeavor Business Media water group Editor-in-Chief, Mandy Crispin.
4. Strategic Acquisitions in the Water Industry: A Conversation with Trojan Technologies President Pete Oveson
Bob Crossen, vice president of content strategy at Endeavor Business Media, sits down with Pete Oveson, president of Trojan Technologies, to discuss the company's recent acquisition of Aquafides.
5. What to do about orthophosphate after removing lead service lines
Join this dicussion to learn what water utilities need to know about orthophostphate once there are no more lead service lines to address. Chris Corwin, drinking water national practice lead at Brown and Caldwell talks about what to be prepared for, how getting ortho out of the system can affect neighboring utilites, and what is needed before simply shutting off the feed.
6. The national PFAS Piloting Guidance Manual
Amanda Canida of Black & Veatch is the lead on the guidance for PFOS treatment evaluation approaches for permit and plant approval, a guidance document that she is working on with AWWA that is funded through the Water Information Technology Action Fund (WITAF).
7. PFAS, Trump and regulation: A conversation with environmental lawyer Pete Nyquist
Pete Nyquist Chair's Greenberg Glusker's Environmental Practice Group. In this video Nyquist and Waterworld Associate Editor Alex Cossin discuss what a second Trump presidency means for environmental regulation. PFAS also emerges as a discussion topic. Nyquist offers a lens into what regulatory change means for the industry, and he offers perspective from an environmental lawyer's point of view.
8. How U.S. drinking water infrastructure earned a "C-"
The American Society of Civic Engineers (ASCE) released its 2025 Infrastructure Report Card in late March 2025. Drinking water earned a grade of "C-," the same as 2021.
9. Artificial Intelligence is changing the way the water industry does business
Join Gigi Karmous-Edwards, CEO and president of Karmous Edwards Counsulting, and Mandy Crispin, WaterWorld editor-in-cheif, to gain a deeper understadning of how artificial intelligence is currently affecting the water industry, especially small systems.
10. Feasibility study of using GAC-capped drinking water filters to treat PFAS
Rosa Yu, national PFAS lead at Carollo Engineers, and Peter Bong, director of operations at Highlands Ranch Water, discuss Yu's GAC-capped drinking water filters feasibility study, how this approach can affect a utility's budget, how well it worked, what they learned in this specific circumstance, and what might work in other water systems.
About the Author
Alex Cossin
Associate Editor
Alex Cossin is the associate editor for Waterworld Magazine, Wastewater Digest and Stormwater Solutions, which compose the Endeavor Business Media Water Group. Cossin graduated from Kent State University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. Cossin can be reached at [email protected].