Tap Talk Podcast: Season 4 Recap

With our work here on WaterOperator.org as well as our sister program PrivateWellClass.org, our team has a unique national role that weaves in and out of environmental health, water infrastructure, and public policy. While we use our science backgrounds to get the job done well, our purpose is fundamentally about communication. We want to connect people with information and each other.

Tap Talk: The Drinking Water in Rural America Podcast connects professionals across the drinking water community with ideas to extend and enhance our work

The fourth season was released throughout the spring of 2024 and featured the following 12 episodes:

TT037 – Partnership: The More You Give, The More You Get: 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.

TT038 – Operator Training: It Takes Skill: 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.

TT039 – RCAP at 50: Building Sustainable Rural Communities: A conversation 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.

TT040 – Be the Champion: Building Knowledge with Informal Communities: Steve and Jennifer talk with Bob Dunlevy of U.S. EPA’s Region 7 about building an understanding of asset management in water utilities and how informal communities can be an essential tool for knowledge building.

TT041 – Data: The Key to Private Well Advocacy: A conversation with Amie Shei from the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts about how data from sampling private wells has been essential to lobbying efforts related to implementing statewide regulations on private well water quality. 

TT042 – Local Solutions: A Key to Growing the Water Workforce (Part 1): We talk about efforts to combat the “silver tsunami” affecting the water workforce with Mike Sullivan, Executive Director of the Northampton Bucks County Municipal Authority; and Shannon Drosnock, Executive Director of the Montgomery Township Municipal Sewer Authority.

TT043 – Local Solutions: A Key to Growing the Water Workforce (Part 2): A continuation of our conversation with Utility Directors from suburban Philadelphia, Mike Sullivan and Shannon Drosnock. In this episode, they talk about the logistics of their internship program, how they appeal to potential participants, and how the model could be duplicated for other utilities across the country.

TT044 – Cybersecurity: Helpful Resources for Small Systems: Our guest Jennifer Lyn Walker, the Director of Infrastructure Cyber Defense for WaterISAC, discusses ways that small utilities can protect themselves from cyberattacks and the growing importance of cybersecurity.

TT045 – Lead Service Line Replacements: Lessons from Cleveland (Part 1): During this episode we talk with Cleveland Water’s Brenda Culler, Lead Program Manager, and Joshua Pecek, Lead Service Line Replacement Work Administrator. We learn about their successful program to replace lead service lines that has landed Cleveland and Cuyahoga County ahead of the LSLR curve.

TT046 – Lead Service Line Replacements: Lessons from Cleveland (Part 2): We continue our conversation with Brenda Culler and Joshua Pecek of Cleveland Water‘s LSLR team. Their program provides a model for other water systems to follow in the development of their own lead service line replacement efforts.

TT047 – Hands-On Training: How to Develop the Water Workforce: Jennifer and Steve talk with Matt Maas, the director of the Environmental Resources Training Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The ERTC is a one-of-a-kind facility with working pilot plants and laboratories that allow students to experience hands-on training throughout the entire certification program. 

TT048 – Solutions-Focused Journalism: Creating Water Stories: In this episode, we welcome Travis Loop, the founder of waterloop, to discuss how to use solutions-focused journalism and storytelling to address our various water problems.

You’re invited to discuss the episodes in our LinkedIn Group and if you choose to share on Twitter, please use the hashtag #TapTalkPodcast. Don’t forget to subscribe via Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app!