Latest Ruralwater Podcast Episodes
TT048 — Solutions-Focused Journalism: Creating Water Stories
Tap Talk - May 24, 2024 11:00 - 45 minutesIn the final episode of our fourth season, Steve and Jennifer welcome Travis Loop to Tap Talk to discuss how to use solutions-focused journalism and storytelling to address our various water problems. Travis is the founder of waterloop, a nonprofit media outlet exploring the progress and success...
TT047 — Hands-On Training: How to Develop the Water Workforce
Tap Talk - May 16, 2024 11:00 - 47 minutesThe latest episode of Tap Talk delves back into the topic of how to develop and train the newest generation of the water workforce. Jennifer and Steve talk with Matt Maas, the director of the Environmental Resources Training Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The ERTC is a one-...
TT046 - Lead Service Line Replacements: Lessons from Cleveland (Part 2)
Tap Talk - May 08, 2024 11:00 - 30 minutesThis week we are bringing you part two of our conversation with Brenda Culler and Joshua Pecek of Cleveland Water's lead service line replacement team! The substantial efforts of their team provide a model for other water systems of all sizes who are developing their own plans to replace the mil...
TT045 - Lead Service Line Replacements: Lessons from Cleveland (Part 1)
Tap Talk - May 02, 2024 11:00 - 36 minutesThe EPA estimates there are over nine million lead service lines to replace in the United States. During this week's Tap Talk, we learn about the efforts at Cleveland Water to replace these service lines that have landed Cleveland and Cuyahoga County ahead of the curve. We welcome Cleveland Wate...
TT044 - Cybersecurity: Helpful Resources for Small Systems
Tap Talk - April 25, 2024 11:00 - 44 minutesOn this week's Tap Talk, we're talking about a topic that is becoming ever more important for water utilities: cybersecurity. Steve and Jennifer discuss how essential it is to protect the digital systems at even the smallest of water systems and the basic steps that those smallest utilities can ...
TT043 - Local Solutions: A Key to Growing the Water Workforce (Part 2)
Tap Talk - April 18, 2024 11:00 - 32 minutesThis week, we continue our conversation with Mike Sullivan and Shannon Drosnock, utility directors from suburban Philadelphia. Mike and Shannon lead a successful internship program for Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Region 1. In this episode, they talk with Steve and Jennifer about the logi...
TT042 - Local Solutions: A Key to Growing the Water Workforce (Part 1)
Tap Talk - April 11, 2024 18:00 - 34 minutesThis week, we welcome two guests from Pennsylvania: Mike Sullivan, executive director of the Northampton Bucks County Municipal Authority; and Shannon Drosnock, executive director of the Montgomery Township Municipal Sewer Authority. Mike and Shannon lead a successful internship program for Pe...
TT041 - Data: The Key to Private Well Advocacy
Tap Talk - April 04, 2024 11:00 - 42 minutesThis week, Jennifer and Steve are chatting with Amie Shei from the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, which for five years has been lobbying for the implementation of statewide regulations on private well water quality. Listen to learn how data from sampling private wells has been essen...
TT040 - Be the Champion: Building Knowledge with Informal Communities
Tap Talk - March 28, 2024 11:00 - 40 minutesBob Dunlevy of U.S. EPA's Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska) has been hosting and facilitating an asset management stakeholder group and conference call for 15 years. This week, Steve and Jennifer talk with Bob about building understanding of asset management in water utilities and how ...
TT039 - RCAP at 50: Building Sustainable Rural Communities
Tap Talk - March 21, 2024 11:00 - 44 minutesThe Rural Communities Assistance Partnership (RCAP), WaterOperator.org's principal collaborative partner, has been providing technical assistance to America's rural communities for 50 years. Today, we chat with RCAP CEO Olga Morales-Pate about the challenges of ensuring the sustainability of rur...
TT038 - Operator Training: It Takes Skill
Tap Talk - March 14, 2024 11:00 - 40 minutesThe methods with which we teach and train water operators have evolved as the world changes around us, but one thing hasn't changed: It takes skill and effort on the parts of both the teacher and learner to ensure the most effective possible training. In this episode, we chat with Ramzi Mahmood ...
TT037 - Partnership: The More You Give, The More You Get
Tap Talk - March 07, 2024 07:00 - 46 minutesIn the time we've spent building and maintaining WaterOperator.org and its family of websites, the importance of building strong partnerships and teams has never been more apparent. In our Season Four premier episode, Tap Talk hosts Steve and Jennifer Wilson look back on the beginnings of WaterO...
TT036 - Busting Myths about Regionalization
Tap Talk - June 24, 2023 22:26 - 50 minutesRegionalization is not just one thing, but a spectrum of partnership opportunities for efficiency and economies of scale. In this episode we’re chatting with RCAP’s Laura Landes and Sarah Buck about the fundamentals of regionalization and why these conversations are so important to the sustainab...
TT035 - The State of Drinking Water
Tap Talk - June 15, 2023 15:41 - 52 minutesAs we approach 50 years of the Safe Drinking Water Act, public water systems and state regulators continue to face new and long-standing challenges. In our conversation with Alan Roberson, Executive Director of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, we discuss the most pressing ...
TT034 - Leveraging Passion to Protect Public Health
Tap Talk - June 08, 2023 18:25 - 43 minutesPennsylvania has no statewide well construction code or other private well regulations, but this suburban Philadelphia county is one of a small number leading the way to greater public health protection in the state. In this episode we’re chatting with Kyle Schmeck about the Montgomery County pr...
TT033 - Research for Water Equity (Part 2)
Tap Talk - May 31, 2023 21:25 - 30 minutesIn the second half of our conversation with Dr. Kelsey Pieper, we discuss alternate perspectives on real private well problems. The conversation reiterates the need for personalized solutions, raises various research questions, and shares opinions on the needed direction for public outreach. V...
TT032 - Research for Water Equity (Part 1)
Tap Talk - May 26, 2023 17:17 - 31 minutesResearch engineers like Kelsey Pieper get to work at the interface between knowledge discovery and real world application. In this first of two conversations with Dr. Pieper we explore some of the challenges of improving access to safe water, particularly for private well users. This episode hig...
TT031 - Funding Your Water Infrastructure Project
Tap Talk - May 10, 2023 22:03 - 27 minutesWhen Saco, Maine calculated the true cost of not updating their wastewater plant to accommodate the impacts of climate change, local government officials took action to secure the needed funding. Our conversation with Emily-Cole Prescott and Howard Carter includes the importance of communication...
TT030 - Improving Safe Water Access for the Cherokee Nation
Tap Talk - May 04, 2023 22:51 - 59 minutesTribal communities share many of the water issues experienced by public water systems and private well users across the US, but they also have some unique challenges. In this episode we're chatting with Billy Hix, a licensed water operator and registered sanitarian who works for the Cherokee Nat...
TT029 - The Power of Persistence
Tap Talk - May 02, 2023 20:32 - 36 minutesTammy Helms has been a certified water operator for 27 years because she refused to be told 'no.' Today she also manages Alaska DEC's technical assistance program. In this episode you'll not only hear Tammy's story but other examples of persistence and resilience when it comes to protecting publ...
TT028 - Data and Details from an Effective Program
Tap Talk - April 13, 2023 23:02 - 51 minutesIn this episode we're chatting with Frieda von Qualen from the Minnesota Department of Health. Our conversation features insights on running a successful outreach program, an upcoming Minnesota-focused private well forum, and the shift towards policy that Frieda's own work in the program has tak...
TT027 - The Future of Operator Certification
Tap Talk - April 11, 2023 13:43 - 44 minutesIn this episode we're chatting with Paul Bishop, president and CEO of Water Professionals International, about water and wastewater certification in a post-pandemic world. Our conversation includes ideas for the future as well as the shifts that will be needed to recruit new water professionals....
TT026 - Focusing on the Customer
Tap Talk - March 31, 2023 22:24 - 40 minutesIn this episode we're chatting with David Henrich, a water well contractor and industry advocate on the national stage. Our conversation includes Mr. Henrich's perspectives on customer knowledge, shifts in the industry and regulatory landscape, and the one thing that could make all the differenc...
TT025 - Understanding Drought and Drinking Water
Tap Talk - September 08, 2022 17:30 - 41 minutesIn this episode we're chatting with Molly Woloszyn, a Regional Drought Information Coordinator with NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System. You'll learn more about current drought issues in the Midwest and across the US as well as how water and health professionals can network wit...
TT024 - Thinking Differently about Infrastructure
Tap Talk - June 03, 2022 17:00 - 1 hourIn this episode we're chatting with Heather Himmelberger, a professional engineer and director of the Southwest Environmental Finance Center. Our conversation features the role of the EFC network, why water systems shouldn't be intimidated by asset management, and her mixed feelings about infras...
TT023 - Environmental Justice, Water, and Public Health
Tap Talk - May 16, 2022 01:23 - 38 minutesIn this episode we're chatting with Dr. Jackie MacDonald Gibson about her work at the intersection of environmental health and public policy. We focus on the disparities that private well users in disadvantaged communities face, even when there is a public water system in close proximity. Visi...
TT022 - Best Practices in Webinar Training
Tap Talk - May 06, 2022 19:22 - 45 minutesDoes hosting a webinar feel like a chore? In this episode we're chatting with our own Katie Buckley about the steps we take to produce a successful webinar program with The Private Well Class. We cover advance planning, running the event, and recommended best practices for follow-up. Visit dri...
TT021 - Education and Funding Options for Well Owners
Tap Talk - April 30, 2022 00:36 - 26 minutesIn this episode we're talking with Margaret Martens of the Water Systems Council and the Water Well Trust about the need for education, support, and funding for private well users in the US. You'll learn about recent changes that expand access to that funding as well as the breadth of resources ...
TT020 - Community-centered Infrastructure Planning
Tap Talk - April 21, 2022 16:47 - 47 minutesHow do we solve the most difficult water infrastructure problems? It requires a more nuanced approach to trust-building and a proactive perspective on the challenges still to come. In this episode we're chatting with CAPT David Harvey about what we can all learn about problem solving in rural co...
TT019 - Water and Children's Health
Tap Talk - April 14, 2022 21:24 - 49 minutesWater is often only part of the healthcare conversation about children when there is a problem. Dr. Alan Woolf, as part of a larger network of pediatricians specializing in environmental health, hopes to change that. In this episode we discuss the simple and not-so-simple reasons that providers ...
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