Ed Mathieu, president of ODI‑Solutions, discusses Aquabus, an innovative magnetic water technology delivering measurable efficiency and cost‑saving benefits. Ed explains how Aquabus significantly reduces water use by altering the molecular structure of water, allowing it to penetrate soil more quickly while minimizing runoff and waste. Backed by independent university studies, the technology helps plants maintain optimal moisture levels while improving overall plant health and productivity. The ...
Apr 14, 2026•55 min•Ep. 301
Steve Moore, CEO of Moore Water Management, presents a Master Class on selecting and maximizing smart irrigation systems. Steve explains how irrigation components are chosen based on landscape design and how elements like pipe sizing, pressure, and irrigation type—drip, spray, or rotor—must work together as a complete system. He dives into advanced smart controller management, outlining the environmental data required for accurate programming, including vegetation type, climate conditions, and e...
Apr 13, 2026•55 min•Ep. 300
Guest Gabe Brown, principal of Understanding Ag, LLC, shares his expertise in regenerative agriculture and the work his consulting group does with farmers and ranchers around the world. Gabe defines the core principles of regenerative agriculture, emphasizing that soil‑building practices must be adapted to geography, crop type, and individual farm context. He explains how regenerative agriculture offers one of the greatest opportunities to improve human and climate health while strengthening the...
Mar 30, 2026•54 min•Ep. 299
Cydian Kauffman, founder of Pure Water–Northwest, explores his mission-driven approach to demystifying clean water. Cydian shares how his business cuts through industry confusion to deliver real, science‑backed water solutions, while also tackling fringe topics like structured and hydrogenated water to separate fact from fiction. He discusses how Pure Water–Northwest designs custom solutions for challenges such as industrial runoff, high iron levels, bacterial contamination, arsenic, PFAS, fluor...
Mar 18, 2026•55 min•Ep. 298
Chris Davey, a retired leader from The Toro Company’s Precision Irrigation Division, reflects on a career dedicated to the landscape and irrigation industry. A proud graduate of Cal Poly Pomona and the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University, Chris shares how his curiosity in irrigation hydraulics shaped a journey spanning product management and senior leadership roles. He also discusses his time as a former co‑host of the award‑winning The Water Zone radio show and his ind...
Mar 11, 2026•54 min•Ep. 297
Tyler Fields, Sr. Director of Water Solutions at Valmont Industries, a global leader in infrastructure and agricultural irrigation products shares insights from his role as a newly appointed member of the Irrigation Association’s Board of Directors, explaining how his technical background and industry experience will help support the organization’s long-term success. As an agricultural engineer, he discusses Valmont’s commitment to advancing ag technology and water sustainability through high-pe...
Feb 25, 2026•55 min•Ep. 296
Paulette McGhie, programs manager at ResNet, and Michel Matthews, program engagement specialist, discuss how ResNet standards differ from other energy efficiency programs and how those standards are developed and updated. They explain the important role ResNet standards play in the mortgage industry, including how a ResNet‑certified home may qualify buyers for special mortgage financing tied to new home purchases or upgrades. Michel highlights how the standards ensure accuracy and consistency in...
Feb 16, 2026•55 min•Ep. 295
Alex Grant, CEO of Magrathea Metals, discusses a breakthrough approach to producing carbon‑neutral magnesium metal from seawater and brines. He outlines the major global challenges facing magnesium production, noting that Russia and China currently dominate supply, creating economic and national security risks for the United States. Grant shares how Magrathea Metals is partnering with the U.S. military and Tetra Technologies to rebuild a domestic magnesium supply through a new project launching ...
Feb 10, 2026•55 min•Ep. 294
Mike Hightower, PhD, director of the New Mexico Produced Water Research Consortium, and Kyle Murray, PhD, principal scientist at GeoConsulting LLC, explore the growing opportunity to recover critical minerals from produced water in oil and gas operations. They explain how characterizing produced water allows researchers to identify valuable elements such as lithium, magnesium, iodine, bromide, and others that can create new revenue streams. The conversation highlights current projects focused on...
Feb 10, 2026•56 min•Ep. 293
Doug Bennett, conservation manager for the Washington County Water Conservancy District in St. George, Utah, discusses the region’s most pressing conservation and sustainability challenges. He explains how the district is implementing buy‑back programming to improve drought resilience and stretch limited water supplies amid severe future availability forecasts. Doug highlights projections showing water demand may increase by up to 200% by 2060. To address these long‑term needs, the district is i...
Jan 26, 2026•55 min•Ep. 292
Shilpa Alva, CEO of Surge for Water, shares how her organization invests in underserved global communities by delivering safe water, hygiene, and menstrual health solutions to help break cycles of poverty. She highlights that Surge for Water is a women‑led movement rooted in equity, respect, and stewardship ensuring historically excluded groups are prioritized and that local wisdom guides every project. Alva explains how the organization partners with community‑based teams in Haiti and Uganda to...
Jan 19, 2026•55 min•Ep. 291
Peter Fiske, Executive Director of the National Alliance for Water Innovation at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, explores the future of water production and reuse. He highlights major advancements in desalination, filtration, and resource recovery technologies that are reshaping how industries treat and repurpose water. Fiske also discusses emerging methods for extracting magnesium and rare earth elements from fracking brine, along with innovations like reactive plasma processing for high...
Jan 16, 2026•55 min•Ep. 290
The Water Zone host Rob Starr provides and in depth discussion about the impactful work of Orange County Coast Keepers, a non-profit dedicated to protecting fresh and saltwater ecosystems. Rob shares the organization’s history and its connection to over 300 “Keeper” programs worldwide, each operating independently. He highlights Coast Keepers’ hands-on efforts in public outreach, education, marine restoration (including oyster regeneration), research, and water quality enforcement. Current proje...
Jan 05, 2026•55 min•Ep. 289
Arizona homeowner John Bartlett, shares his concerns about pressing water issues impacting communities nationwide. The discussion covers the legal definition of water rights as interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court and explores whether the government can alter senior water rights, including current litigation trends. Bartlett and the hosts also examined the global PFAS crisis—known as “forever chemicals”—and debated the necessity and environmental impact of fracking, along with mining brine for ...
Dec 15, 2025•55 min•Ep. 288
Moses West, President of AWG Contracting and the Moses West Foundation, shares his journey into Atmospheric Water Generation (AWG). Drawing on his military experience and engineering background, Moses developed a groundbreaking water harvesting system to provide clean, abundant water for troops in the field—a prototype that earned military approval and orders. Today, his company delivers scalable solutions from small units to large systems producing up to 1.5 million gallons per day, supporting ...
Dec 09, 2025•55 min•Ep. 287
Scott Revell, manager of Roza Irrigation District, and Larry Mattson, director of the Office of Columbia River, discuss the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan. They highlight historically low reservoir storage and streamflows after three consecutive drought years, prompting strict water diversion restrictions to protect fish and senior water rights. They explain key drought factors, current supply levels, and projected water availability, along with voluntary and mandatory conservation measures for do...
Nov 25, 2025•55 min•Ep. 286
Donna DiFrancesco, conservation coordinator for the City of Mesa, AZ, who shares how Mesa won the Wyland’s National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation. Donna highlights the city’s innovative programs—like water management for commercial customers and HOAs, residential grass-to-landscape drip conversions, tree bonus incentives, and water education for schools—that empower residents and businesses to use water more efficiently. She also introduces helpful tools such as Mesa’s Water Calendar ...
Nov 18, 2025•55 min•Ep. 285
In this episode, Tia Fleming, executive director of the California Water Efficiency Partnership, explains California Bill 1572 and its impact on water conservation. The bill restricts the use of potable water for irrigating non-functional turf, but exempts residential yards, parks, cemeteries, golf courses, and sports fields. Tia defines non-functional turf, outlines compliance deadlines, and discusses enforcement. She also introduces a new online toolkit to help commercial users and water agenc...
Nov 18, 2025•55 min•Ep. 284
Ryan Meres, Paulette McGhie, and Michael Matthews from RESNET explore the significance of the HERS H2O rating system, which evaluates a home's water efficiency alongside its energy performance. They explain the types of homes eligible for certification and share statistics on adoption in California and other states. The discussion highlights how the HERS H2O rating aligns with the EPA’s WaterSense label, offering builders and homeowners a pathway to formal recognition and incentives. The guests ...
Nov 03, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 283
In this episode, we speak with Mauricio Guardado, general manager of United Water Conservation District, about their fight for fairness in water policy. A recent federal court ruling allows the government to take most of a community’s water without compensation, citing species protection—even when the science doesn’t support it. United Water is pushing back, demanding that environmental decisions be based on credible science and the rule of law. Listen to learn how this landmark case could resha...
Oct 28, 2025•55 min•Ep. 282
Homeowner and new listener Alan Lee, from Ohio joins he show seeking advice for his new home's irrigation system after years of apartment living. Hosts Rob and Chris guide him through landscape basics like design costs, DIY installation, and irrigation controller options. They also cover turf selection, watering schedules, winterization techniques, and troubleshooting common system issues like zone failures and drainage. This episode offers practical insights for homeowners navigating irrigation...
Oct 21, 2025•55 min•Ep. 281
Dr. Kyle Murray of principal scientist at Murray GeoConsulting, discusses how brine—an oil and gas byproduct—contains nearly every element in the periodic table, including critical minerals like lithium, rubidium, and platinum. These elements are vital for industries such as energy, computing, and transportation. He explained that recovering and selling these minerals could help oil and gas companies offset drilling costs. Additionally, brine holds large quantities of sodium, potassium, magnesiu...
Oct 16, 2025•55 min•Ep. 280
Anthony Giudice introduces AquaFlow’s innovative valve technology designed to optimize water flow and reduce costs across residential, commercial, and industrial applications. The product uses a 3-in-1 system that compresses trapped air and gas in water lines before it reaches the meter—preventing users from being charged for air volume. He explains that air enters water systems through municipal pumps, repairs, temperature shifts, and micro-leaks, and since most meters read total volume, this l...
Oct 06, 2025•55 min•Ep. 279
Kendall DeJonge, a USDA Research Agricultural Engineer, discusses his team's award-winning work on standardizing evapotranspiration (ET) software for water resource management. While ET methods have long been documented, Kendall highlights the lack of unified, publicly available code—until now. His team overcame major challenges to create collaborative tools using Python, chosen for its readability, extensive libraries, and broad applicability. Podcast Recorded September 25. 2025...
Sep 30, 2025•55 min•Ep. 278
Derek Heeren, PhD, Professor and Irrigation Engineer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, shares insights into his award-winning work in irrigation education. Honored with the 2025 Irrigation Association’s Excellence in Education Award, Heeren discusses his leadership in developing coursework, certificate programs, and a graduate specialization in agricultural water management. He also highlights his role as general editor for Irrigation Systems Management procedures published with ASABE in 20...
Sep 22, 2025•55 min•Ep. 277
Scott Bowmen, president of Precision-Rain Irrigation, shares his company’s unique business model focused on filling gaps in the landscape and irrigation industry. He emphasized the importance of selecting the right contractor and helping clients organize their project goals into actionable categories. His firm offers full project management or specialized services like irrigation system selection, water management, and arborist support. A key part of their approach is educating clients to unders...
Sep 16, 2025•55 min•Ep. 276
Guest Mark Freeman, Mayor of Mesa, Arizona highlights the city's leadership in water conservation, including winning the 2025 Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge, with residents pledging to save over 22 million gallons of water. He discusses educational and rebate programs that support conservation and sustainability. Additional efforts—like reducing electronics use and switching to refillable bottles—are projected to cut 6.2 million kWh of electricity and eliminate 14,000 plastic bottles. He also...
Sep 09, 2025•55 min•Ep. 275
In the latest episode of The Water Zone podcast, Quinten Dreesmann, principal & partner at Sciens Capital Management, discusses the firm’s investment focus on the water industry through its Sciens Water Opportunities Fund, launched in 2018 to acquire and grow private companies addressing U.S. water infrastructure challenges—particularly in utilities, transmission, distribution, and wastewater treatment—while delivering both income and long-term value for investors. Podcast Recorded on August...
Aug 26, 2025•55 min•Ep. 274
Eric Santos, president of Epic Landscape and Water Management Services, shares how his grandfather sparked his interest in landscaping. He discusses key qualifications for success in the industry, what HOAs look for in service providers, and the top challenges they face. Eric also advocates for more rebate funding for water-efficient products and supports state licensing for irrigators to ensure better water management. Podcast Recorded on August 7, 2025.
Aug 11, 2025•55 min•Ep. 273
Tom Lyons, Founder of Viridis Advisors, explores how resilient freshwater systems are central to global investment themes like energy, health, and technology. He highlights gaps in current water demand solutions and outlines opportunities across the water cycle—from supply and consumption to collection and treatment. Tom also shares how emerging water tech firms can build strong business strategies and secure long-term funding in this evolving landscape. Podcast Recorded July 31, 2025...
Aug 04, 2025•55 min•Ep. 272
