Tap Talk

Welcome to Tap Talk Season 8! To kick off this new season, we welcome Courtney Lee to the show, who is the Director of Workforce Development at The Water Tower . The Water Tower is a nonprofit innovation hub striving to transform the future of water with research, workforce development, and industry collaboration programs . Courtney talks with Steve and Jennifer the unique approaches the organization is using to cultivate the next generation of water professionals. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

Today, we finish up Season 7 of Tap Talk with the final part of our conservation with Anthony DeRosa, the executive director of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators ( ASDWA ). In this half of the conversation, Anthony discusses the changing approach of states to drinking water compliance and the challenges they face, the shifting culture of innovation and knowledge-sharing across the water sector, and some of the distinct difficulties that small systems deal with. Don't forget to listen to Part 1 of this episode if you haven't yet. And keep your eyes peeled for Tap Talk Season 8! Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

To conclude Season 7 of Tap Talk, we bring you a two-part conversation with Anthony DeRosa, the executive director of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators ( ASDWA ). In Part 1 of the episode, Anthony tells Steve and Jennifer about the work ASDWA does to support drinking water regulators, the evolution of the organization over the time he has worked there, and his approach to leadership in this changing technological age. Be sure to check back next week for Part 2 of the episode, which will be the final release of Season 7! Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

This week on Tap Talk, we are pleased to welcome to the show a colleague from the Illinois State Water Survey : Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford. Trent explains the weather phenomenon of El Niño to Steve & Jennifer, including the science behind the oscillation's mechanics, the likelihood of this year's El Niño becoming a "Super" El Niño, the expected impacts on regional climates around the world, and what these impacts can mean for water supplies and systems. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

This week's episode of Tap Talk is a direct follow-up to last week's show, " What We Can Learn from Vermont's Flash Drought ." In that episode, we primarily discussed the impact of flash drought to private well users in Vermont. This week, we hear about the challenges from the other side of 2025's water crisis: those experienced at public water systems. Sille Larsen, water resources program manager from the Vermont Department of Environment Conservation, tells Jennifer and Steve about the steps taken at the state's water systems and the value of collecting data for understanding longterm drought impacts. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

For the 80th episode of Tap Talk, we are pleased to talk with Tom DeBell, an environmental health engineer at the Vermont Department of Health. Tom tells Steve and Jennifer about the intense flash drought that Vermont (and other northeastern states) experienced in the summer of 2025, particularly how the drought impacted private well users in the state. They also discuss the steps that the health department took to help well owners maintain their wells and educate the public on obtaining adequate water supplies during the water crisis. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

The more people maintain their septic systems, the more septage gets generated. But, there's increasingly no where for it to go. Sara Heger, a decentralized wastewater expert with NOWRA, is back on the show to break down why septage disposal is becoming a bigger headache, what PFAS and other contaminants have to do with it, and what it might actually take to fix this challenge. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

Next up on Tap Talk, we are welcoming Shannan Walton, the National Rural Water Association 's Director of Workforce Development, to the show. At NRWA, Shannan has been integral in running the organization's successful NRWA Apprenticeship Program for training new operators across the country. Listen to her conversation with Steve and Jennifer to learn all about the history, development, and the future of this program, as well as Shannan's thoughts on what else we can do to bring young people into the water industry. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

This week on Tap Talk we finish our two-part series with Bob Schreiber! In this episode, Bob (a water resources engineer at CDM Smith and long-time National Ground Water Association member) continues to discuss the development and importance of the National Ground Water Monitoring Network with Steve and Jennifer. They also discuss the links between Bob's advocacy work for both groundwater and bladder cancer awareness, as well as the importance of well testing and the need for greater understanding of the impacts of groundwater contaminants on health outcomes. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

Our newest Tap Talk episode is a two-parter! Today, we welcome Bob Schreiber, a water resources engineer at CDM Smith and long-time National Ground Water Association member, to the show to discuss the development and importance of the National Ground Water Monitoring Network . Be sure to tune back in next week for Part 2 with Bob! Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

For Tap Talk's landmark 75th episode, we welcomed on Hunter Adams, the Water Source & Purification Superintendent for the City of Wichita Falls, Texas. With Jennifer & Steve, Hunter discusses the importance of getting involved with the water industry and giving back to the water community. Hunter also explains the story behind the series of "What Operators Need to Know" articles he writes and edits for the American Water Works Association's OpFlow magazine. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

Today, we welcome Katie Maegli of Water Quality Investigations to Tap Talk! WQI is a private water testing lab in southern Wisconsin, where Katie serves as the lab's microbiologist with specializations in buildings' water systems and Legionella management. This conversation dives deep into Legionella; from where the bacteria is commonly found, the regulatory guidelines that help reduce Legionella risk, the actions individuals can take to avoid legionella growth in their wells, health impacts from Pontiac fever and Legionnaires' disease, and the complexities of accurate testing of Legionella. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

Tap Talk Season 7 is here! Today, we bring you a conversation with Michael Phillis, a water & environment reporter for the Associated Press. Michael tells Jennifer & Steve about how he got into environmental reporting, the importance and range of stories about water, and the experience of reporting the recent long-form investigation " A crisis emerges across the US as 'forever chemicals' quietly contaminate drinking water wells " with his colleague Helen Wieffering . This story centers the well contamination crisis in Stella, Wisconsin, a town of ~600 people in northern Wisconsin, where some well water tests have found PFAS concentration levels of 375 times the federal limit for drinking water connected to a nearby paper mill. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

Today, we finish Tap Talk Season 6 with the second part of our conversation with Mike McGill of WaterPIO ! Jennifer, Steve, and Mike discuss the importance of reliable and updated websites for water utilities, the similarities and differences in communicating about lead versus PFAS contamination, how small utilities can best communicate on these subjects, and more. We hope you've enjoyed Season 6, and we'll see you back for Season 7 soon! Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

We're concluding Tap Talk Season 6 with another two-part series! Today, we release the first episode of the set: "Build Trust Before a Crisis: Communication Basics for Water Systems." Mike McGill, founder and president of water utility communications & PR firm WaterPIO , joins Jennifer and Steve to discuss the shifting landscape of communicating in the water sector. Between the longstanding issue of lead pipes, the evergrowing threat of PFAS contamination, and looming possibilities of natural disasters and other crises, the task of communicating with the public is harder than ever for utilities to avoid. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

In the second episode of our series featuring Andrew Jacque and Emily Hefty-Dieckhoff from Water Quality Investigations , we continue exploring the world of biofilms and other common water quality issues in household water systems. Make sure you've caught Part 1 first that covers a lot of biofilm basics, and then here in Part 2 hear Andrew, Emily, Steve, and Jennifer further discuss biofilm-induced water quality issues, water chemistry, microbial corrosion, the effectiveness of home treatment, and more advice for homeowners! Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

In the first episode of a two-part series, we explore the world of biofilms in drinking water systems with guests Andrew Jacque and Emily Hefty-Dieckhoff of Water Quality Investigations . Andrew and Emily explain to Jennifer and Steve the fundamentals of what biofilms are, where they can be found both in water systems and naturally, and the health issues they can cause. Be sure to return for Part 2, which will delve even further into the complexities of biofilms! Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

In Tap Talk's 68th episode, Steve and Jennifer chat with Kurt Rakouskas — a project manager at the Environmental Council of the States — about the organization's cross-disciplinary work and its stewardship of the Be Well Informed tool . This free tool helps well users understand the results of water tests performed on their wells by translating the scientific and technical notation into plain language. This helps make clear if there is a problem indicated by the results, what the risks of any present contaminants are, and what the next steps should be for the well owner. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

This week on Tap Talk we are pleased to welcome guest Erin Ling, a senior extension specialist at Virginia Tech University who coordinates the Virginia Household Water Quality Program (VAHWQP). The unique program provides a wealth of services to well owners in Virginia, including affordable testing, educational programming & workshops, water quality data collection & publication, and youth outreach for high school students. In particular, Erin emphasizes the value of the program's data on Virginia's private wells, and discusses with Steve and Jennifer how other states might learn from Virginia's model. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

In this episode we're concluding a two-part series exploring PFAS and their impact on private well users. Our conversation with Dr. Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson and Jennifer Hoponick Redmon dives further into their research efforts and potential applications. Together these episodes offer important foundational understanding as well as new insight on PFAS exposure via well water. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.