The Water Zone

Mark Grey from the Building Industry Association of Southern California describes water issues effecting the building industry like water shortages, storm water reclamation and the rising cost to connect water to homes. He shares information about the Association's education series to inform the industry, as well as the general public, about upcoming water restrictions and how they effect new home buyers.

Podcast recorded on March 3, 2022

Featured guest Joe Berg, Director of Water Use Efficiency for the Municipal Water District of Orange County, CA, informs listeners about his responsibilities with the water district and provides his views on the future of water. Berg provides details on California’s 20x22 water conservation plan released in January and presents what he believes are the top three water issues to tackle in the state.

Podcast recorded on February 24, 2022

Tom Huffman, Deputy Superintendent for Arizona’s Aqua Fria Union High School District speaks about the motivation behind the district's big push for water conservation. He discusses the activities they are launching to bring total water and energy conservation to a higher level and their plan to address sustainability, irrigation education and certification as a special science curriculum for their students.

Podcast recorded on February 17, 2022

The Water Zone welcomes, Debby Figoni, Water Conservation Administrator for the City of Beverly Hills, CA.   Debby explains how the City of Beverly Hills markets conservation to make a difference in the community. She details a custom water scheduling program deigned for  

commercial and residential customers which has dramatically  helped to reduced water usage, as well as an automatic meter reading capability which allows customers to obtain immediate feedback on their water usage.

Podcast recorded on February 10, 2022

Get to know newly appointed Irrigation Association (IA) CEO, Natasha Rankin. Natasha joins the show to share her business experience and what drove her decision to join the IA.  She discusses her recent activities around relationship building with the IA board and general membership to gain a solid understanding toward the development of advocacy, education & the association's core strategies. Finally she talks through her work to define the IA's biggest challenges and ways to bolster the industry's workforce development.

Podcast recorded on February 3, 2022

Susan Longville of San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District describes the Climate Resiliency & Adaption Plan and the Headwaters Partnership with the San Bernardino National Forest.  Susan also details a recent purchase of land that will be used to store excess dam water underground rather than releasing it into bays and oceans and explains why this type of action is needed throughout the state.

Podcast recorded on January 27, 2022

Featured guests Travis Loop, President of waterloop, and Rebecca Klaper, Associate Dean of the School of Freshwater Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, discuss higher education related to water pollution and the new technologies that can help monitor dangerous levels of contaminants. They perform various studies to track and measure the drugs and chemicals in our water supply, and pay special attention to their effects on the environment, attracting students from a wide range of backgrounds and fields of study.  

Podcast recorded on January 20, 2022

President of Elemental Ecosystems, Zach Weiss joins the show to explore an action oriented process developed to help clients better manage their land. The process has helped to reduce land temperature by 2 degrees Celsius in areas of India thereby reducing the amount of water used to for crops and vegetation.

Podcast Recorded on January 13, 2022

Hillside Planter owner Colleen Talbert talks to The Water Zone team about a unique partial planter that can be utilized on hillsides and slopes and acts as a water run-off collection bucket. The product has been specially developed for reducing erosion and water runoff and is offered in permanent or biodegradable material.

Podcast recorded on November 11, 2021

John Newlin, Irrigation Association (IA) President-elect and owner of Quality Sprinkling Systems joins the show to detail his top priorities for the IA's coming year. John believes that education and professional mentorship will be key to current members and next generation irrigation professionals. He offers insight on technological advances in irrigation products, the growing need for qualified water managers in the industry, potential challenges and the future of water in the US.

Podcast recorded on November 11, 2021

Nick Federoff, star of Things Green and host of Pet Life Radio, explains how he got into the water industry and how the pandemic has helped generate renewed interest in home gardening. Nick also provides insight on what it takes to produce a television show, his involvement with the Green Industry Hall of Fame, and the impact technological advances are having on the irrigation industry.

Podcast recorded on November 4, 2021

Guest host Travis Loop talks with Maureen Cunningham and Jessie Norriss of Environmental Policy Innovation Center about their program "A Prize Fight Against Lead" which focuses on the importance of removing lead pipe from our water systems. The organization is holding a national competition, the 2021 Water Data Prize, that will play a key role in cost-effective progress toward tackling the challenge.

Podcast recorded on October 28, 2021

Heather Turrentine, Water Resources & Conservation Coordinator for Gilbert, AZ, joins the show to discuss the city’s award winning Landscape Water Budget Program. Heather explains how a landscape budget for commercial property could significantly improve water use efficiency and provide insight for property owners with large turf and landscape areas. She also describes the specific training and activities that the city provides to customers including site audits, smart controller programming, and newly available water-saving technologies.  The Town of Gilbert’s efforts were recognized by the IA’s Smart Water Applications Technology awards for Outstanding Industry Partnership.

Podcast recorded on October 21, 2021

Rob Hunter, General Manager of Municipal Water District of Orange County, CA, talks about the seriousness of current drought conditions and the potential for a State of Emergency related to water shortages throughout the western region. Rob also provides insight on possible new mandates around water conservation for the state of California and the products and practices we can participate in to help mitigate the impact of this shortage in water resources.

Podcast recorded on October 14, 2021

Garden City, Kansas is the latest recipient of the EPA WaterSense Outstanding Public Engagement award. Fred Jones, Water Resource System Manager for Garden City,  joins the show to discuss the outstanding initiatives the organization developed to help keep customers informed and committed to water use efficiency. He details new on-line tools and rebates to empower customers and help them make an impact.

Podcast recorded on September 30, 2021

Florence Cassel-Sharmasarkar, assistant director of the Center for Irrigation Technology at Fresno State University is the winner of the 2021 Irrigation Association Excellence in Education Award. She joins us to discusses her research on water reduction in agriculture and its impact on the industry. She also speaks about the importance of water management education and the increase of women in the water industry.

Podcast recorded on August 23, 2021

Deborah Hamlin, Irrigation Association CEO, joins to share her journey and discuss the impact she’s had on redefining the organization’s mission. She outlines some of the key achievements that the IA helped spear-headed over the span of her career and shares the challenges and opportunities that faced the industry and the association.

Podcast recorded on September 9, 2021

Katie Wallace, New Belgium Brewing Director for Social and Environmental Impact explores the impact climate change will have on the way we brew beer. She details how New Belgium Brewing became the first brewery in the nation to be certified as "carbon neutral" and discusses various processes that can be altered to help use water more efficiently in the brewing and hops growing process.

Podcast record on September 2, 2021