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Everyone has a role to play in protecting public health. Tap Talk, the Drinking Water in Rural America Podcast, connects professionals across the drinking water community with ideas to extend and enhance our work.
54 Episodes
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This 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 millions of lead service lines in the United States. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
The 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 Water's Brenda Culler, Lead Program Manager, and Joshua Pecek, Work Administrator of the Lead Service Line Replacement Program. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
On 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 take with Jennifer Lyn Walker, the Director of Infrastructure Cyber Defense for WaterISAC. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
This 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 logistics of their program, how they appeal to potential participants, and how the model could be duplicated for other utilities across the country. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
This 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 Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Region 1, in the greater Philadelphia area. They talk with Steve and Jennifer about their efforts to combat the "silver tsunami" affecting the water workforce. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
This 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 essential to these efforts and other strategies to advocate for the safekeeping of private wells. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
Bob 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 informal communities can be an essential tool for knowledge building. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
The 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 rural communities, what it means to be a technical assistance provider, and why passion is the most important part of the job. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
The 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 of the Office of Water Programs at California State University, Sacramento, about what he's learned from his years of teaching and the future of operator training. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
In 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 WaterOperator.org, discuss the evolution and expansion of our programs, and the value of our partnerships in helping those we serve. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
Regionalization 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 sustainability of small and rural water systems. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
As 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 issues as well as efforts to increase compliance and sustainability for the most disadvantaged communities. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
Pennsylvania 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 program and the lessons he has learned. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
In 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. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
Research 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 highlights how both social understanding and real data are needed to design equitable solutions. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
When 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 and outreach in gaining support for the project. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
Tribal 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 Nation. Our conversation highlights the innovative solutions the Tribe is using to address safe water access as well as significant obstacles that remain. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
Tammy 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 public health in rural Alaska. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
In 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 taken. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
In 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. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
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