Tap Talk

The latest episode of Tap Talk delves back into the topic of how to develop and train the newest generation of 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.  Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!

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!