TT043 - Local Solutions: A Key to Growing the Water Workforce (Part 2)
Release Date: 04/18/2024
TT060 – Understanding Water Audits for Small Utilities (Part 2)
Tap Talk
And now for the final episode of Season 5! To wrap up this great season, we have the second installment of our conversation with Glenn Barnes, the director of — a consulting agency that provides finance-focused training and technical assistance to water systems. This episode focuses on the role of technical assistance providers in performing water audits and how to develop useful recommendations for water systems' stakeholders. Thank you for listening with us this season, and we will be back again with Season 6 before you know it! Visit to learn more and find the full show notes for this...
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TT059 – Understanding Water Audits for Small Utilities (Part 1)
Tap Talk
For the penultimate episode of our fifth season, Glenn Barnes joins us for the first episode of a two-part series. Glenn is the director of , a consulting agency that provides finance-focused training and technical assistance to water systems. Our discussion focused specifically on water auditing at utilities, or the process of identifying and minimizing the loss of non-revenue water — also known as water loss. Visit to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
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TT058 – Solutions for Safety in Buildings' Water Systems
Tap Talk
In Tap Talk's 58th episode, Dr. Andrew Whelton of Purdue University visits to discuss plumbing and water system safety in buildings. Dr. Whelton is the lead of Purdue's , and among many duties, he explores solutions at the intersection of water infrastructure and public health. Listen to learn about how plumbing affects water quality, how the COVID pandemic rocked the water systems of unpopulated buildings, how to keep your office's water system safe, and more. Visit to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
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TT057 – Examining Well Water Standards, Sampling, and Research in Minnesota's Dakota County
Tap Talk
This week we are pleased to welcome another deeply knowledgeable guest from the state of Minnesota: Vanessa Demuth, a geologist and well inspector from Dakota County, Minnesota's . Dakota County is one of a set of Minnesota counties that has stricter standards for well water pollutants than the state. Vanessa tells Steve and Jennifer how these stricter standards benefit the well owners of Dakota County, other well care tactics the county undertakes, unique pollutants, and more! Visit to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
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TT056 – Bridging the Gap with Technical Assistance
Tap Talk
U.S. EPA's WaterTA program is an umbrella for a range of services that directly serve the regulated community. In this episode we're chatting about how the program is reducing barriers to capacity development, including funding accessibility, by matching water system requests with local technical assistance providers. Visit to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
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TT055 – A Look at Progress and Needs in the Decentralized Wastewater Industry
Tap Talk
This is an exciting week for Tap Talk: Our newest episode is our first fully dedicated to decentralized wastewater and septic systems! Steve and Jennifer welcome Dr. Sara Heger, an industry expert, researcher, and trainer from the University of Minnesota's . Whether you're a water professional or a homeowner with a septic system, listen for an introduction to the recent progress, needs, and issues in the decentralized wastewater industry. Visit to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
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TT054 – The Many Benefits of Iowa's Private Well Grants Program
Tap Talk
We're officially halfway through Tap Talk's fifth season! This week, we welcome some guests from our state's neighbor to the West: Mindy Uhle, Bureau Chief of Environmental Health at the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, and Erik Day, a Senior Environmental Specialist at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Mindy and Erik work on Iowa's Private Well Grants Program, a cross-agency effort to provide Iowans with free or discounted well services. (See more from and ). The program was established through the Iowa Groundwater Protection Act, and bolsters relationship between all...
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TT053 – How Community Engineering Corps Serves Underserved America
Tap Talk
In our latest episode of Tap Talk, our guest is Molly Sullivan, a Program Engineer at (CECorps), a partnership that provides pro-bono engineering and consulting services for infrastructure projects to communities in the United States, the US Territories, and tribal lands. A significant portion of CECorps' projects center on water and wastewater infrastructure, and Molly chats with Jennifer and Steve about their approach to helping underserved communities find and implement the solutions they need to thrive. Visit to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
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TT052 – Exploring Best Practices for Online Operator Training
Tap Talk
Next up on Tap Talk, Steve and Jennifer welcome Dr. Sidney Innerebner of Colorado-based to the show. Sidney is certified as an engineer and as both a wastewater operator and industrial operator in Colorado, and has been working in various aspects of the environmental services field since 1990. At Indigo, much of her work revolves around operator training, both in-person and online. Best practices in online training to enable meaningful learning is a particular passion, which she explores in depth on the show. Visit to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!
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TT051 – Resources for Well and Septic Owners to Face Florida's Changing Climate
Tap Talk
This week on Tap Talk, Jennifer and Steve chatted with Dr. Andrea Albertin and Dr. Yilin Zhuang of the University of Florida Extension's (FWON). From intensified hurricanes to rising sea levels to eroding coasts, climate change has brought a number of significant environmental challenges to Florida. The state's millions of well and septic users — common in urban areas as well as the typical rural ones — face unique struggles in equipping their properties to face these challenges and responding to the damage they wreak. FWON works to provide education, resources, and support to these...
info_outlineThis 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!