The Water Zone

In this episode, Cat Shrier, Ph.D., Founder & CEO of WaterCitizen.org, shares how her nonprofit transforms water professionals and entrepreneurs into industry changemakers through virtual and high-engagement in-person events. She highlights the organization’s three core pillars—Water Innovation, Water Workforce, and Water Leadership—and discusses "Water Pitch," a high-energy startup matchmaking event connecting entrepreneurs, funders, and clients. Cat also introduces WaterCitizen’s virtual educational lab, which helps individuals launch water programs and events in just 10 weeks, fostering relationships, revenue, and long-term impact.

Podcast Recorded on February 13, 2025

Gregg Semler, founder & CEO of InPipe Energy, introduces HydroXS, an innovative energy recovery system that replaces traditional control valves by converting wasted water pressure into renewable energy. Instead of burning off excess pressure, HydroXS optimizes flow control, reduces operating costs, conserves water, lowers carbon emissions, and extends infrastructure lifespan. This smart control technology also provides real-time data for improved system verification. Gregg highlights how water districts across the U.S. are already using HydroXS to generate revenue, making water systems more reliable, efficient, and sustainable.

Podcast Recorded on February 6, 2025

Guests Clifford Chan (GM, East Bay Municipal Utility District), George Hawkins (CEO, Moonshot Missions), and Lou Bendon (CEO, Flycatcher Marketing) discuss key water industry challenges and innovations. The conversation examines how firefighters ran out of water during the Los Angeles wildfires, what went wrong, and how various utilities collaborated to support local agencies during the crisis. Lou also highlights proven methodologies for reducing energy costs and carbon footprints, enabling utilities to accelerate decarbonization efforts. Additionally, the group explored how artificial intelligence is transforming utility operations by optimizing data collection and analysis to reduce unnecessary expenditures.

Podcast Recorded on January 30, 2025

Troy Hayes, Water Services Director for the City of Phoenix, Arizona, shares insights into the city’s water treatment and distribution system. Phoenix operates five water treatment plants, with two in North Phoenix (Union Hills and Lake Pleasant) utilizing Colorado River water delivered by the Central Arizona Project (CAP), while three central plants treat Salt River Project (SRP) water. CAP water can also be redirected to any plant during maintenance or drought. Troy details the city’s treatment process, robust water quality monitoring, and its 6,000-mile interconnected pipe system, which delivers an average of 264 million gallons of water daily. Deliveries are adjusted monthly to meet customer demand, influenced by factors such as weather, tourism, and usage patterns.

Podcast Recorded on January 23, 2025

In this episode of The Water Zone, California Secretary of Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot discusses the state’s water infrastructure, detailing its current status and future needs. He highlights key initiatives, including the Sites Reservoir project and Delta Conveyance expansion, emphasizing their critical role in meeting California’s long-term water demands. Crowfoot also explores the integration of advanced technologies for agricultural irrigation and groundwater monitoring, as well as partnerships with countries like Israel, the Netherlands, and Denmark to adopt cutting-edge water efficiency methods. Additionally, he provides insights into the diverse entities he oversees, such as the State Board of Water Resources, Cal-Fire, and Fish and Wildlife.

Podcast Recorded on January 16, 2025

Dr. Gerald Pollack, Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington, shares insights from his groundbreaking book, The Fourth Phase of Water. He introduced "EZ water" (Exclusion Zone water), a structured form of water (H₃O₂) that forms upon contact with most surfaces and differs fundamentally from conventional H₂O. This unique phase generates an electric charge, offering energy with potential applications in medicine, agriculture, energy production, and health. Dr. Pollack discussed his experiments and how this discovery could revolutionize our understanding of water’s role in biology, chemistry, and beyond, paving the way for innovative uses in science and technology.

Episode Recorded on January 9, 2025

In this episode of The Water Zone, Brad Loiselle, President & CEO of Artic Freshwater, discusses his company’s mission to combat the global water crisis by unlocking the potential of trillions of liters of renewable freshwater. He emphasizes the severity of issues such as water scarcity, lack of access, the burden of water collection, and child mortality, highlighting Artic Freshwater’s innovative, collaborative, and socially responsible approach. Brad details their partnerships with local and governmental agencies, regional distribution networks, and their active involvement in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) program. He also shares how their awareness and education initiatives draw on Iceland’s water ecosystem to promote a culture of water responsibility while building a global coalition dedicated to making a difference.

Podcast Recorded on December 12, 2024

JP Robinette, Engineering & Construction Manager for the Sites Reservoir Project, discusses his role in overseeing the construction and management of this innovative 15-million-acre-foot off-stream reservoir. Designed to capture rainfall and runoff from extreme storms, the reservoir will provide a flexible water supply for California's communities, farms, and environment during times of scarcity. Once integrated with the California State Water Project and Central Valley Project, it will improve water management during floods and droughts while delivering key environmental benefits, such as 372,029 acre-feet of water for ecological use, increased Delta freshwater flows, and cold water for salmon in the Sacramento River.

Podcast Recorded on December 5, 2024

Clifford C. Chan, general manager of East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), discusses the utility's ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. He highlights the water industry's significant carbon footprint—4 gigatons annually, four times that of aviation—and the critical role of innovation in reducing it. Mr. Chan shares how EBMUD tackles the challenge of balancing decarbonization efforts between large utilities and underserved communities, emphasizing that while the industry may be perceived as slow to innovate, many water agencies are actively driving progress. 

Podcast Recorded on November 21, 2024

In this episode, Tom Ferguson, managing partner at Burnt Island Ventures, discusses his venture capital group’s role in driving innovation in water technology. Burnt Island Ventures invests in emerging solutions to address critical water challenges, emphasizing the importance of entrepreneurial creativity and engineering ingenuity. Joined by guest host Lou Bendon, Ferguson highlights the connection between water management and climate change, sharing insights on transforming environmental issues like brine from petroleum fracking and blue-green algae into valuable resources. He stresses the need to balance innovation with production success, offering a forward-thinking perspective on the future of water sustainability.

Podcast Recorded on November 14, 2024

Recorded live from the Irrigation Association Show at the Long Beach Convention Center, Rob and Chris connect with four influential figures in the irrigation industry. Outgoing IA President Inge Bisconer reflects on her tenure, shares her vision for the association’s future, and introduces Surf & Earth Enterprises’ advanced, free software for industry users. Tyler Fields, sr. director, Valley Water Delivery at Valmont Industries, Inc., highlights his company’s journey to winning the IA’s prestigious Vanguard Award. IA CEO Natasha Rankin offers insights into the association's expanding educational initiatives and its active role in public policy advocacy. Finally, Dan Winterton, director of marketing for The Toro Company's Irrigation & Lighting Division, discusses the environmental benefits of WaterSmart technology with natural turf over turf removal, emphasizing its role in carbon sequestration and reducing urban heat, noise, and pollution.

Podcast Recorded on November 7, 2024

Steve Counter, VP of the Irrigation & Lighting Category at SiteOne Landscape Supply, shares his journey into the landscaping industry and how SiteOne became the largest irrigation distributor in the U.S., with over 500 stores nationwide. Steve highlights what sets SiteOne apart from competitors, including their extensive product range covering irrigation, lighting, turf and landscape maintenance, nursery, hardscape, and pest control. He discusses the company's commitment to supporting customers with in-depth knowledge and specialized services, such as irrigation system and lighting design, drainage planning, and their SiteOne University training for professionals. Steve also offers insight into the future challenges contractors may face and emphasizes the importance of water conservation in the evolving landscape industry.

Podcast Recorded on October 17, 2024

Noel Carter, general manager of the Buckeye Water Conservation and Drainage District (BWCDD), discusses the district's role in supporting agriculture through irrigation water, power, and flood irrigation services, as well as protecting farmland from alkali drainage. He shares the district's history and its evolution in developing guidelines as the area transitioned from a major agricultural hub. Noel also highlights a new bipartisan infrastructure deal that allocates over $11 million to BWCDD for canal modernization and energy projects, including concrete lining for the Main Canal and implementing solar and wind-powered systems. With Buckeye, Arizona rapidly expanding and set to develop over 100,000 new homes, he emphasizes the district's efforts to balance agricultural and residential water needs sustainably.

Podcast Recorded on October 10, 2024

In this episode, Susan Kennedy, Chairman and CEO of Cadiz, Inc., discusses the company's mission to expand safe, reliable water access through innovative water management and conservation. Cadiz is focused on building infrastructure, such as a pipeline connecting their wellfield to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California's Colorado River Aqueduct, storing surplus water underground, and treating water to remove harmful contaminants. Susan highlights partnerships like the one with the Farmworkers Institute of Education to install clean water filtration systems in underserved communities and shares the company's agricultural efforts in the Cadiz Valley. She also emphasizes how Cadiz’s groundwater storage bank can supply water to areas like the Salton Sea and asserts that Southern California's drought concerns could be mitigated by utilizing millions of acre-feet of underground water in the Mojave Desert.

Podcast Recorded on October 3, 2024

Rob Starr and Chris Davey broadcast from their recent visit to the 2024 WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas, NV, where several companies shared their innovations addressing water and environmental challenges. RESNET's Paulette McGhie and EPA's Jonah Schein discuss new building standards for energy and water efficiency. Atoco's Magnus Bach highlights sustainable atmospheric water harvesting and CO2 capture technologies. John Green of BlueGreen Water Technologies introduce solutions for controlling blue-green algae. Kamstrup's Joe Ball detailes how ultrasonic water meters optimize revenue and water management. Lastly, Biogreen's Teresa Kim explained the benefits of Agromon biodegradable mulching film for sustainable farming.

Podcast Recorded September 26, 2024

Special guests Joaquin Esquivel, chairman of the California State Water Resources Board, and Lou Bendon, CEO of Flycatcher Marketing, join the show to discuss key water issues facing California water operators. The conversation covers the impact of climate change on the water industry, the importance of decarbonization, and how water budgeting and water loss mandates from the Water Board are linked to decarbonization efforts. They also explore what the State Water Resources Board can do to advance decarbonization in the absence of legislation and mandates, and how these initiatives can help offset rising operational costs for larger water agencies.

Podcast Recorded on September 19, 2024

In this episode, Lindsey Stuvick, sustainable resources officer at Moulton Niguel Water District, and Lou Bendon, CEO of marketing at Fly Catcher Communications, discuss carbonizing water, water use efficiency, and the financial benefits for ratepayers and water districts. As part of a five-segment series, Lindsey explains how carbonizing water can drive cost savings and sustainability, while Lou shares his expertise in public relations for California water districts. He highlights creative strategies to educate customers on water conservation, implement innovative projects, and enhance operational management. Together, they showcase how these efforts contribute to both environmental and financial gains in water efficiency.

Podcast Recorded on September 14, 2024

Lynn Priddy, PhD, President of Claremont Lincoln University, and Joanna Bauer, Executive VP and Chief Academic Officer discuss their parent entity, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and its unique curriculum for various public sectors. They explore the degrees offered by Claremont Lincoln University, key factors of leadership classes for mid to high-level executives, the formation of Teams and Fellows to resolve real-world issues, and the university's accreditation and compliance with necessary regulations and state rules for education.

Podcast Recorded on September 5, 2024