Recorded live from the Irrigation Association Show at the Long Beach Convention Center, Rob and Chris connect with four influential figures in the irrigation industry. Outgoing IA President Inge Bisconer reflects on her tenure, shares her vision for the association’s future, and introduces Surf & Earth Enterprises’ advanced, free software for industry users. Tyler Fields, sr. director, Valley Water Delivery at Valmont Industries, Inc., highlights his company’s journey to winning the IA’s pre...
Nov 11, 2024•55 min•Ep. 241
Steve Counter, VP of the Irrigation & Lighting Category at SiteOne Landscape Supply, shares his journey into the landscaping industry and how SiteOne became the largest irrigation distributor in the U.S., with over 500 stores nationwide. Steve highlights what sets SiteOne apart from competitors, including their extensive product range covering irrigation, lighting, turf and landscape maintenance, nursery, hardscape, and pest control. He discusses the company's commitment to supporting custom...
Oct 22, 2024•55 min•Ep. 240
Noel Carter, general manager of the Buckeye Water Conservation and Drainage District (BWCDD), discusses the district's role in supporting agriculture through irrigation water, power, and flood irrigation services, as well as protecting farmland from alkali drainage. He shares the district's history and its evolution in developing guidelines as the area transitioned from a major agricultural hub. Noel also highlights a new bipartisan infrastructure deal that allocates over $11 million to BWCDD fo...
Oct 16, 2024•54 min•Ep. 239
In this episode, Susan Kennedy, Chairman and CEO of Cadiz, Inc., discusses the company's mission to expand safe, reliable water access through innovative water management and conservation. Cadiz is focused on building infrastructure, such as a pipeline connecting their wellfield to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California's Colorado River Aqueduct, storing surplus water underground, and treating water to remove harmful contaminants. Susan highlights partnerships like the one with t...
Oct 07, 2024•56 min•Ep. 238
Rob Starr and Chris Davey broadcast from their recent visit to the 2024 WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas, NV, where several companies shared their innovations addressing water and environmental challenges. RESNET's Paulette McGhie and EPA's Jonah Schein discuss new building standards for energy and water efficiency. Atoco's Magnus Bach highlights sustainable atmospheric water harvesting and CO2 capture technologies. John Green of BlueGreen Water Technologies introduce solutions for...
Sep 30, 2024•55 min•Ep. 237
Special guests Joaquin Esquivel, chairman of the California State Water Resources Board, and Lou Bendon, CEO of Flycatcher Marketing, join the show to discuss key water issues facing California water operators. The conversation covers the impact of climate change on the water industry, the importance of decarbonization, and how water budgeting and water loss mandates from the Water Board are linked to decarbonization efforts. They also explore what the State Water Resources Board can do to advan...
Sep 24, 2024•54 min•Ep. 236
In this episode, Lindsey Stuvick, sustainable resources officer at Moulton Niguel Water District, and Lou Bendon, CEO of marketing at Fly Catcher Communications, discuss carbonizing water, water use efficiency, and the financial benefits for ratepayers and water districts. As part of a five-segment series, Lindsey explains how carbonizing water can drive cost savings and sustainability, while Lou shares his expertise in public relations for California water districts. He highlights creative stra...
Sep 19, 2024•55 min•Ep. 235
Lynn Priddy, PhD, President of Claremont Lincoln University, and Joanna Bauer, Executive VP and Chief Academic Officer discuss their parent entity, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and its unique curriculum for various public sectors. They explore the degrees offered by Claremont Lincoln University, key factors of leadership classes for mid to high-level executives, the formation of Teams and Fellows to resolve real-world issues, and the university's accreditation and compliance with necessary ...
Sep 09, 2024•54 min•Ep. 234
This episode features Mike Hightower, program director of the New Mexico Produced Water Research Consortium; Justin Mattingly, manager of the Water Reuse Program at the U.S. EPA; and Malynda Cappelle, facility manager of the Bureau of Reclamation’s Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility. The discussion centers around the EPA’s Water Resource Action Plan (WRAP), highlighting key priorities such as produced water and water stewardship. The guests delve into the federal role i...
Aug 26, 2024•55 min•Ep. 233
On this week’s show, Cynthia Campbell, water resources manager and advisor for the City of Phoenix, AZ, discusses how her passion for water conservation led her to the water industry after serving as the assistant city manager and working as an attorney. She provides insight into the current state of water in her district, highlighting the conservation initiatives spearheaded by Phoenix Water, including a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment center that creates more usable water for the communi...
Aug 19, 2024•55 min•Ep. 232
This week’s guest is Ralph Holt, the owner of Eco-Verde Irrigation Company in Phoenix, AZ. He shares insights about his business and what sets it apart from other companies. Ralph’s motto is “Turf is not a four-letter word,” and he discusses the importance of turfgrass for the environment. He also describes various water-saving methods that don’t involve removing existing landscapes. His presentation includes a commonsense discussion on sustainability, covering topics such as conservation, risk,...
Aug 12, 2024•55 min•Ep. 231
Darcy Burke, a board member for the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, shares her experience as a government advisory committee member for the EPA. She co-chairs water and climate adaptation communication workgroups and participates in The California Water for Food & People Movement. This movement's mission is to unite all of California's water-for-food-and-people advocates, coalitions, organizations, groups, bureaus, alliances, growers, and more into one large action force. Their goa...
Aug 06, 2024•55 min•Ep. 230
Lou Bendon, president of Flycatcher Marketing, has over 40 years of strategic marketing experience in water and commercial industries. In this episode, Lou tells us about the AWWA's (American Water Works Association) mission to decarbonize water by creating renewable energy from existing water pipeline infrastructure. He explains that water utilities and other water intensive industries face climate disruption, and increased energy costs that threaten the reliability of the water supply. Lou sha...
Jul 29, 2024•52 min•Ep. 229
The Water Report offers in-depth analysis of solutions written by the world's industry leaders covering a breadth of perspectives and expertise across multiple sectors. The monthly publication’s Owner and Editor in Chief Shaina Shay details her experience dealing with water use efficiency and varied water policies. Shaina describes how she came to purchase the publication and how she is using her expertise in water policy and management, conservation, and community outreach to take The Water Rep...
Jul 15, 2024•55 min•Ep. 228
Candidate for Arizona State Representative, Gary Snyder talks about his experience in the farming industry. He discusses how he promotes and implements water conservation and soil management best practices into his farming activities. Gary also describes the need for a higher appreciation of water and new technologies to help farmers and the public use water more efficiently. Gary also provides his vision for the future of water in Arizona, and how his ideas and water management knowledge play a...
Jul 01, 2024•55 min•Ep. 227
Scott Burr and Rick Penn of Accelerated Filtration, explain their new technology, specialized metal filters designed for produced water markets. They provide detail on the unique challenges of this innovative start-up and how this specialized filtration helps clean contaminants from dirty water, and how it can help provide solutions in several applications. This breakthrough technology is being met with much excitement in the marketplace and the technology is being advanced through the work of i...
Jun 24, 2024•55 min•Ep. 226
Ron Burke, president and CEO of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, explains the organization’s mission and presents their priorities around education, advocacy, research, and training. Ron also takes us on a deep dive into the approach to water efficiency in regions throughout the U.S. He tells us about the organization’s strategic plans, their vision for the future of water in the U.S., and what needs to be accomplished to fix top issues facing the industry. Podcast Recorded on June 13, 2024...
Jun 17, 2024•54 min•Ep. 225
Guest Charley Wilson, executive director and CEO of the Southern California Water Coalition, provides his perspective on the biggest water challenges in California today and what his organization is doing to secure greater water supplies. He shares his thoughts on how climate change is affecting water supplies and discusses the status of the Delta Fix project. He also speaks about the need to expand storm water storage throughout the state, the implementation of desalination projects and present...
Jun 10, 2024•55 min•Ep. 224
The first of a six-part series on New Mexico Produced Research Consortium, a joint effort of the New Mexico Environment Department and New Mexico State University. Throughout this series, we will have participating members in the Consortium like EPA representatives, government agencies, legislators, scientists, and utilities representatives, to share their perspectives and contributing actions toward the implementation of produced water. In this episode, Mike Hightower, Consortium program direct...
Jun 03, 2024•55 min•Ep. 223
Irrigation Association President and owner of Surf ‘N Earth Enterprises, Inge Bisconer, describes her role and plans for working with membership, the industry and legislators. Inge reflects on recent accolades from the American Society of Irrigation Consultants and her 40 plus years in the irrigation industry. A long-time advocate for sustainability and water use efficiency, she has been a leading expert helping agricultural growers improve their profitability through better technology, manageme...
May 28, 2024•55 min•Ep. 222
Special guest Steven Moore, CEO of Moore Water Management, talks about best practices in water management and how they can be practically applied in the real world. He describes evapotranspiration (ET) and factors to consider when developing watering plans like crop coefficients, soil conditions, temperature, humidity, wind, and solar radiation. Finally, he discusses smart controllers and soil moisture sensors, how each works hand-in-hand to provide the right watering schedule and how ET data pl...
May 20, 2024•55 min•Ep. 221
Moses West Foundation leverages cutting edge atmospheric water generation technology to provide water access, foster community development and promote environmental responsibility. Founder Moses West joins the show to present the foundation’s latest technology for atmospheric water generation. He also shares how the foundation has generated over 5 million gallons of clean water around the world since its launch and how it has provided many potable water generator systems to the US military, the ...
May 13, 2024•55 min•Ep. 220
We are joined by friend of the show, John Farner, executive director of the Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy, a center at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. John provides insight on the center’s activities and objectives. He also details the history and importance of the Colorado River Basin and why the center started its work there. He addresses the biggest challenges facing the basin and highlights some key programs relevant to overall global water challenges. Podcast Recorded on Ma...
May 06, 2024•55 min•Ep. 219
This week’s guest is Thomas Schumann, CEO of Thomas Schumann Capital (TSC). TSC has emerged as a leading advocate for sustainable freshwater management and global water security. Recognizing the importance of water, TSC’s mission is to harness innovative strategies to protect freshwater supplies for the future. The company has also developed innovative financial instruments to promote water security, including the world’s first security token backed by real-world assets in the form of Arctic fre...
May 03, 2024•55 min•Ep. 218
Chris Willis, owner of Colorado Total Maintenance company located in Denver, Colorado details his journey from grounds worker to business owner. Colorado Total Maintenance manages landscape and irrigation for the City of Denver Parks & Recreation along with other large scale commercial properties. Chris believes that his experience starting in the industry and the opportunity to learn from experts has made him a wiser businessman and a owner. He provides insight to the many irrigation opport...
Apr 23, 2024•55 min•Ep. 217
Theo Wirtz and Philliph Prosenko of the IRRISketch company discuss their low-cost, innovative web-based irrigation system planner for landscape professionals and homeowners. Their software can significantly reduce the time to create a professional irrigation system design down to approximately 30 minutes. The system automatically determines pipe size, spray heads or rotors required and how many can be operated by each valve. IRRISketch also identifies all the components needed to install the irr...
Apr 17, 2024•55 min•Ep. 216
Part two of our discussion on cybersecurity affecting the water, electrical and petroleum industries. Contributors to the discussion are Frank Taylor, former under secretary for Intelligence and Analysis at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Sherri Ramsay, former director of the National Security Agency/Central Security Service Threat Operations Center, Hafsah Lak, former FBI Department of Cyber Security chief, and Harri Hursti, world-renowned data security expert. They discuss issues lik...
Apr 08, 2024•56 min•Ep. 215
The first of an eye-opening two-part series, this episode dives into the heart of cybersecurity, featuring an elite panel including Frank Taylor, former Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Sherri Ramsay, former Director of the NSA/CSS Threat Operations Center, Hafsah Lak, former FBI Cyber Security Chief, and Harri Hursti, a world-renowned data security expert. Together, they illuminate the potential cyber threats targeting vital infrastructu...
Apr 01, 2024•31 min•Ep. 214
The New Jersey Irrigation Association is known for its leadership in groundbreaking legislation for the industry. The New Jersey IA helped drive legislation that requires all irrigators in the state to be licensed. Gregg Rogers, owner of Garden Irrigation in New Jersey, chronicles his efforts to help drive new legislation through his work with the Irrigation Association and discusses his company’s growth over the past 30 years. He also describes the many educational activities that they have ini...
Mar 26, 2024•54 min•Ep. 213
Tom Lucas, president of Performance Nursery, provides a history of how and what attracted him to the green industry. He recounts the changes to the industry over time and how those changes have shaped the sales of low water use plant materials and water conservation. Tom also shares how these changes have impacted marketing, promotion and produced a more educated customer base. Podcast Recorded on March 14, 2024
Mar 19, 2024•55 min•Ep. 212
