The Water Zone

In this episode we welcome Marc LoPresti, CEO and chief market strategist of Market Rebellion, Wall Street veteran, securities attorney, and media contributor. Marc shares his legal team’s pivotal role in the landmark multi-billion-dollar lawsuit against 3M over forever chemical contamination in U.S. drinking water, offering insights into the technical evidence that led to the historic settlement. He also discusses litigation involving DuPont and its spin-offs Chemours and Corteva for similar violations. Looking ahead, Marc offers his take on water-related investments—viewing utilities as stable but recommending tech-driven water solutions like filters, pumps, and desalination for those seeking stronger returns.

Podcast Recorded on April 14, 2025

In this episode of The Water Zone, Rylan Dobson, water stewardship programs leader at the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), shares how he drives public-private collaboration and policy advocacy to advance global water sustainability. He highlights water's critical role as a connector across environmental priorities like climate and nature, and addresses key issues including water scarcity, stress, security, hygiene, and their link to UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6). Rylan voices frustration over water being sidelined in broader environmental conversations, noting that “water is where climate impacts hit first,” and stresses the importance of data-driven action. He also discusses WWF’s partnership with GlobeScan and industry leaders to diagnose water challenges and push for a more impactful global agenda.

Podcast Recorded on April 10, 2025

In this inspiring episode of The Water Zone, guest Atul Bhatara, President and CEO of Atul Skin Care Products, shares his powerful personal journey and insights into the vital role water plays in skin health. Diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy as a toddler and given only a few years to live, Atul defied the odds to build a successful career and launch a skincare brand rooted in natural healing. He explains how the body is 75% water and highlights the differences between micellar, alkaline, and oxygenated water—revealing which are best for drinking and skincare. Atul also discusses the benefits of natural ingredients like turmeric and saffron in promoting healthy, radiant skin.

Podcast Recorded on April 3, 2025

Brenda Burman, general manager of the Central Arizona Project (CAP), shares her background and insights from her time as Administrator of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. She provides a deep dive into CAP’s history, infrastructure, and its critical role in delivering Colorado River water to Arizona. Brenda discusses the economic impact of this water, the causes behind current shortages, and what that means for the state’s future. She also addresses potential challenges related to energy supply, cybersecurity threats, and water quality protection. Highlighting CAP’s use of artificial intelligence to safeguard infrastructure, she shares updates on a major project to link CAP and SRP canals and introduces CAP University—an online resource for public education and legislative updates.

Podcast Recorded on March 27, 2025

In the latest episode of The Water Zone, guest Tiffany Baca—public affairs manager for the Municipal Water District of Orange County and executive director of the Water Energy Education Alliance (WEEA)—discusses how WEEA is uniting over 260 organizations across California to build career pathways in the water and energy sectors. She explains how the alliance was formed, its rapid growth, and the critical need to align education and training with industry demands. Tiffany highlights key workforce challenges, including an aging workforce and skills gaps, and shares how WEEA is addressing them through partnerships with educational institutions, hands-on programs like internships and apprenticeships, teacher training, and multilingual career resources.

Podcast Recorded on March 20, 2025

Mike Hammond, President & CEO of Signal Relief, introduces a groundbreaking drug-free pain relief technology that harnesses the water within the body to reduce or eliminate pain—without the need for medicine, power, or external devices. The patch utilizes the 4th phase of water, a scientifically recognized state found in the human body that carries a negative electrical charge within the exclusionary zones of muscles. Featuring a specialized antenna array layout, the patch activates a positive charge state when placed on the skin, stimulating the negatively charged internal water to trigger rapid pain relief. Mike also underscores the critical role of water in overall health and explores how deeper insights into the body's internal water dynamics could unlock new advancements in human performance and well-being.

Podcast Recorded on March 13, 2025

Arizona State Senator Tim Dunn shares his journey from farming to politics and discusses the state’s pressing water challenges, including water quality, salinity in agriculture, and surface and groundwater management. He highlights the need for inland desalination facilities to support future farming and emphasizes the importance of balancing water pricing and allocation to ensure economic efficiency, social equity, and environmental sustainability.

Podcast Recorded on March 6, 2025

Jeff Mosher, general manager of the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA), discusses the agency’s role in managing and protecting water resources in the Santa Ana River basin. Established in 1975 as a joint power authority, SAWPA is composed of five member agencies working together to address water supply reliability, water quality, recycled water, wastewater treatment, groundwater management, brine disposal, and regional planning. Jeff highlights SAWPA’s mission to develop and maintain collaborative programs and projects that ensure the economic and environmental sustainability of the watershed.

Podcast Recorded on February 27, 2025

In this episode of The Water Zone podcast, experts Pei Xu, PhD, from New Mexico State University, and Mike Hightower, PhD, director of the New Mexico Produced Water Research Consortium, explore cutting-edge research in water treatment. They delve into their work on the desalination and treatment of brackish and saline waters, as well as high-salinity waste waters. The conversation highlights current advances in produced water treatment and reuse, presenting data that demonstrates how such water can be safely transformed for various applications, including agricultural use and drinking water. Additionally, the guests share insights into their ongoing projects, innovative technologies, and advanced testing methodologies, shedding light on modern challenges and solutions in water pollution management.

Podcast Recorded on February 20, 2025

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