Talking Under Water

In this episode Talking Under Water co-host Bob Crossen speaks with Gabriel Collins, the Baker Botts Fellow in Energy and Environmental Regulatory Affairs at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, about the evolving pressures on industrial water use and the widening implications of the AI boom. Drawing from his cross-sector expertise, Collins unpacks why water is an inherently hyper‑local resource and how industries — ranging from semiconductor fabrication to refineries and petrochemical plants — are adapting to shrinking supplies and rising costs.
The conversation explores how data centers are straining municipal systems and, in some cases, driving new water‑reuse investments. Collins shares real‑world examples illustrating how creative contracting and industrial partnerships can help utilities upgrade critical infrastructure. He also highlights the increasing viability of air‑cooling technology as an alternative in water‑scarce regions.
Shifting to oil and gas, Collins explains how produced water, seismicity concerns, and disposal challenges are prompting operators to rethink water management strategies. Throughout the discussion, he stresses the importance of “fit‑for‑purpose” water use and the opportunities for circular water practices that avoid mixing contaminated and freshwater streams.
The episode closes with a look at the logistical and economic barriers that still limit a truly integrated one‑water approach.
Show Notes
Gabriel Collins, Baker Institute for Public Policy
Gabriel Collins on LinkedIn
The Sinews of Civilization Substack
WWD Emerging Leaders submissions
WW Emerging Leaders submissions
StormCon 2026 registration
Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction
01:39 – Industrial Water Use in 2026
03:04 – Blind Spots vs. Barriers
05:07 – Water Reuse, Recycling, and Sector Differences
06:34 – Fit‑for‑Purpose Water & Evolving Standards
09:02 – Costs, Margins, and Sensitivity to Water Price
11:03 – Data Centers & Municipal Pressure
14:25 – Policy Levers & Infrastructure Investment
17:34 – Oil & Gas: Produced Water, Disposal, and Seismicity
20:19 – One Water & Virtual Water Displacement
22:08 – Barriers to Circular Water
26:35 – Housekeeping
About the Podcast  
Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld (WW) and Stormwater Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, storm water and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.

In this episode of Talking Under Water, Mandy Crispin and Bob Crossen discuss the EPA’s proposal to establish a national primary drinking water regulation for perchlorate under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The hosts break down the proposed rule, monitoring requirements, cost implications, and what utilities should prepare for, plus give updates on PFAS treatment research and recent wastewater spills.
Show Notes
EPA proposes national drinking water rule for perchlorate
Federal Register: Proposed national primary drinking water regulation for perchlorate
What do the new PFAS MCLs mean for the water industry?
Steps water systems can take to address perchlorate in drinking water (2020 EPA guidance document)
New copper-aluminum layered double hydroxide technology offers sustainable PFAS remediation
Georgetown isolates 42-inch wastewater line failure after San Gabriel River spill
Houston reports wastewater spill exceeding 100,000 gallons following collection system failure
Timestamps
00:00 – Cold open
00:54 – Introduction to episode and overview
01:32 – EPA proposal for perchlorate regulation explained
03:49 – Comparing perchlorate MCLs to PFAS standards
05:00 – Binning approach for monitoring frequency
07:21 – Waiver process for reduced monitoring
09:41 – Initial monitoring requirements and costs
10:02 – Public comment deadline and hearing details
11:04 – PFAS treatment research update
12:23 – Wastewater spill reports
15:29 – Housekeeping
About the Podcast  
Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld (WW) and Stormwater Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, storm water and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.

In this episode of Talking Under Water, the hosts discuss the state of the industry surveys from each water brand — Wastewater Digest and WaterWorld — with some data points. The hosts provide some analysis of the results, including what some of the biggest challenges and trends are moving into 2026.  
Show Notes:   
2025 State of the One Water Industry
2024 State of the One Water Industry
Timestamps:   
Cold open | 0:00
Episode summary | 1:01
Financial trends | 6:29
Organizational health | 9:45
Key industry issues | 32:05
Housekeeping | 40:24 
Resources: 
WWD Videos
WW Magazine Subscription
StormCon Registration
About the Podcast      
Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, storm water and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and on-site interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.      
Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing talkingunderwater@endeavorb2b.com engaging with them on Twitter @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.  

In this episode of Talking Under Water as Kaitlin Spiridellis shares insights from her year-long global fellowship exploring water challenges and solutions across five continents. From Europe’s luxury water market and Vienna’s century-old gravity-fed system to sanitation campaigns in Indonesia, equity efforts for First Nations in Australia, and innovative partnerships in Africa, this episode uncovers surprising patterns in water stress and highlights emerging technologies shaping the future of “One Water” management. Kaitlin also reflects on the emotional impact of her journey and her optimism for global collaboration in building resilient, equitable water systems. 
Show Notes: 
World of water landing page
The Water Chronicles: A Journey to Understand the World’s Water Disparities
Timestamps:
Cold open - 0:00
Host introduction and episode summary - 0:53
Europe segment - 2:04
Australia - 15:04
Africa - 19:00
Global themes &  future outlook- 22:44
Personal reflection - 33:00
Housekeeping - 36:55
About the Podcast      
Talking Under Water, a production of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B, is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest(WWD), WaterWorld and Stormwater Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, stormwater and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.      
Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing talkingunderwater@endeavorb2b.com engaging with them on X @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.  
 

In this episode of Talking Under Water the hosts discuss recent industry news, including the resignation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) acting administrator, David Richardson; a newly proposed rule of Waters of the United States from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corp; the EPA proposing to revise PFAS reporting under the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Water Infrastructure Modernization Act; and investments from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) into resource recovery research and some patent-pending research for Purdue University surrounding PFAS chemicals. 
Show Notes:    
Search for the PFAS reporting rule change under docket #EPA-HQ-OPPT-2020-0549 here.
View a prepublication version of the PFAS reporting rule change proposal here.
Water Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2025 aims at expanding intelligent water infrastructure
FEMA acting chief resigns amid disaster response concerns
EPA, Army propose new WOTUS definition aimed at clarity and regulatory certainty
Purdue researchers develop rapid PFAS screening and replacement method
DOE invests $25 million to recover critical minerals from U.S. wastewater
Timestamps:   
Cold open - 0:00
Host introductio nand episode summary - 0:52
FEMA Administrator resigns - 1:38
EPA releases proposed WOTUS rule - 2:15
EPA proposes TSCA PFAS reporting updates - 3:44
Water Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2025 - 6:21
Purdue research on PFAS chemical alternatives - 7:56
DOE invests $25 million into wastewater resource recovery - 9:02
Housekeeping - 10:16
Resources: 
WWD webinars
WaterWorld November/December digital edition
SWS digital update
About the Podcast      
Talking Under Water, a production of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B, is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest(WWD), WaterWorld and Stormwater Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, stormwater and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.      
Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing talkingunderwater@endeavorb2b.com engaging with them on X @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.  

The water meter is the cash register for a water utility. For those how have worked win the water business for any amount of time, they've likely heard that adage. But how does a water system choose the right meter for the utility? Should utilities pick the cheap option because they cash-strapped? What is the difference if they are willing to pay for higher quality?
In this sponsored interview with Kamstrup, Jake Piccioni, solution manager for Kamstrup, talks about the company’s “culture of quality” to ensure their customers have the very best meters in their systems. Learn how high quality meters can lead to long-term savings with total cost of ownership, and that’s even before considering the benefits that newer modern meters offer utilities in terms of accuracy, pressure and other measured parameters. 
Show Notes
Learn more about Kamstrup: https://www.kamstrup.com/en-us/water-solutions
Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction to episode and guest
01:10 – What challenges do utilities face when lower quality meters are used? How can that increase the total cost of ownership?
03:29 – What about the Kamstrup designs sets these meters apart? 
06:24 – What about the materials? What are your meters made of?
08:00 – Given this scrutiny Kamstrup places on the design and materials, how then does that cultural of quality translate to manufacturing of the meters? What rigors do these meters go through for QA and QC? 
10:54 – What are the dangers of having poor or inaccurate data for a utility? What can utilities realize when they have good data?
14:16 – Outro
About the Podcast  
Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, storm water and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.

In this episode of Talking Under Water, co-host Katie Johns spoke with Dr. Jeremy Hoffman, director of Impact Evaluation and Community Science at Groundwork USA, about water's role in climate resilience. Dr. Hoffman spoke about his research with Groundwork USA, including heat and flood data; touches on the importance of community engagement and shares what challengees the industry is facing when it comes to resiliency. 
Show Notes:    
Cooling urban heat islands with smart stormwater systems
Resilience isn’t one-size-fits-all: Rethinking resilience for locally impactful solutions
New report finds water infrastructure investment could add $3.9 trillion to U.S. GDP
Transforming wastewater into renewable natural gas and advancing the circular water economy
Groundwork USA
Timestamps:   
Intro | 00:08
Hoffman's climate science background | 01:06
Overview of Groundwork USA and its mission | 04:09
NOAA’s Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaigns | 05:06
Water’s central role in climate resilience | 08:47
Challenges of addressing climate change |16:42
How environmental conditions drive disparities in life expectancy across neighborhoods | 19:03
Defining climate resilience | 21:01
Closing thoughts | 23:55
Housekeeping | 25:26
Resources:
WWD Q3 Trump Performance Poll
WaterWorld Subscription
StormCon Call for Abstracts
About the Podcast      
Talking Under Water, a production of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B, is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest(WWD), WaterWorld and Stormwater Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, stormwater and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.      
Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing talkingunderwater@endeavorb2b.com engaging with them on X @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.  
 
 
 

In this episode of Talking Under Water, the hosts break down recent news happening in the water industry. First, they covers the impacts of Hurricane Melissa, which made historic landfall in Jamaica on October 28 as a Category 5 hurricane before moving through Cuba and the Bahamas, leaving widespread damage and power outages across the Caribbean. Then, they dive into the Trump administration’s decision to pause more than $11 billion in funding for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects amid the ongoing federal government shutdown. Finally, they details the blockbuster $63 billion all-stock merger between American Water and Essential Utilities—set to create one of the largest regulated water and wastewater providers in the U.S.
Show Notes:    
What to know about Hurricane Melissa
Trump administration pauses $11B in Army Corps water projects amid budget standoff 
Army Corps of Engineers Pausing $11B in Projects, White House Official Says 
How the government shutdown affects water and wastewater utilities 
NJ Governor proposes revisions to data center reporting bill to include water use study 
American Water and Essential Utilities announce merger to form $40B water and wastewater utility
Timestamps:   
Cold open and intro | 0:00
Episode summary | 01:17
Hurricane Melissa impacts across the Caribbean | 01:33
Transition to next story |03:39
Pause in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project funding | 03:50
New Jersey governor revises data center reporting bill | 07:07
American Water and Essential Utilities announce $63B merger | 08:01
Housekeeping and announcements | 11:04
Resources: 
WEFTEC coverage
WaterWorld subscriptions
StormCon call for papers
About the Podcast      
Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, stormwater and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.      
Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing talkingunderwater@endeavorb2b.com engaging with them on X @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.  
 
 
Editor's note: The episode summary and timestamps were written with the assistance of AI.
 

In this episode of Talking Under Water, co-Host Katie Johns spoke with Ryan Barton, hydrologist for the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources Water Management Branch, and Jocelyn Lu Morinishi, principal engineer at Brown and Caldwell as both of them have been named the Outstanding Rising One Water Leaders for the 2025 US Water Prize awarded by the US Water alliance. The two share their career paths, what the One Water movement means to them, their career goals and much more.
Show Notes:    
US Water Prize
Navajo Nation Water Rights Commission
Timestamps: 
Introduction | 0:00 
Early career journeys | 01:00 
Inspiration and shared roots | 05:45 
Becoming Rising One Water Leaders | 06:45 
Reflections on culture and community | 10:30 
Looking ahead: career goals | 13:10 
Mentorship and stewardship | 18:30 
Water sector challenges and solutions | 19:30 
Closing thoughts and resources | 27:00 
Resources: 
WWD State of the Industry Survey
Wastewater Digest WEFTEC content
WaterWorld State of the Industry Survey
SWS webinar with the Center for Watershed Protection
About the Podcast      
Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, stormwater and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.      
Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing talkingunderwater@endeavorb2b.com engaging with them on X @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.  
Editor's note: The timestamps were written with the assistance of AI.

In this episode of Talking Under Water, the co-hosts discuss recent industry news including two U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) PFAS legal actions. First, the agency motioned to partially vacate a court case in which American Water Works Association (AWWA) sued the agency for procedural missteps in how it developed the concentration limits that defined the Hazard Index. Second, EPA announced its intentions for the Comprehensive, Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, known as CERCLA or the Superfund. The hosts also cover Jessica Kramer’s confirmation as assistant administrator of the EPA’s Office of Water; the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s updates to its flood mapping tool; and post-Hurricane Helene recovery efforts a year after the storm.  
Show Notes:    
Legal challenges cloud future of PFAS regulation as EPA moves to vacate PFAS MCL
EPA outlines next steps on PFOA and PFOS cleanup under CERCLA
EPA funds water infrastructure resiliency in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene
NOAA expands flood inundation mapping tool to cover 60% of the U.S. population
Senate confirms Jessica Kramer to lead EPA Office of Water
Timestamps:   
Cold open & intro | 00:00
Episode overview | 00:22
Government shutdown update | 00:45
Jessica Kramer confirmed to EPA Office of Water | 01:42 
PFAS legal actions | 04:33
EPA post-hurricane funding in North Carolina |08:09
NOAA flood inundation mapping tool expansion | 09:06
Housekeeping & announcements | 10:19
Closing | 11:3
Resources: 
Tunnels & Tech eBook 
WWD workplace culture webinar 
Renew your WaterWorld subscription 
SWS webinar with the Center for Watershed Protection 
About the Podcast      
Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, stormwater and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.      
Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing talkingunderwater@endeavorb2b.com engaging with them on X @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.