Scaling UP! H2O
The podcast where we scale up on knowledge so we don't scale up our systems. Find out why working in Industrial Water Treatment is the best job in the world. Hear industry experts share their knowledge and stories. Learn about technologies, methods, and career journeys. Join podcast host Trace Blackmore, former AWT President, LEED, and CWT every Friday for a new episode.
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503 Pinks and Blues: Beyond Industrial Water Week 2026
10/16/2026
503 Pinks and Blues: Beyond Industrial Water Week 2026
Industrial Water Week 2026 has ended, and Trace Blackmore, CWT, challenges listeners to carry its focus on learning and mentorship into the rest of the year. This Pinks and Blues episode combines reflections on IWW26 and the AWT convention with listener questions about AI and professional development. Give continued learning a place on your calendar Trace proposes a specific challenge: choose one of Industrial Water Week’s five focus areas and schedule 30 minutes to improve your understanding. Those areas are pretreatment, boilers, cooling, wastewater, and careers. He suggests reading an article, watching a training video, revisiting an earlier podcast, or walking an account with fresh eyes. He also encourages listeners to consider someone they could mentor, a question to ask a mentor, or a process to improve. Build on the relationships behind the industry Looking back at the AWT convention in Oklahoma City, Trace recounts listeners saying the podcast motivated them to pursue the Certified Water Technologist designation or reconsider leaving the industry. He describes the Scaling UP! H2O magic button as a way to start conversations with other attendees. He also recalls Mark Lewis sharing the spotlight during his award recognition. That gesture allowed Tom Brandvold to present Trace’s earlier award to him in person. Use AI while continuing to develop your expertise Answering questions prompted by Episode 492, Trace recommends AI for routine data gathering and study aids built from information the user knows is correct. His experiences with incorrect blending instructions reinforce his recommendation to verify technical answers. For service reports, he suggests using AI to improve the wording of factual notes about completed work, including probe calibration, cleaning, and pump priming. Each report should still describe that particular visit. For employers, Trace recommends deciding which platforms to use, reviewing settings, training employees, and documenting acceptable use. He also suggests seeking knowledgeable help when developing an AI policy. Choose a learning path that fits your next step Trace shares his educational journey, including earning his GED and MBA and currently pursuing a doctorate in business administration. He explains why the flexibility of online learning suited him. He also previews AWT technical training announced for November 11–14, 2026, in Frisco, Texas. He describes concurrent options including fundamentals and applications, program design and operations, water treatment and advanced water treatment, ASSE 12080, and wastewater. Choose one skill to strengthen and give that commitment a specific place in your working week. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps All times are approximate. Chapter markers are rounded to the nearest 10 seconds. 02:20 — Trace connects Industrial Water Week 2026 with the continuing education and mentorship the industry needs throughout the year. 08:40 — A 30-minute learning challenge turns the celebration into a specific commitment to professional development. 09:20 — Reflections on the AWT convention show how professional conversations can reinforce career motivation and mentorship. 15:10 — The Scaling UP! H2O magic button offers convention attendees a simple way to start conversations and build relationships. 19:40 — Trace contrasts manual tank measurements with a Pyxis radar device to illustrate how tools can simplify routine work. 21:50 — The origin of Pinks and Blues leads into a discussion of career impact, mentoring, and measuring customer water savings. 24:00 — James McDonald’s inspiration for Detective H2O explains how storytelling became a vehicle for water treatment education. 28:40 — Listener questions examine how new water treaters can use AI while continuing to learn the fundamentals. 30:20 — Trace’s chemical-blending examples illustrate why AI-generated instructions require technical verification. 31:30 — Flashcards, practice tests, and vocabulary exercises offer ways to study using information you already trust. 32:10 — AI can improve service-report wording when the input accurately describes work completed during that visit. 34:40 — Trace explains why water treaters should establish how an AI answer was verified before acting on it. 35:50 — Trace shares why he believes AI will support water treaters while practical expertise remains essential. 37:10 — Platform selection, data controls, employee training, and written policy establish expectations for workplace AI use. 40:40 — Trace’s educational journey encourages professionals whose learning paths have followed a less conventional route. 46:40 — A preview of AWT’s November technical training helps listeners consider their next opportunity for structured learning. 48:40 — Trace compares concurrent training tracks by experience level and professional goals to help attendees choose a course. 51:40 — The closing challenge encourages continued learning and support for the technicians who will shape the industry’s future. Connect with Scaling UP! H2O Submit a show idea: LinkedIn: YouTube: Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses This episode made possible through our valued partners at
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502 Industrial Water Week 2026: Careers Friday
10/09/2026
502 Industrial Water Week 2026: Careers Friday
Experienced water treaters carry knowledge that the next generation needs. For Careers Friday, Trace Blackmore, CWT asks them to pass it on. The Industrial Water Week 2026 finale connects industrial water treatment careers with mentorship, practical training, and curiosity. Pass on the reasoning behind the work Trace describes a mentor as someone you can call when a system presents a problem you cannot explain. Learning from another professional’s challenges, mistakes, and experience helped him solve problems and later mentor others. He also addresses professionals preparing to retire. Their water treatment legacy can continue through a colleague who learns from their experience. Three routes into a water career Brian Liotta of USALCO recounts a career that began in water treatment chemical manufacturing and expanded into commercial work and distribution. Jemma Tennant, chair of the Water Management Society and an SMS Environmental employee, shares how effluent-plant work and a conversation with Sir David Attenborough inspired her career. Meanwhile, Dr. David Krause of HC3 describes entering the field through public health responses to waterborne disease. His message includes industrial hygiene resources and training in health and safety, confined-space entry, and combustible dust. Detective H2O: The Case of Adolescent Curiosity Detective H2O introduces two high school students to pretreatment, boiler water, data center cooling, and batch wastewater treatment. James McDonald brings the series to listeners, while Trace credits Mark Lewis with writing today’s case. The tour connects ion exchange and softener regeneration with boiler protection, then explains deaeration, sulfite, and neutralizing amines. At the data center, corrosion coupons, bacteria dipslides, conductivity, operating trends, and chiller approach support a complete testing program. The wastewater stop adds jar testing, coagulant and flocculant selection, clarification, and filter-press dewatering. The lesson links discharge requirements with the cost of hauling wet sludge. Guest voices, peer support, and a next step Trace thanks Pyxis Lab, the official sponsor of Industrial Water Week 2026, and reveals the guest voices behind all five Detective H2O cases. He also describes the Rising Tide Mastermind as a place for regular peer support, accountability, and shared knowledge. His closing request gives listeners a practical next step: thank someone who helped build their knowledge, seek a mentor, or mentor another water professional. Keep that exchange active so the industry’s experience continues to reach the next generation. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamp 01:10 — Trace opens Careers Friday and thanks Pyxis Lab for supporting Industrial Water Week 2026. 04:40 — Trace recognizes the community’s photos, stories, and mystery-voice guesses as ways to celebrate the profession. 07:40 — Trace connects career development with mentors who share experience and help newcomers understand unfamiliar systems. 10:00 — Trace asks professionals nearing retirement to mentor someone so their water treatment knowledge continues. 11:00 — Brian Liotta shares his route from chemical manufacturing into commercial work and distribution, illustrating the industry’s career range. 12:10 — Jemma Tennant describes her effluent-plant beginnings and encourages women to consider careers in water. 13:00 — Dr. David Krause connects public health work with water treatment and emphasizes training that helps professionals work safely. 16:10 — The Case of Adolescent Curiosity begins a student tour designed to make industrial water treatment visible as a career. 21:10 — The pretreatment stop explains ion exchange, hardness removal, and the importance of softener regeneration and monitoring. 23:30 — The boiler-room visit connects dissolved oxygen, deaeration, sulfite, and condensate treatment with corrosion control. 25:00 — The data center visit links cooling-water performance with heat transfer, reliability, and a complete testing program. 27:00 — The wastewater stop explains batch testing, chemical selection, clarification, and dewatering to manage discharge and disposal costs. 31:20 — Trace reveals the guest voices behind the week’s five Detective H2O cases and recalls their previous podcast appearances. 38:50 — Trace urges listeners to thank their mentors and keep sharing knowledge, then introduces the Rising Tide Mastermind’s peer support. 42:00 — Trace identifies October 4–8, 2027 as the next Industrial Water Week and invites final IWW26 celebration posts. Connect with Brian Liotta Phone: 15102747326 Email: Website: LinkedIn: Connect with Jemma Tennant Phone: 447828315336 Email: LinkedIn: Connect with Dr. David Krause Phone: 850-766-1938 Email: Website: LinkedIn: Links Mentioned This episode made possible through our valued partners at
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501 Industrial Water Week 2026: Wastewater Thursday
10/08/2026
501 Industrial Water Week 2026: Wastewater Thursday
A wastewater inspection appeared to expose a failed treatment program—until Trace checked where the sample had been collected. For Industrial Water Week 2026: Wastewater Thursday, Trace Blackmore, CWT, connects correct sampling, water reuse, and careful troubleshooting with the decisions water treaters make every day. Check the sample location before drawing conclusions In an early-career account, a plant operator faced a threatened shutdown after an inspector’s sample produced out-of-spec results. Trace reviewed logs, spoke with the engineer, and tested two locations. The inspector had sampled before treatment rather than at the correct downstream location. Trace then showed the customer both results and asked the inspector where he had sampled. That curious, factual approach corrected the misunderstanding without blame. The customer also recognized the need to escort unfamiliar inspectors so they could collect samples from the right place. Recover water, nutrients, and energy Returning guest Dr. Veronika Zhiteneva of Waterloop Solutions describes wastewater plants as future resource recovery plants, reclaiming water, nutrients, and energy. Kalpna Solanki, president and CEO of GAMECHANGERS Inc., shares reuse examples from British Columbia: treated effluent for snowmaking, biosolids composted with sawdust, and reclaimed water for toilet flushing and rooftop irrigation at the Vancouver Convention Center West. Together, their greetings shift attention toward what treatment can recover and where reclaimed water can serve another purpose. Investigate the disappearing hardness In the fictional Detective H2O story, The Case of the Disappearing Act, an operator measures 2–3 ppm total hardness leaving a softener, yet the feedwater tests soft. After checking condensate return, repeating the analyses, and walking the process, the detective finds that the feedwater sample point sits downstream of EDTA injection. The case explains how chelant can complex calcium and magnesium before the hardness test, leaving a blue indication even when hardness has passed the softener. The resolution is to investigate the softener’s leakage and turn the operator’s observations into training and procedures. Share the work behind Wastewater Thursday Trace invites listeners to photograph their favorite wastewater equipment safely, wear appropriate PPE, and share the photo with #IWW26. He also recommends Episode 444 for last year’s Wastewater Thursday Detective H2O story and invites mystery-voice guesses on LinkedIn before Careers Friday’s reveal. Check the sample location, verify the data, and understand the process before drawing conclusions. Those habits support clearer decisions and more useful conversations with customers and colleagues. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:20 — Trace explains how wastewater treatment gives used water another life through treatment and reuse. 03:50 — A threatened plant shutdown introduces a sampling story that shows why an out-of-spec result needs investigation. 06:10 — Trace discovers that the inspector sampled before treatment, changing the interpretation of the reported results. 08:50 — Trace explains how curiosity and questions helped resolve the dispute and build trust with the inspector. 09:50 — Veronika Zhiteneva describes recovering water, nutrients, and energy rather than using new resources for the same purposes. 10:30 — Kalpna Solanki reframes wastewater as a resource and shares examples of treated-effluent and biosolids reuse. 11:40 — Kalpna describes reclaimed water at the Vancouver Convention Center West and discusses the future of water reclamation. 13:00 — Trace introduces the fictional Detective H2O case, The Case of the Disappearing Act, involving a water softener. 23:50 — Trace invites mystery-voice guesses on LinkedIn and recommends Episode 444 for another Wastewater Thursday story. 24:40 — Trace asks listeners to share a wastewater-equipment photo with #IWW26 while wearing PPE and working safely. 27:40 — Trace previews Careers Friday celebrations and mentions a water cake recipe for teams interested in trying it. Connect with Dr. Veronika Zhiteneva Email: Website: LinkedIn: Connect with Kalpna Solanki Email: Website: LinkedIn: Links Mentioned video courses This episode made possible through our valued partners at
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500 Industrial Water Week 2026: Cooling Wednesday
10/07/2026
500 Industrial Water Week 2026: Cooling Wednesday
Cooling Wednesday brings a practical reminder: correcting a treatment problem requires understanding what caused it. For Industrial Water Week 2026, Trace Blackmore, CWT, celebrates Episode 500 with lessons on cooling tower foam, biocide feed verification, Legionella risk, and unexplained chilled water loss. Start with the feed history When a cooling tower produces enough foam to spread across the property and trigger low water shutdowns, Trace begins with the biocide feed logs. He compares the chemical remaining in the tank with calculated consumption and finds evidence of earlier underfeeding, even though the pump operates correctly during his inspection. Trace connects the foaming to accumulated biofilm and explains why a biological treatment program needs a clean system to maintain. The case highlights the value of checking historical chemical delivery alongside current equipment operation. Find what interrupted treatment After the tower is cleaned and the biocide program is restored, the problem returns. A plant engineer discovers that a contractor has unplugged the biocide pump from the controller output and connected a power tool instead. The team labels both the pump plug and its connection at the controller, then adds a notice identifying the connection as something other than a general outlet. Their response addresses the cause and gives other people working around the equipment a clearer instruction. Connect cooling data with risk management Returning guests Jake (Jacob) Deak, Christine McHugh, and Matt Freije share Cooling Wednesday greetings. Jake discusses tracer monitoring technology, while Christine describes using water temperature, circulation, pH, makeup water, and environmental data to inform Legionella risk reduction. Matt recalls a cooling tower worker’s experience with Legionnaires’ disease and emphasizes water management, maintenance, treatment, and testing. Their contributions connect cooling performance with the people working around these systems. Investigate where the water is going In the fictional Detective H2O: The Case of the Blues, a hospital’s chilled water loop loses pressure and requires increasing makeup water, yet inspections reveal no visible leak. The investigation finds an ice machine connected to the chilled water loop instead of domestic cold water. The story emphasizes verifying actual piping connections rather than relying only on labels or drawings. Trace also reflects on learning since his first recording in 2017 and invites listeners to share cooling equipment photos with #IWW26. For water treatment professionals, both cases reinforce the same responsibility: follow the evidence, identify the cause, and take steps to prevent recurrence. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 01:00 — Trace opens Cooling Wednesday and recognizes the industrial water treatment community’s work. 02:00 — The Episode 500 milestone becomes a lesson in starting, learning, and improving through practice. 06:10 — Trace thanks Pyxis Lab and describes a tank measurement tool developed in response to field needs. 08:00 — Cooling towers, chillers, and heat exchangers illustrate the water treater’s role in maintaining heat transfer. 09:30 — Willis Carrier’s humidity problem provides an example of solving an operational challenge by thinking differently. 11:50 — Severe cooling tower foam introduces a case involving water loss and disrupted operation. 12:40 — Feed logs and chemical inventory reveal earlier biocide underfeeding despite correct pump operation during the visit. 14:10 — Trace connects accumulated biofilm with foaming and emphasizes establishing a clean system before maintaining it. 15:50 — Jake Deak shares a tracer technology greeting and a memorable PTSA spill in the field. 16:20 — Christine McHugh connects cooling tower data with Legionella risk reduction, training, and maintenance discussions. 17:20 — Matt Freije highlights the human consequences of Legionnaires’ disease and the importance of cooling tower water management. 19:00 — Detective H2O opens “The Case of the Blues,” a fictional hospital investigation into unexplained chilled water loss. 22:10 — Verified pressure and makeup readings direct the investigation beyond visible leaks. 27:50 — Blue ice provides the clue that leads to an ice machine connected to the chilled water loop. 31:20 — The story outlines correcting the piping connection and monitoring makeup water and pressure afterward. 34:30 — Trace invites LinkedIn voice guesses and announces that Friday’s episode will reveal the mystery voices. 36:10 — A contractor’s use of the biocide controller connection explains why treatment delivery was interrupted. 38:50 — Trace emphasizes preventing recurrence, then closes with appreciation for the community and the Cooling Wednesday photo invitation. Connect with Jake Deak Phone: +15704197057 Email: Website: LinkedIn: Connect with Christine McHugh Phone: +19179409383 Email: Website: LinkedIn: Connect with Matt Freije Email: Website: LinkedIn: Links Mentioned video courses This episode made possible through our valued partners at
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499 Industrial Water Week 2026: Boiler Tuesday
10/06/2026
499 Industrial Water Week 2026: Boiler Tuesday
Boiler Tuesday is a reminder that industrial water treatment exists to protect heat transfer efficiency. For day two of Industrial Water Week 2026, Trace Blackmore, CWT, connects feedwater preparation, condensate quality, and treatment distribution to the everyday decisions that keep steam systems working. Feedwater quality sets the stage Trace starts with a practical measure of boiler performance: how much heat from the flame reaches the steam? Feedwater conditions directly affect that work. He links inadequate feedwater heating with higher chemical demand, increased conductivity, and additional blowdown. For deaerators, he also emphasizes pressure. Together, these points reinforce the need to review feedwater conditions when evaluating treatment performance. Follow contamination through the condensate system Jake Elliott of HydroFlow recalls declining boiler alkalinity that eventually led to a plant room full of foam. A failed valve had allowed process material into the condensate return and feedwater tank, consuming alkalinity and forming soap. Meanwhile, Trace shares a separate case involving oil contamination, boiler surging, priming, and deteriorating steam quality. The investigation traced the oil to a leak in a process condensate line. Recovery required isolating the affected return, cleaning the boiler, and withholding contaminated condensate while the plant corrected the equipment and process problem. Both stories show why troubleshooting must include the process equipment connected to the condensate system. Confirm that amine protection reaches distant equipment James McDonald’s scripted Detective H2O story, The Case of Not Going the Distance, examines a different condensate problem. Readings near the boiler house look acceptable, while distant sections show lower pH and corrosion. The case explains amine distribution ratio as the relationship between amine in the vapor phase and amine in the liquid phase. It compares how morpholine, diethylaminoethanol, and cyclohexylamine travel through the system. The detective reviews the blend and identifies satellite feed locations near long steam branches. Then he checks condensate pH at the same sampling locations after the changes. Early coupon observations support continued monitoring through a full exposure cycle. Strengthen the fundamentals and celebrate the work Frank Lecrone of AquaPhoenix Scientific shares a hardness testing mixup that reinforces the value of checking test instructions and using the correct titrant. Eric Johnson of Boilearn emphasizes learning boiler fundamentals and considers how future AI tools could help professionals interpret system data. James Courtney of CSC Technologies closes the guest greetings with a story about returning to a familiar brewery boiler. To join the Boiler Tuesday celebration, share a photo with your boiler, deaerator, or feedwater tank using #IWW26. You can also guess the mystery guest voice on LinkedIn before Friday’s reveal. Sound boiler decisions depend on reliable testing, attention to connected processes, and evidence that treatment reaches the equipment it needs to protect. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 01:10 — Trace welcomes the Scaling UP! Nation to Boiler Tuesday and invites professionals to share their boiler work during IWW26. 02:50 — Trace defines the water treater’s role as a heat transfer efficiency manager and connects treatment work to steam production. 03:40 — The discussion moves from softened water and returned condensate to feedwater quality, establishing the starting point for boiler performance. 04:00 — Trace links inadequate feedwater heating to chemical demand and blowdown, then emphasizes deaerator temperature and pressure. 05:30 — Frank Lecrone shares a hardness testing error that shows why the correct titrant and test instructions matter. 06:30 — Eric Johnson explains how boiler fundamentals help professionals understand system behavior and troubleshoot customer problems. 07:50 — Eric considers future AI tools for interpreting boiler, steam, and hydronic system data to inform operating decisions. 09:10 — Jake Elliott describes declining alkalinity and foaming caused by process contamination entering the condensate system. 09:50 — Trace begins a field story about boiler surging, priming, and lost steam quality that disrupted production. 11:20 — The investigation identifies oil entering the condensate return through a process line leak, revealing the source of the boiler upset. 12:30 — Trace describes isolating the affected return, cleaning the boiler, and withholding contaminated condensate during recovery. 15:00 — Detective H2O begins The Case of Not Going the Distance, a scripted investigation into corrosion in distant condensate lines. 29:50 — James Courtney shares the personal significance of returning to a brewery boiler connected to his family business. 30:30 — Trace invites boiler room photos with #IWW26 and encourages listeners to prepare their Cooling Wednesday photos. Connect with Frank Lecrone Email: Website: LinkedIn: Connect with Eric Johnson Email: Website: LinkedIn: Connect with Jake Elliott, PhD Email: Website: LinkedIn: Connect with James Courtney Phone: +1 443 878 2407 Email: Website: LinkedIn: Links Mentioned video courses This episode is made possible through our valued partners at
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498 Industrial Water Week 2026: Pretreatment Monday
10/04/2026
498 Industrial Water Week 2026: Pretreatment Monday
is here—and Day 1 is Pretreatment Monday. In Episode 498, Trace Blackmore, CWT, opens the 2026 celebration with troubleshooting stories, returning guest greetings, and a new Detective H2O case that brings pretreatment performance into focus. Celebrate with purpose Take a photo with your favorite pretreatment equipment—a softener, RO, or filter housing—and post it with #IWW26. Then search the hashtag to connect with others doing the same work. Trace’s invitation makes the week visible and recognizes the people who keep downstream systems operating. Start with the pretreatment train At a food processing plant, rising RO product-water conductivity had already prompted a membrane replacement. Trace found the cause in the softener: channeling allowed hardness to pass through and scale the RO. Rebedding and reprogramming the softener resolved the problem without further work on the RO. You’ll also hear greetings from Conor Parrish of Fact Water Co, Ron Blutrich, and Dr. Kelle Zeiher. Their stories cover proper isolation before opening resin bottles, UV pretreatment and microbiological risk, and unexpected newspaper debris inside an RO—three reminders to keep questioning assumptions. Follow the evidence with Detective H2O James McDonald returns with The Case of Something Fading Fast, investigating boiler alkalinity that will not hold. A softener may test soft just after regeneration yet leak hardness later in its service run. The case connects that missed leakage with treatment consumption and falling alkalinity. Detective H2O proposes an end-of-run grab sample or a 24-hour screening composite, supported by logs of the active tank, makeup demand, production load, and alkalinity timing. The composite helps screen performance across the service cycle; it does not replace targeted grab samples. Follow along on LinkedIn to guess the mystery guest voices. Trace reveals them on Careers Friday, October 9. With Boiler Tuesday, Cooling Wednesday, and Wastewater Thursday still ahead, there are more opportunities to celebrate the work you do. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!
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497 Pinks & Blues: From Sample to Solution
10/02/2026
497 Pinks & Blues: From Sample to Solution
A controller and a handheld meter give you different readings. Before you adjust blowdown or chemical feed, how do you determine which result deserves your confidence? Reliable water treatment testing starts with understanding the sample, the system, and the equipment behind the number. In Episode 497, “Pinks and Blues: From Sample to Solution,” Trace Blackmore, CWT, answers listener questions that build on Episodes 397 and 408. He connects testing with repeatable procedures so technicians can interpret results, make informed adjustments, and explain their decisions to customers. Collect water that represents the system A correctly performed test cannot compensate for the wrong sample. Trace explains how stagnant water in long sample lines can misrepresent the system you intend to evaluate. Instead of assuming a quick rinse is enough, verify flushing at the sample station against water collected at the source. Record the sample location, collection time, source, and operating conditions so the next technician can understand what you tested. Define normal and examine the trend A baseline includes more than a conductivity target. Makeup water quality, equipment, treatment feed, control ranges, water usage, operating changes, and historical problems all help establish what a healthy account looks like. Then compare today’s result with previous readings. Ask whether the pattern is stable, improving, or worsening, and what operational change could explain it. Verify instruments before changing the program Clean glassware, properly stored reagents, maintained probes, and calibration checks support confidence in your results. Trace describes using a known standard to investigate disagreement between a handheld meter and a controller. He also challenges a universal calibration schedule: verify how your own meter performs. Once a result is confirmed, examine related tests and system conditions before deciding on an adjustment. Explain the findings and the next steps A useful service report records observations, data, interpretation, actions, verification, and ownership. Explain what needs attention, who will address it, and how the correction will be checked. Where appropriate, show the cost of leaving a problem unresolved. These records also give customer reviews a clear account of the work completed and recommendations still awaiting action. Trace brings these practices together in the SAMPLE method: Use this framework to connect each test result with the system’s condition and a clear next step. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:20 — Trace reflects on listener feedback from AWT and how shared experiences can encourage professional growth 05:50 — Mark Lewis’s award acceptance illustrates the value of lasting friendships within water treatment 08:30 — The Hang offers a way to continue industry conversations, share challenges, and learn from colleagues 10:40 — Trace outlines AWT technical training options to help professionals choose relevant continuing education 18:00 — Listener questions from Episodes 397 and 408 connect testing practices with documented procedures 19:30 — Conflicting conductivity readings introduce the need to verify results before making changes that affect water use and chemical feed 24:00 — Representative sampling matters because even a correctly performed test can answer the wrong question 25:50 — Trace explains how to check flushing at a sample station against water collected at the system’s sampling source 28:10 — Recording sample time, location, source, and operating conditions gives future troubleshooting essential context 31:00 — An account baseline establishes what healthy operation looks like before technicians investigate an abnormal result 34:30 — Comparing readings over time helps distinguish a single result from a meaningful operating trend 36:30 — Test kit condition, reagent handling, and instrument maintenance determine whether results deserve confidence 39:00 — Known standards help verify meters and investigate disagreement with controller readings 41:00 — Trace examines related measurements, so an abnormal conductivity result does not become an isolated adjustment 44:20 — A structured service report explains observations, collected data, interpretation, actions, and verification 46:40 — Documenting the cost of inaction and assigning ownership makes recommendations easier for customers to act on 50:10 — The SAMPLE method combines sampling, baselines, trends, instrument verification, broader testing, and documentation 53:10 — Industrial Water Week invites professionals to celebrate their work, share equipment photos, and thank people who have helped their careers Quotes “And our real goal is to collect the right information in a consistent way so we can make better decisions with that information.” “So, a perfectly performed test on the wrong sample gives you a perfectly wrong answer.” “One data point can be a clue, but a trend is evidence and that’s what we’re going for.” “If we don’t write it down, it didn’t happen.” Connect with Scaling UP! H2O Submit a show idea: LinkedIn: YouTube: Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking . This episode is made possible through our valued partners at
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496 Growing Through Change in Water Treatment with Mark Lewis, Part 2
09/25/2026
496 Growing Through Change in Water Treatment with Mark Lewis, Part 2
When a water treater can run a test but cannot yet diagnose a failing system, the next training decision matters. In Growing Through Change with Mark Lewis, Part 2, Mark Lewis of CRB Water joins Trace Blackmore, CWT, to connect training choices with work in the field. Match Training to Experience Mark sees the space between AWT’s March and November training sessions as a chance to revise material instead of repeating the same presentation. He explains how Fundamentals and Applications, Program Designs and Operations, and Technical Training serve different levels of readiness. His informal progression from “water tester” to “water technologist” gives managers a way to judge skills by the work someone can handle, not simply years in the industry. He also urges professionals to stay within their expertise when a system is unfamiliar. Managers can help people advance by pairing technical instruction with recognition and constructive feedback. Give neglected accounts the attention they need Returning to the neglected accounts discussed in Episode 141, Mark describes how responsibility can sit with the water treater or the customer. A monthly visit may leave too much time for a broken valve, feed issue, or empty chemical drum to go unnoticed. First, learn how much time the customer can give the program. Then agree on practical checks for pumps, controller lights, and chemical inventory. If the account needs more attention, Mark suggests offering additional visits or equipment maintenance at a clearly priced service fee. Use technology - and check what it tells you Mark traces his shift from basic timers to remotely monitored controllers, PTSA probes, ORP control, and tank level sensors. For him, the advantage is seeing program behavior between visits and planning before a problem becomes a customer call. Yet he still checks level sensor readings against what is in the tank. That judgment carries over to AI. Mark and Trace discuss how a tidy report can mislead when it compares only the first and last conductivity readings while missing the fluctuations between them. The underlying data still need a professional’s review. Keep Learning Mark recommends the AWT Technical Reference and Training Manual and experienced mentors. He also asks listeners to consider where they want to be in five or ten years and begin taking steps toward it now. Better training, closer attention to account needs, and honest interpretation of data help water professionals decide where they are ready to lead and where they still need to learn. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 05:00 — Trace and Mark consider the revised technical training schedule and how time between sessions can improve course material. 07:50 — Mark explains how to choose training by a person’s current knowledge and responsibilities, rather than tenure alone. 09:30 — Mark urges water treaters to recognize the limits of their experience before taking on an unfamiliar system. 11:30 — Technical instruction, recognition, and constructive feedback all play a part in developing a colleague. 14:00 — Mark recommends the AWT Technical Reference and Training Manual as a resource to study and understand. 19:00 — Trace revisits Episode 141 and its lessons about neglected accounts for new water treaters. 20:00 — Mark distinguishes problems a vendor has overlooked from equipment issues a customer has left unresolved. 22:30 — Simple checks between visits can help customers notice problems with controllers, pumps, and chemical inventory. 23:40 — Mark explains why the value of added service should be considered alongside its fee. 26:40 — Remote monitoring gives Mark information he can use to plan service before a customer calls about a problem. 27:30 — Mark describes how PTSA probes and other controls have changed the way he manages a program. 32:20 — Mark explains why protecting test kits from moisture matters for field instruments. 33:10 — Mark cautions water treaters to verify a level sensor’s reading against the tank. 34:50 — Mark raises the need to check the information behind an AI response. 37:40 — A report based on two conductivity readings can miss the fluctuations between them. 39:40 — Mark names a temperature gun as a useful test kit tool because temperature affects how water behaves. 40:50 — Mark asks listeners to choose a five- or ten-year goal and begin working toward it now. 43:40 — Trace invites listeners to take part in Industrial Water Week, October 5–9. Quotes “you can't change the beginning, but you can change the end.” "Today I realize that I have limitations and it's okay to say no.” Connect with Mark T Lewis Phone: 7043225406 Email: [email protected] Website: LinkedIn: Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses This episode is made possible through our valued partners at:
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495 Growing Through Change in Water Treatment with Mark Lewis, Part 1
09/18/2026
495 Growing Through Change in Water Treatment with Mark Lewis, Part 1
Change is unavoidable, but uncertainty does not have to control how water treatment professionals respond to it. Mark Lewis returns to share what he learned when Southeastern Laboratories was acquired by CRB Water—and how employees can remain valuable, informed, and open to opportunity during a business transition. Navigating an Acquisition from the Employee’s Perspective Southeastern Laboratories began exploring a buyer because its owners wanted to protect the company and approximately 30 employees. When CRB Water entered the picture, employees naturally wondered what would change and how those decisions would affect their careers. Mark explains how CRB Water’s “do no harm” approach helped employees navigate the transition. Although changes to compensation, insurance, expenses, and operating practices required adjustment, the acquisition also brought additional resources and access to larger corporate accounts that may not have been available through a smaller organization. His practical advice is direct: ask questions, understand the business, examine the available data, and keep an open mind. A change in ownership can create discomfort, but it may also expand what employees and their territories can accomplish. Becoming an Asset Before Change Arrives Professionals cannot always control when a company is sold, but they can control the value they bring to the organization. Mark encourages water treaters to strengthen their technical knowledge, return from training with something useful, understand how the business operates, and close gaps in their performance. That mindset makes an employee valuable to both the current organization and any future owner. It also replaces fear with preparation. Instead of waiting for uncertainty to pass, professionals can become better account managers, technical resources, and business contributors. Leadership Through Service and Preparation Mark also reflects on his years of service with the Association of Water Technologies, including committee leadership, board service, and his term as AWT president. Effective association leadership, he explains, requires preparation, sound judgment, and a willingness to do the work behind every meeting and decision. His receipt of the Ray Baum Memorial Water Technologist of the Year Award reinforces another leadership lesson: professional success is rarely built alone. Mark credits the people who taught, challenged, and trusted him throughout his career. The conversation closes with lessons from rebuilding AWT’s Fundamentals and Applications training. Strong instruction begins with a sound foundation, a clear explanation of why, and the confidence to speak from experience rather than simply read from a slide. Growing through change requires curiosity, preparation, and trust in the value you continue building. Whether facing an acquisition, serving an association, or teaching the next generation, professionals move forward by staying open, asking better questions, and investing in others. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:20 — Trace reflects on the AWT Convention and how simple conversation starters helped water professionals expand their networks. 04:00 — The Hang on October 1 offers a free opportunity to reconnect with convention contacts and continue building industry relationships. 05:00 — Trace challenges water treaters to break out of routine by changing how they observe, test, and approach customer systems. 07:30 — The AWT Technical Training Seminar, scheduled for November 11–14 in Frisco, Texas, gives professionals another opportunity to strengthen their technical foundation. 09:30 — Industrial Water Week runs October 5–9 with daily themes and opportunities to celebrate the profession with teams and customers. 12:10 — Returning guest Mark Lewis explains that Southeastern Laboratories was acquired by CRB Water, beginning a new professional chapter. 13:10 — Trace and Mark revisit the AWT connection that developed into more than 20 years of friendship and professional collaboration. 17:30 — Mark outlines why Southeastern Laboratories’ owners began researching a buyer and how employees initially responded to the uncertainty. 18:50 — CRB Water’s “do no harm” approach helped employees understand that the acquisition was intended to support people and grow the business. 20:10 — Mark describes how the larger organization opened access to corporate accounts and resources unavailable to a smaller company. 22:30 — Mark explains why an acquiring company values the customer base and the representatives who maintain those relationships. 25:40 — Trace and Mark discuss how employees can prepare for ownership changes even when leadership has not shared the full plan. 28:00 — Mark reflects on his previous AWT roles and explains why trust, service, and a willingness to contribute led to greater responsibility. 31:30 — Board service requires a serious time commitment, preparation, and a willingness to make decisions affecting AWT’s future. 35:20 — Mark encourages professionals to begin serving AWT through committee involvement and grow their understanding of the association. 37:00 — Mark reflects on receiving the Ray Baum Memorial Water Technologist of the Year Award after first setting that goal in 1998. 41:00 — Trace and Mark revisit the rebuilding of AWT’s Fundamentals and Applications class and the importance of teaching from a strong foundation. 45:00 — Mark explains why presenters create stronger connections when they speak from knowledge and experience instead of reading their slides. Quotes “Ask questions and understand that at the end of the day, if the company is successful and you're part of that success, you're going to be successful.” “Don't be scared of change. Don't be scared of doing things a little different ways.” “To be the best Mark that I can be will make me valuable to my current company as well as the next company that I work for.” “Take everything life has to offer and have fun with it.” “Always ask the why. If someone tells you something, ask them why.” Connect with Mark T Lewis Phone: 7043225406 Email: Website: LinkedIn: Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking . This episode made possible through our valued partners at
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494 Preparing for AWT 2026: Leadership, Change, and CWT Growth with Matt Coffindaffer, Part 2
09/14/2026
494 Preparing for AWT 2026: Leadership, Change, and CWT Growth with Matt Coffindaffer, Part 2
A strong convention outcome starts before the first session and continues long after the exhibit hall closes. Association of Water Technologies Executive Director Matt Coffindaffer explains how deliberate preparation, wider professional relationships, and volunteer service can turn AWT 2026 into practical value for an industrial water treatment career or business. Find the Right Place to Volunteer AWT offers yearlong committee service, shorter task-force assignments, and opportunities across technical research, marketing, membership, regulatory affairs, business resources, young professionals, Women of Water, legislative work, and charity. Matt emphasizes that there is no single ideal volunteer: owners, technical directors, sales and service professionals, field technicians, suppliers, and newcomers can contribute according to their time, experience, and interests. For business owners, committee work can strengthen peer relationships and provide access to practical operating resources. Newer professionals can also use the Young Professionals Committee to understand the organization, explore career paths, and learn about different specialties within industrial water treatment. Turn Convention Attendance into Business Value AWT 2026 in Oklahoma City brings together more than 1,000 industry peers and about 130 exhibitors. The program prioritizes technical content, while the September 15 Business Owners Meeting gives owners and management-team members a focused setting for business education, networking, and market insights from AWT’s benchmarking survey. Matt frames the convention’s value in operational terms: practitioners share lessons shaped by field experience, suppliers can support the full water treatment service chain, and one useful insight or connection may help a company solve problems more efficiently. The strongest return comes from engaging beyond familiar contacts. Prepare, Connect, and Divide the Learning Before arriving, review the schedule, select sessions, read available papers, and prepare questions. Because several technical tracks run simultaneously, coordinate with peers, attend different presentations, and compare notes afterward. First-time attendees can use the first-timer ribbon—and the Scaling UP! H2O “magic button”—to begin conversations more naturally. Trace adds a practical exhibit-hall strategy: review the exhibitor list and map, note vendors connected to specific questions, walk the full floor once for orientation, then return for focused conversations. If attending alone, approach the event as a “faithful translator” responsible for bringing useful information back to the team. Strong professional communities grow when people contribute, remain curious, and share what they learn. AWT 2026 offers a concentrated opportunity to strengthen all three habits. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 05:00 — Trace introduces the Scaling UP! H2O “magic button” as a simple icebreaker for starting conversations and expanding a professional network. 09:50 — Matt outlines AWT’s committee and task-force opportunities, showing how members can contribute through technical, business, membership, regulatory, and community-focused work. 11:40 — Matt explains why AWT does not have one ideal volunteer and why bringing your complete experience and perspective strengthens the organization. 13:20 — Business owners, sales and service professionals, suppliers, field technicians, and industry newcomers learn how volunteering can expand their knowledge and professional relationships. 19:00 — Matt provides clear next steps for getting involved by contacting a committee chair, the AWT president, Matt, or an AWT staff member. 19:30 — The AWT Annual Convention preview covers Oklahoma City, technical education, networking opportunities, suppliers, and activities planned for attendees. 23:10 — Matt explains what business owners can expect from the September 15 meeting, including benchmarking insights and structured peer collaboration. 26:40 — Matt describes why the convention attracts highly invested practitioners and gives attendees access to experienced peers and about 130 exhibitors. 28:50 — Convention costs are considered against the potential value of one useful lesson, relationship, or solution that improves business performance. 30:10 — First-time attendees receive practical guidance on reviewing the schedule, planning sessions, and using identification ribbons to connect with the AWT community. 32:20 — Matt identifies staying within an existing social circle as a major convention mistake and encourages attendees to approach unfamiliar professionals. 34:00 — Thematic tracks and peer recommendations can help attendees choose between technical presentations scheduled at the same time. 35:40 — Prospective presenters learn how AWT’s annual call for papers and abstracts creates opportunities to contribute technical content. 42:50 — Trace explains how badges, ribbons, and Scaling UP! H2O buttons can help attendees identify board members and start productive conversations. 46:50 — Trace shares a structured exhibit-hall strategy based on reviewing the map, preparing questions, surveying the floor, and returning for focused discussions. 50:50 — Trace previews his Working Genius presentation with Tom Hutchison and directs listeners to Episodes 127 and 426 for related conversations. 52:40 — Industrial Water Week 2026 is scheduled for October 5–9, with daily themes and new podcast episodes covering major industrial water applications. 55:00 — Trace recognizes Angela Pike’s years of service to AWT and reflects on the association’s transition to Momentum Association Management. Quotes "AWT is what it is today because a group of people showed up for this industry, for this community, for this beautiful profession, and they gave of their time and talents.” “This organization works best; volunteerism works best when you’re bringing your full self to that role.” “There is no wrong answer in how to get involved.” “Just be true to yourself. Bring your full and authentic self to the experience and every day will feel like a joy, even the days where you’re deep in the trenches.” “If you’re attending by yourself, I want you to have the mindset that you’re now going to be the faithful translator to bring that information back to your company so your company can truly benefit from you being at the convention this week.” Connect with Matt Coffindaffer Email: Website: LinkedIn: Guest Resources Mentioned Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking . This episode made possible through our valued partners at
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493 Preparing for AWT 2026: Leadership, Change, and CWT Growth with Matt Coffindaffer, Part 1
09/11/2026
493 Preparing for AWT 2026: Leadership, Change, and CWT Growth with Matt Coffindaffer, Part 1
Strong professional associations do more than provide programs and credentials. They create an environment where members can exchange knowledge, build trusted relationships, and prepare their businesses for what comes next. As the Association of Water Technologies enters a new operational chapter, Executive Director explains how AWT is strengthening that environment without losing the culture that makes it distinctive. From the Arts to Association Leadership Before entering association management, Matt built a career behind the scenes in theater. His experience designing scenery, lighting, and technical environments taught him how people with different skills can work together in service of a larger concept. That same principle now shapes his leadership at AWT. Matt describes his role as a partnership with the board of directors: helping volunteer leaders make timely, consequential decisions based on reliable information while directing the staff and daily operations that turn strategy into member value. Evolving AWT’s Operational Structure After 20 years with Management Solutions Plus, AWT transitioned its association management support to Momentum Association Management. Matt explains that the change was driven by the organization’s long-term strategic goals and the need to align staff resources with the expectations of a growing membership. Members can expect evolutionary improvements before larger changes take shape. Specialized support is being assigned to membership, CWT certification, committees, meetings, and exhibits. A new ticketing system will also help AWT track inquiries and connect members with the appropriate staff. With the annual convention approaching, customer service and a successful Oklahoma City experience remain the immediate priorities. Expanding the Reach of the CWT Program The Certified Water Technologist designation remains one of AWT’s most important professional programs. However, the number of certificate holders has remained around 300 to 350 for more than a decade, despite more than 4,500 professionals being within AWT’s member orbit. Matt outlines a broader strategy for growth: examine potential barriers to eligibility, provide specialized administrative support, pursue ANSI accreditation, and work toward greater recognition of the CWT designation in bid specifications and regulatory requirements. The objective is to expand participation while preserving the credential’s rigor and professional value. Making the Convention Work for You Trace closes with a practical reminder: plan your agenda, make time for the exhibit hall, and use the Scaling UP! H2O button as a simple conversation starter. Attendees can continue those connections during the next Hang on October 1 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. The strength of AWT comes from professionals who contribute their knowledge, volunteer their time, and help one another succeed. Preparing intentionally for the convention allows you to take full advantage of that community. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:10 — Trace introduces the AWT Convention and Expo and explains why the gathering matters to industrial water treatment professionals. 03:00 — The episode’s convention-focused agenda covers preparation, networking, learning opportunities, and changes taking place within AWT. 05:00 — Industrial Water Week 2026 offers five days of themed education, from pretreatment and boilers to cooling, wastewater, and careers. 08:10 — Matt Coffindaffer joins the podcast and introduces his role as executive director of the Association of Water Technologies. 12:10 — Matt connects his background in the arts with association leadership, emphasizing service to a mission larger than any one contributor. 14:10 — Matt explains how his previous association management experience introduced him to AWT and its highly engaged volunteer community. 17:20 — AWT’s established programs, committed volunteers, and healthy organizational model distinguish it from associations requiring a complete turnaround. 23:30 — Matt describes AWT’s unusually collaborative culture and explains why its meetings and programs feel like a professional homecoming. 24:30 — The executive director’s primary responsibility is helping the board make informed decisions while strengthening organizational capacity. 28:50 — Matt explains how an association management company provides flexible access to specialized staff and additional event resources. 31:30 — Becoming AWT’s first direct employee allowed Matt to evaluate the organization beyond the limits of a consulting scope. 34:00 — AWT’s transition from Management Solutions Plus to Momentum Association Management reflects its strategic goals and future operational needs. 39:10 — AWT begins developing a broader plan to expand the CWT program while preserving the credential’s professional rigor. 41:30 — ANSI accreditation could strengthen the CWT program’s credibility and support broader recognition in legislation, regulation, and bid specifications. 45:20 — During the transition period, AWT prioritizes customer service, tracked member inquiries, and a successful convention experience. 49:10 — New committee liaisons and recurring leadership roundtables will give AWT volunteers more consistent operational support. 52:10 — Matt introduces Janessa Camps, AWT’s new director of membership and operations and a primary contact for member assistance. 54:50 — Trace explains how the Scaling UP! H2O “magic button” can help attendees start conversations and build new professional relationships. 57:30 — The next Hang, scheduled for October 1 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, gives attendees an opportunity to continue connections made at the convention. Quotes “I think the real common thread between the arts and associations is it’s about a group of people from all different backgrounds, but they’re, at their core, very passionate about the work that they’re doing.” “I really do view the AWT as home.” “It’s my job to make sure that they are making timely, consequential decisions based on the best data available.” “I think over the next three to six months, you’ll see some evolutionary changes, but we’ll really start to see some significant changes in 2027 and beyond.” “But we want to make sure that we’re maintaining the character and the rigor of the CWT while making sure that we’re not creating unnecessary barriers to adoption.” Connect with Matt Coffindaffer Email: Website: LinkedIn: Guest Resources Mentioned Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking . 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492 AI for Water Treaters: A Thought Partner, Not a Replacement
09/07/2026
492 AI for Water Treaters: A Thought Partner, Not a Replacement
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491 Environmental Microbiology and Legionella: Managing Building Water Risks with Dr. Rajiv Sahay
08/28/2026
491 Environmental Microbiology and Legionella: Managing Building Water Risks with Dr. Rajiv Sahay
Reliable Legionella results begin long before a sample reaches the laboratory. of explains how building conditions, field collection practices, and laboratory methods influence the quality—and usefulness—of the data water professionals receive. Building Water Conditions Shape the Risk Modern buildings rely heavily on controlled mechanical systems, yet water can remain an overlooked part of the indoor environment. Stagnation, low flow, dead legs, temperature, pH, disinfectant residuals, corrosion, and accumulated organic material can all influence biofilm development and microbial activity. Dr. Sahay cautions against solving one problem while creating another. Raising a disinfectant concentration without considering system materials, water chemistry, and occupant health can introduce secondary risks. Instead, water professionals need enough data to balance microbial control with the operational realities of the system. Better Samples Begin in the Field Sample quality depends on what happens at the collection point. Dr. Sahay recommends recording temperature and pH when the sample is taken, selecting a collection technique suited to the water body, and avoiding unnecessary sediment or debris. He also explains how gloves, hands, bottles, and sampling equipment can introduce cross-contamination. Aseptic handling, clean barriers, appropriate disinfection, and complete chain-of-custody documentation help the laboratory connect its findings with actual field conditions. What Happens Inside the Laboratory Dr. Sahay walks listeners through three testing pathways: non-culture methods, traditional culture, and molecular diagnostics such as PCR. Culture remains the reference method discussed for isolating and confirming Legionella, while molecular testing can provide faster screening information. The conversation also follows a sample through filtration, preparation, inoculation on BCYE media, incubation, preliminary identification, and confirmation. This context helps water professionals understand why laboratory turnaround times and reported results vary by method. Reading Results With the Right Context A nondetect does not necessarily establish that an entire water system—or even the full sample bottle—contains no Legionella. It means the laboratory did not detect the organism in the analyzed portion under the method’s detection capability. That distinction reinforces the central lesson: usable field data, representative sampling, appropriate laboratory methods, and informed interpretation must work together. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Connect with Dr. Rajiv Sahay Phone: (727) 488-4001 Email: Website: LinkedIn: Guest Resources Mentioned : Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses Water You Know with James McDonald Today's definition is an organophosphorus compound containing a direct carbon-phosphorus bond that is commonly used in water treatment for corrosion control and threshold scale inhibition. Can you guess the word or phrase? 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking . This episode made possible through our valued partners at:
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490 From Plans to Prevention: Water Management Insights with Dr. Abe Cullom
08/25/2026
490 From Plans to Prevention: Water Management Insights with Dr. Abe Cullom
A water management plan protects people only when the facility uses it to guide decisions. Dr. Abe Cullom, Director of Water Safety & Management at Pace Analytical, joins Trace Blackmore, CWT, to examine why Legionella programs break down—and how testing, communication, and consistent implementation can strengthen them. Implementation Is the Bottleneck Five decades after Legionella was identified, researchers understand much more about the organism, its ecology, the conditions that support its growth, and the interventions available to control it. However, Dr. Cullom identifies implementation—not a lack of science—as the primary bottleneck. Many plans remain in filing cabinets or operate on autopilot. Teams collect measurements and samples, yet no one connects the results into a complete picture of the building water system. Process failures, limited follow-up, budget constraints, and unclear communication can allow a developing problem to remain hidden behind repeated low-level corrective actions. Testing Must Inform Risk Culture remains a dominant testing method, although the typical wait for results can complicate decisions during an investigation or operational change. qPCR provides faster results but may detect genetic material from both living and dead cells. Dr. Cullom also explains viable but non-culturable cells and why recent heat treatment, supplemental disinfection, oxidative stress, or prolonged stagnation can affect culture results. The goal is not automatically to drive every Legionella result to zero. Instead, teams should interpret findings using the species detected, distal site positivity, the facility’s population, and the limitations of the testing method. Dr. Cullom explains why testing only for Legionella pneumophila may make sense in some systems, while healthcare facilities may require a broader view because highly immunocompromised patients can develop infections from other Legionella species. Ownership, Communication, and Continuous Review Water management plans often fail when responsibility for corrective action has not been assigned. Dr. Cullom calls one version of this breakdown the “milkman approach”: a consultant or water treater delivers results, but the facility expects that outside party to organize a response that was never included in the scope. Effective programs clearly define authority, assign actions, and give engineers, infection prevention professionals, facility leaders, consultants, and water treaters a shared vocabulary. When reviewing a program, examine its records, verification and validation activities, corrective-action documentation, and long-term data trends. Dr. Cullom recommends giving someone at least 30 minutes each month to consider what the results reveal and whether the plan needs to change. He closes with a direct priority: validate every plan through testing—at least once and, ideally, routinely. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 08:40 — Trace introduces Dr. Abe Cullom and begins a practical examination of water safety, risk assessment, and Legionella outbreak prevention. 11:30 — Dr. Cullom defines opportunistic premise plumbing pathogens and explains why vulnerable building occupants face greater infection risks. 13:10 — Building water systems emerge as complex microbial environments shaped by chemistry, hydraulics, construction materials, pathogens, and antibiotic resistance. 14:40 — Fifty years of Legionella research have produced strong scientific guidance, but inconsistent implementation remains the central bottleneck. 16:40 — Process failures, poor communication, limited follow-up, and plans running on autopilot can undermine otherwise sound water management programs. 18:50 — Dr. Cullom compares culture and qPCR testing, including turnaround time, sensitivity, and the challenge of detecting DNA from dead cells. 20:50 — Testing only for Legionella pneumophila may reduce unnecessary responses in some systems, but healthcare facilities may need broader species testing. 22:30 — Viable but non-culturable cells can complicate sampling after heat, disinfection, oxidative stress, starvation, or prolonged stagnation. 24:10 — “Zero Legionella” and “zero cases” represent different goals, requiring teams to manage health risk instead of reacting identically to every positive result. 26:10 — Distal site positivity measures the percentage of sampled outlets testing positive and helps teams interpret building-level risk. 27:50 — Corrective actions can stall when authority, responsibilities, and expectations between facilities, consultants, and water treaters remain unclear. 30:00 — Plans, diagrams, and training should give multidisciplinary program teams a shared vocabulary for productive water-management decisions. 33:10 — Pseudomonas aeruginosa and nontuberculous mycobacteria deserve greater attention as additional building water pathogens. 34:20 — Public health, regulatory responsibilities, and the cost of outbreak mitigation can help professionals make the case for proactive water management. 36:50 — A program review should examine documentation, verification, validation, corrective actions, data trends, and how facility leaders interpret the results. 38:00 — Dr. Cullom previews “Clinical Crossroads: The Risk Burden of ST-108,” addressing water quality, sterile processing, and new areas of liability. 39:40 — Program teams should dedicate time each month to reviewing data, challenging assumptions, and updating their understanding of the system. 41:30 — The Legionella Awareness Month lightning round covers essential resources, common communication failures, and routine testing as a driver of improvement. Connect with Dr. Abe Cullom Phone: 913-948-3948 Email: Website: LinkedIn: Words of Water with James McDonald Today's definition is a horizontal pressure vessel located at the bottom of a water tube boiler. Its primary functions are to facilitate water circulation and to provide a collection point for sludge, sediment, and other suspended solids that settle out of the boiler water. Can you guess the word or phrase? 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking . This episode made possible through our valued partners at:
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489 Copper-Silver Ionization Technology and Legionella Control with Tory Schira
08/14/2026
489 Copper-Silver Ionization Technology and Legionella Control with Tory Schira
Copper-silver ionization offers building operators a persistent approach to Legionella control—one designed to carry an active disinfectant residual throughout complex plumbing infrastructure. LiquiTech CEO Tory Schira explains how the technology works, what operating data matters, and why successful implementation requires more than installing equipment. How Copper-Silver Ionization Works Copper and silver ions are introduced through a flow chamber containing sacrificial electrodes. A controlled electrical charge releases the positively charged ions into the water, allowing them to travel through the plumbing system and reach areas where biofilm and Legionella may grow. Tory describes the ions as independently biocidal but more effective when working together. Copper weakens the bacterial cell wall, while silver gains greater access to the cell and disrupts the bacteria. Unlike traditional oxidants that can decay with time and temperature, copper and silver ions remain persistent across hot and cold building water systems. Designing, Monitoring, and Controlling the System Proper design begins with engineering data. The deployment team evaluates whether treatment should be installed on the hot-water recirculation loop or at the building’s cold-water point of entry. Peak demand, water consumption, conductivity, and pH also influence system sizing and operation. Tory outlines target ranges of 0.1–0.8 ppm copper and approximately 30–80 ppb silver. Real-time monitoring tracks ion introduction, while samples collected from distal locations help verify distribution. Those samples are analyzed by an independent laboratory using ICP-MS testing under EPA Method 200.8. Water Management Plans Must Match the Control Method Changing a building’s disinfection method should trigger a review of its water management plan. Tory cautions that many plans remain too generic and fail to define method-specific target ranges, corrective actions, and root-cause analysis procedures. The conversation also examines lessons from pandemic-era building stagnation. LiquiTech used connected-system data to identify low-flow areas and guide more targeted flushing, demonstrating how water-use visibility can strengthen operational decisions. Persistent Legionella positivity should not automatically be accepted as control. Water professionals must define success clearly, verify distribution, and align technology, monitoring, and corrective actions with the desired water-safety outcome. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:30 — Trace Blackmore opens the second week of Legionella Awareness Month and explains why copper-silver ionization must operate within a broader water management plan. 04:20 — Trace highlights the Legionella Resources page, including materials from the CDC, World Health Organization, and previous podcast guests. 07:30 — Trace explains how episode discussion guides help teams turn podcast insights into practical workplace conversations and action items. 09:00 — Words of Water with James 10:50 — Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals include the WaterPro Conference, the ASPE Convention and Expo, and Industrial Water Week. 13:30 — Trace begins his interview with Tory Schira, CEO of LiquiTech, about copper-silver ionization technology and Legionella control. 14:20 — Tory traces LiquiTech’s history and explains how copper-silver ionization was adapted for building water systems. 15:10 — Tory explains why the persistence of copper and silver ions supports their distribution through complex plumbing systems. 16:00 — A flow chamber containing sacrificial electrodes releases copper and silver ions into the water to provide systemic disinfection. 17:20 — System design begins by choosing between hot-water recirculation treatment and cold-water point-of-entry treatment. 18:10 — Tory describes how positively charged copper and silver ions work together against bacterial cells. 19:30 — Tory explains LiquiTech’s focus on using copper-silver ionization to control Legionella in potable water systems. 21:30 — Real-time monitoring and distal-site sampling help verify ion output and distribution throughout a building. 22:30 — Tory identifies the target copper and silver concentrations used to guide system performance. 24:10 — Copper-silver ionization is compared with oxidizing disinfectants that can decay over time and at elevated temperatures. 26:10 — Tory discusses deployment data from Legionella-positive environments, including facilities that previously tried other control methods. 28:40 — Changing a disinfection method should trigger a refresh of the facility’s water management plan. 30:20 — Tory explains why generic water management plans may lack the treatment-specific corrective actions needed for stronger performance. 31:10 — Pandemic-era data revealed building stagnation patterns and helped teams identify locations that needed targeted flushing. 33:00 — Future monitoring capabilities may improve visibility into water age, stagnation, temperature, sediment, and other Legionella risk factors. 34:10 — Tory challenges water professionals to define what successful Legionella control means rather than accepting persistent positivity. 35:20 — Compact, custom-designed systems may provide an option for facilities with limited mechanical-room space. 36:00 — Tory shares partnership opportunities for water treatment companies that value integrity and higher performance standards. 37:40 — Trace summarizes the interview’s central lessons: persistence matters, every building is different, and proper system design is essential. 38:50 — Trace reminds listeners to consult their water management plan and program team before adding or modifying a disinfection technology. Connect with Tory Schira Phone: 630-693-0500 Email: Website: LinkedIn: Guest Resources Mentioned — Copper-silver ionization and building water safety solutions — Technology for controlling Legionella in building water systems — Determination of trace elements in water using ICP-MS — Official information concerning the 1.3 mg/L copper action level — Federal drinking-water standards and treatment requirements — Background on Apollo-era copper and silver ionization technology — Overview of NASA’s early use of silver-ion water purification — Historical technical document about silver-ion water sterilization The following studies support the technical discussion but were not identified by title during the episode. Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses Water You Know with James McDonald Today's definition is the flaky oxide layer that forms on the surfaces of iron and steel when they are heated and cooled during hot fabrication. Do you know the word or phrase? 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking . This episode made possible through our valued partners at:
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488 Managing Legionella with confidence: A Conversation with Patsy Root
08/07/2026
488 Managing Legionella with confidence: A Conversation with Patsy Root
“Our goal is not zero Legionella pneumophila bacteria. Our goal is zero cases.” – Patsy Root Legionella risk becomes harder to manage when building teams treat every detection as equivalent—or collect samples without first deciding what a positive result will trigger. , Senior Manager of Government Affairs at , explains how a clear water management program can replace uncertainty with defined responsibilities, routine monitoring, and proportionate action. Focus Testing on the Organism of Concern Patsy distinguishes between the broader group of Legionella species and Legionella pneumophila, the organism she recommends prioritizing during routine monitoring. She reviews research indicating that detecting non-pneumophila Legionella does not automatically mean L. pneumophila is present. That distinction matters operationally. Remediation can require significant time, money, facility disruption, and lost revenue. Testing targets and corrective actions should reflect public-health risk rather than a generalized fear of any Legionella detection. The goal is management, not eradication. A well-designed program aims to prevent disease while recognizing that completely eliminating the organism from every water system is not realistic. Define the Response Before Sampling Questions about routine monitoring remain among the most common Patsy receives: Where should samples be collected? How often should testing occur? Which laboratory and method should be used? What actions should follow a positive result? When reviewing a positive laboratory report, determine whether L. pneumophila was detected, its concentration, how many locations tested positive, and whether those locations are clustered or distributed throughout the building. Then compare the findings with the action limits and response procedures established in the water management program. Testing without a response plan can create unnecessary confusion. Likewise, writing a program does not protect a facility unless the assigned monitoring, flushing, temperature checks, chlorine residual measurements, documentation, and corrective actions are consistently completed. Connect Water Treatment, Exposure, and Ownership A conventional water treatment program designed for heat-transfer efficiency does not automatically address every public-health exposure route. Building teams must consider where people could encounter aerosolized or otherwise unsafe water—not only whether treatment chemistry is operating as intended. Patsy uses a milk-jug analogy to explain building ownership. Farmers, processors, transporters, and grocery stores maintain milk until it is purchased. Once the customer brings it home, however, that customer becomes responsible for storing it safely. Likewise, once water passes through the meter, the building owner becomes responsible for maintaining its quality. A comprehensive water management team may require a decision-maker with financial authority, a water treatment professional, plumbing expertise, maintenance and facilities personnel, and representatives from housekeeping, kitchens, or infection prevention where applicable. Communication with the public water system can also provide essential context about the incoming water source, seasonal temperature, distribution conditions, and disinfection. For water professionals advising building owners, the leadership challenge is translating risk information into repeatable actions that every responsible person understands and can sustain. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:00 — Trace Blackmore shares how Legionella Awareness Month began in 2020, why the topic continues to evolve, and why these episodes remain among the podcast’s most downloaded and shared. 04:56 — Trace introduces returning guest Patsy Root, Senior Manager of Government Affairs at IDEXX Water, and revisits her appearances in Episodes 403 and 434. 06:25 — Interview with Patsy Root about Legionella pneumophila testing, effective water management programs, professional education, and building-water responsibility. 08:50 — Patsy explains why Legionella education remains necessary six years after the pandemic highlighted the risks associated with reopening stagnant building water systems. 10:40 — Foundational Legionella education should be adapted to an audience’s experience, responsibilities, and understanding of microbiology. 13:35 — AWT conferences and professional communities connect new practitioners with experienced professionals whose field knowledge may not appear in books or technical papers. 16:10 — Patsy explains how professional collaboration helps the industry reassess long-standing assumptions about Legionella species and focus more precisely on L. pneumophila. 20:20 — Patsy discusses how CWT and ASSE 12080 certifications are understood outside the water treatment industry and why credentials should be evaluated alongside experience, references, and work products. 23:20 — Research from KWR, the World Health Organization, and the Journal of Hospital Infection challenges the use of non-pneumophila Legionella as an indicator for L. pneumophila. 27:10 — Patsy distinguishes water management from eradication and explains why the objective should be zero disease cases rather than zero Legionella bacteria. 29:40 — Legionella longbeachae is associated primarily with soil, potting mix, and compost, illustrating why professionals must consider the environmental context of published research. 31:20 — Routine monitoring questions—where, when, how, and what to test—remain the questions Patsy receives most frequently from facility teams and water professionals. 32:30 — Sustainable implementation depends on teaching everyone responsible for the program what to do and why each activity matters. 34:30 — Patsy challenges the belief that avoiding Legionella testing eliminates risk and explains why routine verification remains necessary even when treatment measures are in place. 37:10 — A conventional water treatment program may support heat-transfer efficiency without addressing every point where people could be exposed to unsafe water. 38:40 — Patsy shares the milk-jug analogy to explain why a building owner becomes responsible for water quality after the water passes through the meter. 42:00 — Patsy discusses the regulatory gap surrounding water inside many buildings and the need for persistent education, communication, and outreach to building owners. 46:20 — Legionella requirements are beginning to appear in insurance policies as insurers and building owners recognize the financial consequences of outbreaks. 48:40 — Accurate outbreak reporting should explain transmission, exposure routes, risk factors, and reliable sources of public-health information without creating unnecessary panic. 51:20 — Patsy outlines how to interpret a positive laboratory result by reviewing the organism, concentration, number of positive locations, distribution, and established action limits. 54:00 — Sampling should not begin until the facility knows how it will respond if Legionella is detected. 55:30 — A cross-functional water management team should include financial authority, water treatment knowledge, plumbing expertise, facilities personnel, and representatives familiar with potential exposure areas. 58:30 — Stronger collaboration between public water systems and building water management teams can clarify incoming water conditions and each party’s responsibilities. 1:02:00 — Patsy answers four Legionella Awareness Month questions about management, trusted resources, common implementation failures, and the value of focusing on L. pneumophila. 1:04:00 — Trace shares the episode discussion guide and the Scaling UP! H2O Legionella Resources Library for professionals reviewing the topic with their teams. 1:07:00 — Words of Water with James McDonald Quotes “It’s important to have everybody at the table, make sure everybody understands not only what they’re doing, but why they’re doing it.” “Don’t test the water for Legionella bacteria until you know what you’re going to do if it comes back positive.” “The housekeeping person’s not going to think like the plumber, and the plumber’s not going to think like the infection person, and the finance person’s going to think differently, too.” “Having a water management program does not absolve you from the daily or weekly activities that are required to be done. It must be done for it to be effective.” Connect with Patsy Root Phone: (207) 523-0835 Email: Website: LinkedIn: Guest Resources Mentioned Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses Words of Water with James McDonald Today's definition is the sodium salt of hypochlorous acid and is most commonly known as liquid bleach. 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking . This episode made possible through our valued partners at:
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487 The 60‑Minute CFO: Tracy Bech on Making Business Finance Less Scary
07/31/2026
487 The 60‑Minute CFO: Tracy Bech on Making Business Finance Less Scary
“Our gross profit margin is truly the battle we have to win in order to win all of the downstream wars.” - Tracy Bech Financial statements become useful when leaders can translate the numbers into decisions. , founder and author of , explains how business owners, managers, salespeople, and field professionals can develop financial fluency without becoming accountants. Turn Financial Data into a Meaningful Scorecard Tracy teaches finance through stories and relationships rather than isolated numbers. Revenue alone does not reveal whether a company is financially healthy. Leaders need ratios that show how efficiently the company earns money, whether it can meet its obligations, and how prepared it is to withstand adversity. Her three foundational measures are gross profit margin, liquidity, and safety. Gross profit margin shows what remains after the cost of producing a product or delivering a service. If that margin is too low, the company may not have enough money to cover operating expenses and generate a net profit. Liquidity compares current assets with current liabilities, revealing the company’s ability to pay its bills. Safety compares debt with equity and helps leaders understand the company’s financial resilience and capacity to obtain financing when needed. Move From Historical Reports to Forward Planning Tax preparation and year-end reports explain what already happened. However, financial fluency allows leaders to use that history to forecast what should happen next. Tracy outlines three stages: learn the key ratios, understand the difference between cash and profit, and use historical results to develop forecasts. Instead of simply accepting the final score, leaders can establish financial targets and create specific marching orders for pricing, sales, expenses, hiring, and growth. Give Teams Metrics They Can Influence Financial planning should not remain confined to the executive team. Salespeople and technicians can provide valuable information about customer responses, operational friction, pricing, quality, rework, referrals, and service delivery. However, Tracy cautions leaders against sharing financial information that employees cannot control. Teams benefit most from clear measures connected to their work, such as proposals won, project margins, pricing discipline, accurate service, reduced callbacks, customer reviews, and referrals. Financial visibility also strengthens succession planning. Owners preparing to exit can improve their position by optimizing financial ratios, protecting the balance sheet, exploring future growth opportunities, and developing the next generation of leadership. Understanding the story behind the numbers helps water treatment professionals evaluate risk, communicate priorities, and make decisions that support long-term stability. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:20 — Trace Blackmore shares what listeners can expect during Legionella Awareness Month, including a weekly series addressing Legionella and other waterborne pathogens. 03:20 — Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals: Trace highlights the 2026 AWT Technical Training, taking place November 11–14 in Frisco, Texas. 05:40 — Words of Water with James 08:40 — Interview with Tracy Bech, founder and author of 60 Minute CFO and business finance educator and strategist, about making business finance less intimidating and developing financial fluency. 11:30 — Tracy explains why business finance often feels overwhelming and how simple calculations and relatable stories make financial concepts easier to understand. 13:20 — Financial performance becomes a team scorecard that helps technicians and employees understand how their work contributes to the company’s health. 16:40 — Finance terminology can create communication gaps, leaving otherwise successful owners uncertain about retained earnings, working capital, and cash flow. 21:50 — Tracy explains why profit is essential for serving customers, supporting employees, and keeping a business financially sustainable. 23:30 — Gross profit margin emerges as a critical measure because it determines whether enough money remains to cover operating expenses and generate profit. 25:50 — Liquidity and safety help leaders evaluate whether the company can pay its bills, manage debt, and withstand financial adversity. 33:10 — Tracy presents three steps toward financial fluency: learn the essential ratios, understand cash versus profit, and use historical performance to forecast the future. 35:20 — Leaders can improve execution by establishing a clear destination while allowing their teams to identify obstacles, opportunities, and necessary adjustments. 38:10 — Open-book management works best when employees receive financial metrics they understand and can directly influence. 40:00 — Field professionals affect financial results through accurate work, fewer callbacks, controlled expenses, positive reviews, and customer referrals. 41:10 — Business owners can begin improving their financial fluency by reviewing the previous month’s income statement and balance sheet and confirming that the information is accurate. 44:00 — Understanding the numbers helps leaders balance growth and stability while making informed decisions about profit, debt, equipment, and owner distributions. 47:10 — Tracy explains how owners preparing for retirement can strengthen financial performance, protect the balance sheet, and develop future leaders. 50:30 — Tracy encourages business leaders to give finance another chance, discover the story behind their numbers, and recognize financial fluency as a learnable skill. Quotes “Your business cannot exist without profits and you owe it to your customers and you owe it to your employees to have profits.” “But when you get your strategies and you understand why things went the way they went, now you actually create your forecast and your marching orders.” “The best time to plant the tree was 20 years ago, and the next best time to plant the tree is today.” “I think that honestly, this is easier than you think.” Connect with Tracy Bech Email: Website: LinkedIn: Guest Resources Mentioned Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses Words of Water with James McDonald Today's definition means "water loving" and refers to substances that are attracted to water. Can you guess the word or phrase? 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking . This episode made possible through our valued partners at:
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486 Meter Optimization: Air in the water with Anthony Giudice
07/24/2026
486 Meter Optimization: Air in the water with Anthony Giudice
Water meters register the volume passing through them, but what happens when that volume contains both water and entrained air? Anthony Giudice, president of AquaFlow, explains how turbulent flow can influence meter readings and how AquaFlow’s calibrated valve is designed to help meters reflect what he describes as true water consumption. Why Flow Conditions Matter at the Meter Anthony connects entrained air to the pressure required to move municipal water and the turbulence created as water travels through piping, changes direction, and encounters shifting demand. Because a conventional meter cannot distinguish between water and air within that volume, he says the resulting air-water mixture can contribute to overreading. The valve addresses the condition from the customer’s side of the property. Installed immediately after the meter, it creates a slight backpressure intended to establish laminar flow upstream while compressing the entrained air rather than removing it from the system. Calibration, Placement, and System Conditions Each valve is calibrated for its specific meter and operating environment. Anthony explains why valves cannot simply be exchanged between meters of the same size and describes a dual-spring design that responds to changing pressure throughout the day. Available sizes range from three-quarter inch to 32 inches, supporting applications from residential service to power plants, data centers, manufacturing facilities, and cooling tower systems. Trace and Anthony also examine an important secondary-metering question: where should a valve be installed when cooling tower makeup and bleed meters affect water and sewer billing credits? The answer depends on the measurement objective. Teams must first identify which meter they want to optimize and how any downstream reading affects utility calculations or sewer credits. Measuring Results Beyond the Utility Bill A lower invoice alone does not prove that a valve is performing. Facility activity may change substantially from one billing period to another. Anthony recommends a measurement and verification reconciliation using 12 clean pre-installation months, the installation month, and at least three clean post-installation months. Consumption should then be normalized against an operating unit such as cars washed, hotel guests, or stadium attendance. A car wash example demonstrates the distinction. Recorded consumption changed from 16.03 gallons per car before installation to 13.13 gallons per car afterward. That per-unit comparison provided a clearer performance indicator than the total bill, which could rise or fall with the number of vehicles served. Careful meter selection, operating data, and normalized analysis help water professionals evaluate this technology without confusing reduced recorded consumption with changes in production or occupancy. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:20 — Trace Blackmore Shares: Reflections on Episode 485’s listener-submitted questions, ways to suggest future topics and guests, and learning resources available at ScalingUpH2O.com. 05:00 — Words of Water with James: James McDonald challenges listeners to identify the term for the distribution ratio of a volatile substance between the steam and liquid phases. 07:20 — Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals: Trace previews the 2026 AWT Convention and Expo, the American Chemical Society Expo, and August’s Legionella Awareness Month programming. 10:40 — Interview with Anthony Giudice, President of AquaFlow: Anthony introduces water-meter optimization and explains how entrained air can affect recorded water consumption. 12:50 — Anthony explains how municipal pressure, pipe length, changing demand, and directional changes contribute to turbulent flow and entrained air. 14:00 — Trace raises a practical question about secondary metering for cooling-tower makeup and bleed water. 16:00 — Anthony explains the valve’s placement on the customer’s side of the meter and connects its operation to Bernoulli’s principle, the Venturi effect, and Boyle’s law. 18:20 — Anthony distinguishes AquaFlow’s dynamic, meter-specific valve from conventional pressure-reducing and check valves. 20:00 — Anthony clarifies that the device compresses entrained air—not water—and describes what happens after the mixture passes through the valve. 21:00 — Anthony discusses reported payback periods, 316L stainless-steel construction, certifications, installation time, trial terms, valve sizes, and industrial applications. 23:50 — Anthony connects water-meter optimization with property value, water-hammer reduction, booster-pump protection, and possible carbon-credit opportunities. 28:30 — Anthony explains how visual demonstrations and measurement and verification reconciliation can document performance more reliably than invoice comparisons alone. 30:50 — A car-wash example demonstrates why gallons per vehicle provide a clearer performance measure than total monthly consumption. 32:50 — Trace and Anthony revisit cooling-tower submetering to determine valve placement when sewer credits are involved. 36:10 — Anthony outlines the site survey, meter-specific calibration, recommended valve location, and typical installation process. 38:50 — The conversation explores possible applications for creating laminar flow in blood, eggs, oil, gas, and other fluid-handling systems. 41:20 — Anthony directs listeners to AquaFlow’s website and homepage demonstration for more information. 42:20 — Trace explains AquaFlow’s 90-day trial offer for the Scaling Up Nation, including discount code H2O750 and the additional money-back guarantee. Quotes “Meters, unfortunately, people don’t like to hear this, but they’re designed to register volume. Volume is anything that passes underneath the meter.” “Each one is specific to that meter. You can’t just start, even if they’re the same size, you can’t just start switching them around.” “We’re not compressing water. We’re compressing the entrained air in the water.” “It was 16.03 gallons of air and water. When the valve was installed, it forces a true water consumption reading of 13.13 gallons.” Connect with Anthony Giudice Phone: 19544156973 Email: Website: LinkedIn: Guest Resources Mentioned Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses Words of Water with James McDonald Today's definition is a measure of the tendency of a volatile substance, such as a neutralizing amine, to remain in the steam phase. It is defined as the ratio of the concentration of the substance in the steam phase to its concentration in the liquid phase. Can you guess the word or phrase? 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking . This episode made possible through our valued partners at:
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485 Questions from the Nation Around the World with Trace Blackmore, CWT
07/17/2026
485 Questions from the Nation Around the World with Trace Blackmore, CWT
Ten questions from water professionals around the world become a practical decision-making session with Trace Blackmore, CWT. Drawing on earlier Scaling UP! H2O conversations, Trace explains how to evaluate treatment changes, use emerging tools responsibly, begin water reuse projects, strengthen teams, and continue growing professionally. Evaluate the Entire System A proposed treatment change should be evaluated by more than its purchase price. When comparing chlorine dioxide with traditional chlorine, Trace recommends examining biocide consumption, chemical storage, corrosion rates, biofilm control, heat-transfer efficiency, cleaning requirements, downtime, labor, equipment life, and Legionella risk. A documented pilot on one tower can provide evidence before a facility commits to a larger investment. Water reuse decisions require the same discipline. Before introducing treated wastewater or cooling tower blowdown into another application, characterize the water, calculate current and projected costs, identify regulatory requirements, and determine compatibility with the existing treatment program. Starting with a blended approach or limited pilot can help a team test feasibility while managing operational risk. Use New Tools Without Surrendering Professional Judgment For technicians exploring AI, Trace recommends beginning with approved, nonrestricted data. Service reports and controller data can help an AI platform organize information, identify subtle trends, prepare meeting summaries, and improve the wording of recommendations. However, AI output still requires verification. Company data policies must come first, and technical recommendations should be reviewed against field experience, trusted references, and knowledgeable mentors. Product changes also demand controlled testing. When evaluating maleic acid-based corrosion inhibitors, Trace recommends laboratory compatibility testing, careful review of the order of addition, temperature and shelf-stability checks, and a low-risk field pilot. Corrosion coupons, system cleanliness, dosing performance, and historical results can then be compared before expanding the program. Strengthen Teams, Goals, and Professional Growth The listener questions also address turnover, accountability, education, and industry involvement. Trace explains how behavioral assessment can support job fit and team communication, while weekly accountability, visible goals, time blocking, and lead-measure tracking can make a 12-week plan more achievable. He also reflects on how his MBA and DBA studies have influenced his strategic thinking, data-based decisions, leadership, and approach to scalable systems. The discussion closes with the value of continuing education, professional certification, trade association membership, committee participation, and relationships that provide support when difficult field problems arise. These answers offer practical starting points for making better technical, operational, and professional decisions—while knowing what evidence to gather before recommending change. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:30 — Trace introduces ten questions submitted by Scaling UP! Nation members around the world, connecting earlier episodes to current field decisions. 04:40 — Upcoming industry events highlight opportunities for water professionals to plan ahead, network, and continue learning. 06:10 — August’s focus on Legionella and waterborne pathogens prepares listeners for a month of specialized technical education. 07:00 — Industrial Water Week returns October 5–9 with daily episodes and new Detective H2O segments. 07:40 — Trace explains how to build a business case for chlorine dioxide by tracking operating costs, system performance, and total ownership value. 14:30 — A beginner’s roadmap for AI shows technicians how to analyze trends while respecting company data policies and verifying results. 23:30 — Water quality, current costs, regulations, treatment compatibility, and stakeholder involvement frame an initial cooling tower reuse assessment. 29:30 — Laboratory testing, order of addition, stability checks, and field pilots reduce risk when evaluating maleic acid-based corrosion inhibitors. 34:10 — Trace connects Culture Index with turnover reduction, better hiring decisions, improved communication, and stronger job fit. 40:20 — Weekly accountability, visible goals, calendar blocks, and lead measures help route-based professionals execute a 12-week plan. 45:30 — Characterization, regulatory review, plant tolerance, and a limited pilot provide a practical path for reusing cooling tower blowdown. 49:00 — Episodes 441–445, discussion guides, transcripts, and team-led conversations can support structured technical training. 52:40 — Trace reflects on how his MBA and DBA studies influence systems thinking, leadership, scalability, and data-based decisions. 58:20 — AWT membership, CWT certification, committee participation, training, and professional relationships offer value to water treaters worldwide. Quotes “And then I would look at the total cost of owning this equipment, not just the cost of buying the equipment.” “AI can be incorrect. So, if it tells you something, the bottom line I want to tell you is fact check to verify.” “And the last thing that comes to mind is maybe you start off with a pilot instead of the entire program. And maybe you start out with a blended approach instead of an all or nothing approach.” “You'll be amazed at how having somebody that is interested and holding you accountable will make you make better decisions when you need to make decisions.” “And also, I'm hoping that it creates a model where I just didn't stop learning at my CWT.” Connect with Scaling UP! H2O Submit a show idea: LinkedIn: YouTube: Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses Ep 405 - Ep 418 - Ep 420 - Ep 422 - Ep 424 - Ep 441 - Ep 442 - Ep 443 - Ep 444 - Ep 445 - Ep 446 - Ep 447 - Ep 456 - Ep 457 - Ep 459 - Ep 474 - 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking . This episode made possible through our valued partners at:
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484 Risk, Resilience, and Water Security with Dr. Newsha Ajami
07/10/2026
484 Risk, Resilience, and Water Security with Dr. Newsha Ajami
Industrial operations depend on water of a predictable quantity and quality, yet many organizations still treat that reliability as a given. joins Trace Blackmore, CWT, to examine water security as a business continuity issue and resilience as the ability to withstand pressure, maintain operations, and recover quickly when systems fail. Connecting Risk, Resilience, and Recovery For industrial water users, water security means maintaining access to the quantity and quality required to operate without interruption. That reliability depends on more than the water source itself. Treatment systems require energy, critical processes need backup plans, and organizations must understand what happens when one part of the system becomes unavailable. Dr. Newsha connects risk assessment directly to resilience planning. Organizations can reduce exposure by developing portfolios of water sources and solutions, building redundancy, preparing for power disruptions, and allocating resources before a crisis occurs. Recovery should also create an opportunity to reconsider infrastructure, governance, and institutional structures rather than automatically rebuilding the same system in the same way. Investing Before the System Fails Proactive water decisions often require leadership willing to invest before the immediate need becomes visible. Dr. Newsha highlights Arizona’s decision to store Colorado River allocations underground, Yuba Water Agency’s collaboration with Blue Forest to support watershed and infrastructure resilience, and San Francisco’s on-site water reuse requirements for qualifying buildings. These examples demonstrate that resilience can be strengthened through policy, financial models, external partnerships, water reuse, supply planning, and business model innovation. They also show why public agencies and private businesses may approach risk differently—and why each can learn from the other. Data Centers as a Water Challenge and Opportunity Data center development places new attention on water availability, cooling demand, energy use, and community infrastructure. Rather than treating these facilities only as a threat to local resources, Dr. Newsha encourages water professionals to examine where they are built, how they are cooled, and what innovations could reduce their water and energy requirements. Potential strategies include more efficient computing models, chip-level cooling, heat-absorbing materials, recovered-heat applications, water recycling, and co-location with facilities that can use excess heat. Collaboration between data center developers and host communities could also direct new investment toward aging or inadequate water infrastructure. Making Water a National Priority The Aspen national water strategy initiative brought together participants from agriculture, industry, energy, transportation, engineering, technology, rural and urban communities, Native American communities, and different political backgrounds. The goal was to identify shared principles and actions that could guide water decisions across national, state, and local levels. Dr. Newsha argues that water must be managed as a national security issue. That requires investment not only in technology, but also in institutions, policies, business models, research, natural infrastructure, and the governance structures that shape decision-making. Industrial water professionals can contribute by helping clients identify vulnerabilities, challenge assumptions, and make reliability investments before an interruption forces the decision. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 01:19 — Trace Blackmore shares highlights from the previous week, including the Fourth of July, the daytime edition of The Hang with AWT Young Professionals, and the Scaling Up Nation’s role in raising the bar across industrial water treatment. 03:05 — Trace recognizes several July 10 observances before turning the spotlight toward the water treatment industry’s own annual celebration. 04:36 — Industrial Water Week 2026 returns October 5–9 with dedicated episodes covering pretreatment, boilers, cooling, wastewater, and careers in industrial water. 06:38 — Words of Water with James 09:15 — Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals 11:01 — Interview with Dr. Newsha Ajami, founding director of the Risk Resilience and Recovery Program at Stanford University, about water security, resilient infrastructure, risk planning, recovery, and the policies and financial systems that shape water decisions 12:17 — Dr. Newsha explains how her engineering and hydrology background expanded into water policy, regulation, and infrastructure finance. 13:50 — Water’s everyday invisibility can create a false sense that reliable access will always continue without deliberate planning or investment. 15:35 — Water security for industrial users means maintaining the quantity and quality required to operate reliably and avoid business interruptions. 16:23 — Resilience requires systems that can tolerate pressure, maintain operations through redundancy, and recover quickly after failure. 17:45 — Risk, resilience, and recovery connect through better vulnerability assessment, diversified water sources, backup plans, and improved rebuilding decisions. 21:26 — Utilities, insurers, financial institutions, nonprofits, and government agencies all influence how resilient water systems become. 22:09 — Reactive business models and inflexible funding structures often delay resilience investments until after a disaster has occurred. 25:51 — Arizona’s groundwater storage, Yuba Water Agency’s watershed investments, and Moulton Niguel Water District’s operational changes demonstrate different approaches to long-term resilience. 29:45 — San Francisco’s onsite water reuse requirements show how policy can support development while reducing pressure on centralized water supplies. 38:32 — The Aspen National Water Strategy seeks to create a nonpartisan roadmap shaped by diverse regions, sectors, communities, and political perspectives. 41:13 — Dr. Newsha explains why water should be treated as a national security issue and why innovation must extend beyond technology to policies, institutions, and business models. 43:44 — Stanford’s Risk Resilience and Recovery Program examines how governance, insurance, finance, and legislation affect preparation for natural hazards and disaster recovery. 45:46 — Dr. Newsha invites listeners to connect through Stanford and LinkedIn to follow the program’s research, partnerships, and future events. 47:51 — Trace summarizes the conversation, emphasizing risk awareness, system redundancy, improved recovery planning, and collaboration among all stakeholders. 51:00 — Trace encourages professionals to apply past operational data, involve every relevant stakeholder, and help more water treaters discover the Scaling UP! H2O podcast. Quotes “And even when they break, be able to bounce back quickly.” “Data centers, a challenge and an opportunity.” “But we use we have to use this opportunity to, we have to use this as an opportunity to change, to do better, to build our infrastructure.” “Water is an invisible connector across everything we have, we do, we depend on.” “We do talk about water, but we do not manage water as a national security issue. And water is a national security issue.” Connect with Dr. Newsha Ajami Email: Website: LinkedIn: Guest Resources Mentioned Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses Words of Water with James McDonald Today's definition is water lost from a cooling tower as liquid droplets entrained in the exhaust air. It is independent of water lost by evaporation. 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking . 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483 From Process Engineer to Process Architect: Alicia Butler‑Pierre on Making Work Flow
07/03/2026
483 From Process Engineer to Process Architect: Alicia Butler‑Pierre on Making Work Flow
Industrial water professionals understand flow, pressure, heat exchange, wastewater, boilers, condensers, and process control. Alicia Butler-Pierre brings that same engineering logic into business systems, showing how work, information, decisions, and people move through an organization. Alicia, CEO of Equilibria, joins Trace Blackmore, CWT, to connect process engineering, operations management, Lean Six Sigma, dashboards, professional training, and business infrastructure. Her message is clear: whether you are moving water through a pipeline or work through a company, the question remains the same—how can the process flow more seamlessly? From Process Engineer to Process Architect Alicia shares how her chemical engineering background shaped the way she sees organizations. Early in her career, she worked around wastewater, boilers, condensers, and heat exchangers, but she also saw a gap between technical operations and business decision-making. That gap eventually led her to business school, entrepreneurship, and the founding of Equilibria. What began as a professional organizing company became an operations management consulting firm focused on processes, systems, Lean Six Sigma, and business infrastructure. For water professionals, this conversation offers a practical reminder: technical improvements often fail to gain support when they are explained only in technical language. Alicia challenges listeners to connect process improvements to business outcomes that accounting, leadership, and customers can understand. Dashboards, Dollars, and the Cost of Poor Quality Trace and Alicia discuss a familiar challenge in water treatment: a team may know that a technical improvement will raise efficiency or reduce risk, but accounting may only see the capital expense. Alicia’s advice is to show the linkage. Dashboards can help different functions see cause and effect. When technical investments are connected to revenue, profitability, customer demand, and operating efficiency, decision-makers can better understand the true value of the work. Alicia also introduces the Lean Six Sigma concept of cost of poor quality. Instead of presenting improvement work as another expense, she encourages professionals to frame it as an investment and show what inaction could cost in dollars and cents. Lean Six Sigma, Training, and Podcast Education Alicia explains Lean and Six Sigma in clear operational terms. Lean focuses on reducing waste and improving work from a customer-centered perspective. Six Sigma uses statistics and data analysis to reduce defects and errors as close to zero as possible. The conversation also moves into professional education. Alicia describes her podcast training portal, her partnership with the Project Management Institute, and how podcast episodes can support professional development units when paired with quizzes, approval processes, and a structured learning management system. For a technical field built on continuing education, this opens an important question: how can trusted podcast content become part of a more formal learning pathway? Scaling Knowledge Across Borders Alicia’s work has expanded through teaching, online training, micro-courses, podcasting, and international business development. She describes podcasting as a door that gave her access to the world and helped her see the global need for professional education. Her path from process engineer to process architect reinforces a lesson water professionals know well: good systems do not happen by accident. They are designed, tested, improved, and translated into language others can act on. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Connect with Alicia Butler-Pierre Email: Website: LinkedIn: Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses Words of Water with James McDonald Today's definition is the pressure of a system measured relative to the surrounding atmospheric pressure. In other words, it is the pressure of a system above atmospheric pressure. 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking . This episode made possible through our valued partners at:
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482 Preserving Our Industry’s Story – Paul Petersen and the Industrial Water Exhibit
06/26/2026
482 Preserving Our Industry’s Story – Paul Petersen and the Industrial Water Exhibit
Industrial water treatment has always supported industry, but much of that story remains invisible to the public. Paul Petersen wants to change that by helping establish an industrial water treatment presence at the National Museum of Industrial History in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Paul Petersen, former president and CEO of Trident Technologies and current leader of the Industrial Water Task Group, joins Trace Blackmore to explain why preserving the industry’s history matters. His vision is not simply a static display of old equipment. Instead, the goal is to create an educational thread throughout the museum that helps visitors understand how water, steam, analytics, field testing, and professional water treaters have shaped industrial progress. Why Industrial Water Belongs in an Industrial History Museum Paul’s idea began during a visit to the National Museum of Industrial History, where he saw a strong celebration of American industrialization but noticed a missing piece: the role water treaters played in making that progress possible. The museum’s location strengthens the story. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, sits in the Lehigh Valley, a region Paul describes as closely tied to industrialization, steel production, legacy water treatment companies, and heavy industrial water use. The former Bethlehem Steel site offers a fitting backdrop for explaining why water management is central to manufacturing, power, construction, and modern technology. From Water Wheels to Boilers, Steam, and Field Analytics The exhibit concept begins with water’s physical role in early factories, then follows the shift toward boilers and steam-producing systems. Paul explains that steam boilers do not serve their purpose without water, and they do not operate safely without proper water management. That opens the door to stories professionals know well: scale, corrosion, pitting, boiler failures, and the consequences of poor control. Paul also highlights another important industry contribution: field analytics. Industrial water treaters were early practitioners of field testing, using water analysis to confirm conditions and adjust treatment programs directly in the field. Helping the Public Understand What Water Treaters Do For many professionals, explaining industrial water treatment to people outside the field is a lifelong challenge. Paul sees the museum as an opportunity to make that explanation tangible. Rather than assuming visitors understand boiler rooms, cooling systems, data centers, sterilization, or process water, the exhibit can connect water treatment to outcomes people recognize: safe facilities, sterile surgical instruments, food quality, operating data centers, and reliable industrial systems. Preserving Artifacts, Stories, and Career Pathways Paul is asking the industry to help preserve its history. Companies and individuals may have photographs, reports, testing equipment, boiler failure examples, corrosion artifacts, pitting samples, or stories that can support future exhibits. The project also has a workforce purpose. By raising the visibility of professional water treaters, Paul hopes the exhibit can help people see industrial water treatment as a meaningful career path that combines chemistry, math, physics, engineering, communication, maintenance, construction, and hydrology. The industry’s history is not just a look backward. It can help explain the value of the work, attract new talent, and strengthen public understanding of why industrial water treatment matters. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:30 — Trace opens the episode by framing Paul Petersen’s work as important not only to industrial water treatment professionals, but also to people outside the field who need to understand what the industry makes possible 03:20 — The 2026 American Chemical Society Fall Conference is highlighted as a major chemistry gathering with relevance for water treatment professionals, chemists, chemical engineers, and technical leaders. 05:00 — Trace previews The Hang on July 9 at 1 PM Eastern, emphasizing peer connection, practical networking, and a more accessible time for participation. 06:30 — Industrial Water Week is announced for October 5–9, with each day focused on a core area of the industry: pretreatment, boilers, cooling, wastewater, and careers. 08:50 — James McDonald returns with Words of Water 10:30 — Trace introduces Paul Petersen, former president and CEO of Trident Technologies, and his current work leading the Industrial Water Task Group’s museum exhibit initiative 11:15 — Paul shares how growing up in Tucson, Arizona, shaped his appreciation for water and helped set the foundation for a career in industrial water treatment. 12:10 — Paul describes his early work as an analytical technician, where testing cooling tower, boiler, and process water built his practical foundation in water chemistry 14:00 — Paul explains the growth of Trident Technologies, including work in Southern California, Mexico, Latin America, and the company’s eventual sale in 2009. 15:20 — Paul reflects on how technology changed the industry, from cell phones and email to automation, AI, and the broader availability of technical information. 17:00 — Trace and Paul discuss AI’s potential value in reporting, trend identification, interpretation, and communication, while reinforcing the need to validate outputs. 18:00 — Paul explains how a 2019 visit to historic sites and the National Museum of Industrial History led to the idea for an industrial water treatment exhibit. 20:00 — Paul identifies the missing piece in the museum’s industrial story: the role water treaters played in supporting the success of industrialization. 21:40 — Paul explains why the museum concept may become a thread throughout the museum rather than one standalone exhibit, helping visitors see water’s role across industries. 22:50 — Paul explains why Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Valley, and the former Bethlehem Steel site provide a natural setting for telling the story of industrial water. 26:40 — Paul describes how modern museum visitors expect interactive learning and why the exhibit must help the public think critically about water beyond everyday household use. 28:10 — Paul outlines the first exhibit themes around steam, boilers, boiler failures, the Sultana disaster, field analytics, and historical testing methods. 31:55 — Paul discusses the lifelong challenge of explaining industrial water treatment to the public and connecting the work to boiler rooms, hospitals, food quality, data centers, and daily life. 34:10 — Paul shares the current exhibit status, including the first phase and a model boiler that will help visitors see what happens inside a boiler. 35:20 — Paul invites water professionals and companies to contribute artifacts, photographs, explanations, stories, and supporting materials that can help tell the industry’s story. 36:50 — Paul addresses a key misconception: water should not be taken for granted, and “good water” depends entirely on the application. 39:05 — Paul connects the exhibit to workforce visibility, explaining how it can help present industrial water treatment as a meaningful career path. 40:40 — Paul describes his long-term vision for visitors to see how water supports industries from steel and papermaking to microprocessors and modern technology. 42:40 — Paul explains that the project needs financial support, sponsorship, and leadership from companies and individuals who want to preserve the industry’s story. 44:20 — Paul closes the main conversation by emphasizing the importance of preserving industrial water history while the future continues to move quickly. 50:00 — Paul shares what he wishes more people understood about the industry: water is part of nearly every major story, and professional water treaters help keep society functioning. 51:30 — Trace recaps why Paul’s museum work matters, how the industry can contribute, and how the exhibit can help the public understand the role of industrial water treaters 55:20 — Trace closes with Paul’s advice to seek mentors, learn the business side as well as the chemistry, and never take water for granted Quotes “They're really celebrating industrial history in America. But what's missing is the role that we played as water treaters in support of the success of industrialization.” “Here's an opportunity for us to share the knowledge that we have as water treatment professionals with the public to engage their thinking, their critical thinking about water.” “What is good water? And my answer to that is, what do you want to do with it?” “What we do as professional water treaters is truly an important thing. And, you know, I never forget that.” “I'm part of the past, but I think our rich history should be presented in an exhibit for all to enjoy at the museum.” “I would like to build better bridges, more bridges.” “Just not taking the resource of water for granted.” Connect with Paul Petersen Email: Website: Guest Resources Mentioned Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses Words of Water with James McDonald Today's definition is the air temperature measured by a standard, dry thermometer exposed to the air but shielded from radiation. Often associated with cooling towers in our line of work. 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking . This episode made possible through our valued partners at:
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481 From Waterfalls to SOPs: Building Better Utilities with Kalpna Solanki
06/19/2026
481 From Waterfalls to SOPs: Building Better Utilities with Kalpna Solanki
Water utility work depends on more than technical knowledge. It depends on clear procedures, current documents, practical training, and performance conversations that reflect what operators actually do in the field. In Episode 481, Trace Blackmore, CWT, welcomes back , President and CEO at , for a practical conversation on building stronger utilities through standard operating procedures, competencies, and performance evaluations. Kalpna shares how outdated SOPs, disconnected training tools, and top-down documentation can create risk, confusion, and missed learning opportunities. SOPs That Match the Work Kalpna defines an SOP as a documented process that provides clear instructions for specific tasks or activities. Her current work with water utilities includes procedures for water main installation, flushing, customer complaints, meter installation, meter readings, and other distribution team responsibilities. The key issue is not whether an organization has SOPs. Many do. The bigger question is whether those documents still match the field reality. Kalpna describes reviewing SOPs that reference retired staff, outdated contact information, and procedures written by people who may no longer be close to the work. Her approach starts with the operators. The people doing the work help revise the documents, confirm what is accurate, and identify what needs to change. Revision dates, organized SOP libraries, and clear naming structures help teams avoid using the wrong version. From Procedures to Competencies Kalpna explains that SOPs should not sit alone in a file system. They should inform competency frameworks that define the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors needed for the job. For example, an SOP may explain how to perform a fire hydrant teardown. A related competency tool can help confirm whether an operator knows how to do that work safely and correctly. The results can then guide mentoring, training, and performance evaluation. This turns performance evaluation into a two-way process. Rather than simply telling employees what they did or did not do, supervisors can use competency checklists to identify gaps, determine needed resources, and support development. Field Access, Video, and Ownership Kalpna also shares how the Capital Regional District project extends SOPs beyond written documents. Once an SOP is revised and approved, her team creates a field video using operators as the subjects. The video is tied back to the written SOP, giving employees the option to read, watch, or use both formats depending on how they learn best. QR codes make the system even more useful. Operators can scan a code in the field and access the relevant SOP or video without leaving the work location, searching a large document library, or relying on memory. That access matters. As Kalpna puts it, when processes are too complicated, people are more likely to wing it. In water utility work, that can affect safety, consistency, compliance, and service quality. Water Stories and Water Reuse Kalpna also shares her personal water story, from growing up near the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls to living near the Thames River in London and later near protected watersheds in Vancouver. Her experiences shape how she thinks about water availability, source protection, and the responsibility of the industry. The conversation closes with a look at the Vancouver Convention Centre West, where a full-scale wastewater treatment facility operates beneath the building. Treated effluent is reused for toilet flushing and rooftop garden irrigation, reducing freshwater demand and municipal sewer load. For Kalpna, this points to a larger shift in language and mindset. Wastewater is not simply waste. It is a resource with future value for reuse, reclamation, and water-stressed industries. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 01:10 — Trace welcomes Kalpna Solanki back and notes her previous Scaling UP! H2O appearance in Episode 435 on backflow prevention. 01:50 — Kalpna shares what has changed since her last visit, including the launch of GAMECHANGERS Inc. and her work with nonprofits, government agencies, and water utilities. 02:40 — Kalpna explains the two criteria she uses when choosing where to contribute: the opportunity to contribute and the opportunity to learn. 03:40 — Kalpna introduces the Water Environment Federation and its broad role in the water sector, with a strong focus on wastewater. 04:10 — The conversation turns to WEFTEC, AI, data centers, and the Water AI Nexus Center for Excellence. 08:20 — Kalpna defines an SOP as a documented process that provides clear instructions for specific tasks or activities. 08:40 — Kalpna describes her work with the Capital Regional District and water distribution teams serving more than 400,000 people with drinking water. 09:40 — Kalpna explains why SOPs should be developed with field staff, not only by managers who may be removed from day-to-day operations. 10:40 — SOPs connect to competencies by defining the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors employees need to perform work effectively. 11:40 — Kalpna frames performance evaluation as a two-way process for identifying training needs, resources, and competency gaps. 13:00 — Trace asks how organizations can align SOPs with what operators actually do in the field. 13:20 — Kalpna describes the risk of dated SOPs, including documents that reference retired staff or obsolete contact information. 14:00 — Kalpna explains how SOP nomenclature and organized folders help operators find the current procedure quickly. 15:30 — The discussion shifts to video-based SOPs that support different learning styles and increase field usability. 19:50 — Kalpna adds that QR codes can take operators directly to the relevant SOP and linked video in the field. 20:25 — Kalpna explains why simplicity matters: if the process is too complicated, people are more likely to wing it. 21:10 — Safety enters the competency discussion, with Kalpna explaining why SOP-based competencies can better reflect actual field work. 22:20 — Kalpna outlines her starting process with a utility: review the SOPs, determine what is dated or missing, divide them by operational area, and prioritize revisions. 24:10 — Kalpna describes how SOPs for water main upgrades can be translated into a competency framework. 25:00 — Technical and leadership competencies are discussed, including behavioral indicators that supervisors can use with operators. 26:30 — Kalpna introduces application exams, remote proctoring, and future AI-assisted marking as part of the hiring process. 28:05 — The conversation turns to culture, ownership, and how staff involvement can create empowerment rather than top-down compliance. 29:55 — Kalpna urges listeners to look at the intersection between SOPs, competencies, and performance evaluations. 32:40 — Kalpna shares her personal water story, beginning with childhood walks near the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls. 34:15 — Kalpna connects her experiences in London and Vancouver to water availability, source protection, and the value of safe drinking water. 37:00 — In the lightning round, Kalpna describes her superpower as seeing organizations from a high-level perspective and imagining what they could become. 38:35 — Kalpna shares a major accomplishment: leading a CRM project that succeeded because the people doing the work were involved. 40:25 — Kalpna discusses a water operator training and certification project in Kenya with Water Professionals International and GAMECHANGERS Inc. 41:55 — Kalpna answers the magic wand question with the Water Environment Federation vision statement: “life free of water challenges.” 43:10 — Kalpna recommends five books spanning personal values, scaling systems, resilience, memoir, and nonprofit governance. Quotes “When it comes to how that leads to competencies, competencies refer to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that employees need to perform their job effectively.” “Because I think if things are too complicated, people are going to be more tempted to wing it.” “I need their feedback to get the reality of their job on a day-to-day basis.” “I think that one of the key things is really look at the intersection between SOPs, competencies and performance evaluations.” “Life free of water challenges.” “We talk about wastewater, but it's not waste really, it's a resource.” Connect with Kalpna Solanki Email: [email protected] Website: LinkedIn: Guest Resources Mentioned Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking .
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480 From Engineering Numbers to People, Power, and Policy with Sherine El‑Wattar
06/13/2026
480 From Engineering Numbers to People, Power, and Policy with Sherine El‑Wattar
Industrial water professionals work with chemistry, equipment, permits, and performance targets every day. Yet every gallon also moves through a framework of policy decisions: who can withdraw water, how it may be used, what quality must be returned, and whose needs are considered when systems are designed. , a science network officer supporting the Working Group II Technical Support Unit, brings an engineering foundation and a human-centered perspective to those questions. Her work focuses on climate impacts, adaptation, vulnerability, and risk while helping connect scientific assessments with communities and professional groups beyond the traditional research environment. Water Systems Are Never Neutral Pipelines, treatment plants, reuse programs, and flood-control infrastructure solve technical problems. However, Sherine encourages engineers and decision-makers to ask additional questions: Who benefits from the system? Who might be harmed? Whose assumptions are built into the equations? What local realities might the numbers overlook? Her master’s research illustrates the importance of that lens. Sherine compared remote-sensing indicators of agricultural productivity with the day-to-day practices of farmers near Cairo. A digital map could classify land as productive or unproductive, but the view from the ground revealed practices shaped by long-term care for the soil and water. The lesson is not to dismiss data. It is to understand what the data may not capture. Water Risk Depends on Context Water scarcity, flooding, infrastructure resilience, and climate adaptation do not look the same in every region. Culture, institutions, belief systems, and lived experience shape how communities define risk and how they respond to water policy. Sherine describes climate-related water risk through a straightforward frame: too much water or too little water. The solutions, however, require deeper attention to local conditions. A technically sound recommendation may still fall short if it overlooks the people affected by the decision. Practical Steps for Water Professionals For utilities, facilities, and water-sector businesses, Sherine recommends exploring water footprint concepts and water stewardship. She also emphasizes authentic connection: listen before trying to fix a problem, communicate without judgment, and build awareness through relationships. Industrial water treaters already hold valuable knowledge. Sharing that expertise with operators, communities, policymakers, and professionals from other disciplines can improve the quality of future water decisions. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:10 — Trace explains why water and policy are inseparable, even when daily work appears focused on equipment, chemistry, permits, and profitability. 05:10 — Upcoming industry events highlight opportunities to stay current on utility operations, infrastructure, compliance, data integration, and water-quality challenges. 08:50 — Sherine El-Wattar joins the conversation and clarifies the IPCC acronym before introducing her work in water governance and climate adaptation. 11:30 — Sherine reflects on the value of combining engineering problem-solving with water systems that serve society. 12:00 — Sherine describes her role supporting IPCC Working Group II and the two responsibilities she balances: science and networking. 14:10 — The discussion explores how expert reviewers can contribute perspectives from law, finance, health, youth organizations, Indigenous communities, and other fields. 15:30 — Sherine explains why communication must shift depending on whether the audience includes public communities or government representatives. 17:10 — Water is compared to language: local culture, institutions, and belief systems influence how risk and equity are understood. 19:50 — Sherine unpacks water as a story of people, power, and justice rather than only a network of pipes and treatment systems. 22:00 — A human-centric approach asks who benefits, who may be harmed, whose knowledge informs the system, and what the assumptions may cost. 24:40 — Sherine describes the Netherlands’ Delta Works as an example of infrastructure shaped by risk, institutional capacity, and long-term water management. 27:10 — Sherine shares how her master’s studies shifted her understanding of water from a technical discipline toward the science-policy interface. 29:40 — Her research compares remote-sensing indicators with farmers’ lived practices near Cairo, revealing the limits of relying on aggregated data alone. 33:30 — Trace and Sherine explore how professionals can respect culture and tradition while still supporting education and improvement. 35:50 — Sherine recommends water footprint concepts and water stewardship as practical starting points for organizations planning for climate adaptation. 38:20 — The conversation examines the mismatch between climate risk and the depth of current responses to too much or too little water. 41:50 — Sherine encourages professionals to connect water awareness with personal reflection, professional networks, and conversations that influence behavior Connect with Sherine El-Wattar Phone: +31646914589 Email: Website: LinkedIn: Quotes “And I really liked how, you know, engineering is all about the numbers, solving problems, and finding a way to create a system that serves society.” “I have been humbled enough to know you cannot force policymakers to think anything.” “For us to balance these things, it's about, it starts with understanding.” “I really hope I would live to see the day where taking care of water or being water conscious is the new trend.” Guest Resources Mentioned Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking .
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479 Water Treatment: The Next Generation - Hustle Culture Meets Emotional Literacy with Tiffany Wentz‑Root
06/05/2026
479 Water Treatment: The Next Generation - Hustle Culture Meets Emotional Literacy with Tiffany Wentz‑Root
In today’s episode of Scaling UP! H2O, host Trace Blackmore sits down with workplace resilience expert and U.S. Marine veteran to decode how different generations show up in the industrial water treatment industry. From the Silent Generation’s post‑war loyalties through Baby Boomers’ commitment to long hours, Gen X’s distrust of corporate loyalty, Millennials’ desire for purpose and feedback, and Gen Z’s demand for emotional literacy, the conversation illustrates how each cohort was shaped by historical and technological upheaval. The discussion reframes “hustle culture” and argues that a focus on mental health and values alignment can increase retention and performance. Generations and the events that shaped them Tiffany explains that generations are roughly 20–30 year cohorts defined by shared formative experiences. The Silent Generation (1928‑45) endured the Great Depression and World War II; Baby Boomers (1946‑64) were taught loyalty and stability; Gen X (1965‑80) witnessed mass layoffs and became fiercely independent; Millennials (1981‑96) were helicopter parented and accustomed to participation trophies; and Gen Z (1997‑2012) grew up online, socializing via games and apps and weathering school shootings and a pandemic. These histories explain why Baby Boomers and Gen X equate “hard work” with hours logged, whereas Millennials and Gen Z measure effort by pride, alignment and emotional impact. Gen Z’s exposure to constant online crises makes them the “anxious and afraid generation” with record rates of anxiety and depression, highlighting the need for supportive leadership. Hustle culture versus emotional literacy The conversation challenges the idea that toughness equals success. Wentz‑Root stresses that leaders must “stop prizing strength” and recognize that feeling and processing emotions is hard work. She advocates for environments where people can bring their whole selves to work rather than suppressing feelings in order to conform to traditional hustle culture. She notes that Gen Z sees phone calls as “prehistoric” and prefers to communicate via apps like Snapchat or Discord, so older professionals should adapt their communication style—using fewer capital letters, punctuation and more emojis or GIFs—to avoid appearing angry or dismissive. For water treatment companies seeking to recruit young professionals, she urges them to articulate company values and support mental health, because Gen Z will leave if work doesn’t align with their skills or passions. Practical strategies for leaders and organizations To bridge the generational divide, Wentz‑Root proposes creating a “social contract”: a collaboratively defined set of values, behaviors and communication norms that are revisited regularly. Such agreements encourage teams to discuss how they prefer to give and receive feedback, when to use Slack versus meetings, and what good work looks like across ages. She also recommends structured cross‑mentorship, matching senior employees who are nearing retirement with junior colleagues based on skills rather than age, so institutional knowledge isn’t lost. She cautions against judging younger staff as entitled or weak; rather, leaders should ask why behaviors exist and treat differences as strengths. Lastly, she reminds Baby Boomers and Gen Xers that sharing decades of hard‑earned experience with Gen Z isn’t charity—it’s how you build a legacy and ensure the industry thrives. For water‑treatment professionals, recognizing that “different doesn’t mean wrong” can unlock better collaboration, innovation and resilience. By replacing judgment with curiosity, establishing social contracts and mentorship programs, and adapting communication to younger workers, leaders can turn generational tension into an asset. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:32 — Trace Blackmore introduces the episode and sets the context: exploring generational dynamics in the industrial water treatment community 09:20 — Tiffany Wentz‑Root introduces herself as a Marine Corps veteran and therapist who helps corporations improve communication, empathy and resilience. 15:07 — Definition of a “generation” and how cohort boundaries from Silent Generation to Gen Alpha are defined 18:06 — Examination of how Baby Boomers were taught loyalty and work stability, Gen X learned independence after witnessing mass layoffs, and Millennials received participation trophies and craved feedback 00:24:33 — Wentz‑Root calls for leaders to stop equating strength with suppressing emotion; feeling and processing emotions is difficult work 25:02 — Gen Z is described as the anxious and afraid generation with record levels of anxiety, depression and suicide, shaped by school shootings and constant online news 27:03 — Contrasting COVID experiences: Trace led a team through uncertainty, while Tiffany’s son saw the lockdown as “awesome” because he stayed home playing games. 28:41 — Discussion of how Gen Z socializes through apps like Snapchat, Discord and Steam; texting is archaic and phone calls are “prehistoric” 32:09 — Panel reflections: Baby Boomers and Gen X define hard work by hours worked, Millennials by pride in results, and Gen Z by alignment with skills and passions 33:37 — Tiffany emphasizes that “different doesn’t mean wrong,” urging listeners to see younger workers’ needs as strengths 40:26 — Introduction of social contracts: teams co‑create values, behaviors and communication norms to bridge generational expectations 42:42 — The role of cross‑generational mentorship; match people by skill and career stage, not age, and leverage Gen Z’s expertise with tech and communication platforms 01:13:26 — Trace’s closing reflections: in male‑dominated, hustle‑driven industries, ignoring emotions isn’t sustainable; sharing knowledge now ensures a legacy and a thriving future Quotes “We need to stop prizing strength first and foremost. We need to understand that emotions are very difficult to face. To feel your feelings, to name them, to process them—that’s hard” “When I asked, ‘What’s your definition of hard work?’ the baby boomer said, ‘I put in a lot of hours.’ Gen X said, ‘I put in a lot of hours.’ Millennials said, ‘I get the job done and I’m proud of it.’ Gen Z said, ‘It’s when the work that I’ve done aligns with my skills and my passions, and I feel good about what I did’” “Judgment kills curiosity … When I see someone of a different generation with a different way of communicating, I automatically go, ‘That’s bad, that’s weird.’ Instead, I want you to step into curiosity and say, ‘Why would they do that? What happened in their life that shaped them to be this person?’” Connect with Tiffany Wentz-Root Phone: (425) 359-5088 Email: Website: LinkedIn: Guest Resources Mentioned Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses Words of Water with James McDonald Today's definition is an ion with a net negative charge, formed when an atom or molecule gains one or more electrons. Examples include bicarbonate, chloride, and sulfate. Can you guess the word or phrase? 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking .
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478 Rethinking Power Plant Water and Steam Chemistry with Brad Buecker (Part 2)
05/29/2026
478 Rethinking Power Plant Water and Steam Chemistry with Brad Buecker (Part 2)
Power plant water and steam chemistry does not fail in isolation. A mistaken unit, an unused analyzer, an overdesigned pretreatment system, or a misunderstood condensate return problem can ripple across equipment, permits, production, and safety. In this Part 2 conversation with of and Buecker Associates, Trace Blackmore continues a practical discussion on the details that shape industrial water decisions. Brad shares field stories from combined cycle plants, package boilers, wastewater permitting, membrane systems, and decades of technical writing. When Small Errors Become Expensive Problems Brad opens with a story about a wastewater permitting issue where parts per million and parts per billion were confused in a discharge permit. The result was not just a paperwork problem. Once the stricter limits were accepted by regulators, meeting those limits would have required more complex and expensive wastewater treatment equipment. That story is a reminder for water professionals reviewing RFPs, permits, and engineering specifications. Precision matters before a project is built, not after the limits have already been approved. Brad also discusses PFAS with appropriate caution. He does not present himself as a PFAS expert, but he connects the conversation to zero liquid discharge, brine concentrators, crystallizers, and the unresolved question of what happens to solids when contaminants are concentrated rather than discharged. Membranes, Discharge, and the Changing Water Balance Looking across more than four decades in the industry, Brad points to membranes as one of the major changes in power plant water treatment. He discusses how reverse osmosis extended ion exchange demineralizer run times, and how microfiltration and ultrafiltration improved water quality going to RO systems. However, Brad also makes clear that better pretreatment does not remove every operational question. RO reject remains a substantial discharge stream. Meanwhile, the movement away from once-through cooling toward cooling towers has changed how plants think about water consumption, evaporation, discharge, and resource availability. For professionals managing water in power and industrial systems, the episode reinforces a practical lesson: every improvement has a system-level consequence that must be understood. The Real Cost of “Lean and Mean” Brad uses the phrase “lean and mean” to describe how some combined cycle plants are staffed. In one example, a plant had a comprehensive online chemistry monitoring system installed, but it had never been turned on because the staff did not have the experience to maintain or interpret it. In another case, a groundwater-based makeup system included seven-layer multimedia filters even though groundwater typically has very few particulates. Brad could not make a categorical conclusion without a full analysis, but the story raises an important question: are we solving the actual water problem, or simply buying equipment? He also shares a case from an organic chemicals plant with four 550 PSI package boilers. The plant returned 80 to 90 percent of its condensate, but total organic carbon levels were far above the ASME recommended limit for that pressure boiler. Foam in the saturated steam samples helped point to carryover into the superheaters, where scale was building up inside the tubes. Learning, Mentorship, and Leaving the Industry Better Beyond the technical stories, Brad’s message is clear: professionals who keep learning are better prepared to make sound decisions. He encourages newer water treaters to study strong water treatment handbooks, talk to experienced people, and physically connect chemistry data to the equipment and processes in the plant. For those nearing retirement, Brad offers a different kind of challenge: pass along what you know while there is still time. He and Trace discuss how sharing experience strengthens the next generation instead of threatening the people who already hold knowledge. The episode closes with a reminder that water is central to manufacturing, power generation, and daily life. Keeping the lights on and protecting water resources both require people who understand the systems behind the scenes. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:16 — Trace introduces Part 2 of his conversation with Bradley Buecker and sets up the continuation of a technical discussion on power plant water and steam chemistry. 04:10 — Trace asks Brad about a case where an engineering firm confused parts per million and parts per billion in wastewater permitting. 05:38 — Brad explains how NPDES discharge permits shape what a new plant must control before construction and operation. 06:35 — Brad describes how some constituents with typical PPM limits were submitted as PPB, creating a much stricter compliance problem. 07:18 — Brad explains why trying to meet unnecessarily low PPB limits can require exotic wastewater treatment equipment. 07:51 — Trace pivots the conversation to PFAS, and Brad responds carefully by acknowledging the importance of the issue while noting that he is not a PFAS expert. 08:34 — Brad connects PFAS concerns to zero liquid discharge, brine concentrators, crystallizers, and the question of what happens to concentrated solids. 11:27 — Brad identifies membranes as one of the major industry changes he has seen across more than four decades. 11:44 — Brad explains how RO systems placed ahead of ion exchange demineralizers extended operating run times in power plant makeup water treatment. 12:35 — Brad notes that membrane systems still create discharge challenges, including substantial RO reject streams. 13:23 — Brad discusses the shift away from once-through cooling and how cooling towers changed the water consumption picture for power plants. 16:14 — Trace asks Brad about the phrase “lean and mean,” opening a discussion about staffing, expertise, and hidden operational risk. 17:25 — Brad shares a case where a comprehensive online chemistry monitoring system had never been turned on because the plant lacked the right technical support. 18:31 — Brad describes a groundwater-based makeup system with a seven-layer multimedia filtration setup and raises the question of whether the equipment fit the actual water source. 20:39 — Brad introduces a case involving four 550 PSI package boilers at an organic chemicals plant producing superheated steam for process use. 21:30 — Brad explains that 80 to 90 percent condensate return, high TOC readings, and foaming in saturated steam samples pointed toward carryover into the superheaters. 23:29 — Brad summarizes the risk of cutting too deeply: being lean and mean can cost more in the long run. 23:55 — Brad reflects on the importance of continuous learning and shares his regret about not pursuing a master’s program in environmental science. 25:19 — Trace shares his father’s advice to leave the industry better than he found it, and Brad connects that idea to sharing safety-critical knowledge. 29:25 — Brad advises newer professionals to learn the basics, study reliable water treatment handbooks, and connect lab work to real plant systems. 35:32 — Brad thanks retiring professionals and encourages them to pass along practical knowledge to younger people while they still have time. 37:23 — Brad explains what people outside the industry should understand about water’s role in manufacturing, power generation, and daily life. Quotes “Those are very important because if something goes south chemistry-wise at a power plant, you need to know very quickly.” “You can be lean and mean, but it can cost you a lot more in the long run.” “If you have any ambition or interest at all, continue learning.” “If you pass along your information and give younger people a chance to do something, give them some responsibility, it just pays off much more.” Connect with Bradley Buecker Email: LinkedIn: Website: Guest Resources Mentioned Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses Words of Water with James McDonald Today's definition is the standard SI unit for the amount of substance, defined exactly as 6.02214076 x 10^23 elementary entities, such as atoms or molecules. Can you guess the word or phrase? 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking .
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477 Rethinking Power Plant Water and Steam Chemistry with Brad Buecker (Part 1)
05/22/2026
477 Rethinking Power Plant Water and Steam Chemistry with Brad Buecker (Part 1)
Power plant water and steam chemistry is not a background task. It affects safety, reliability, metallurgy, production, and the decisions plant teams make under pressure. In Part 1 of this conversation, Trace Blackmore, CWT, welcomes Bradley Buecker of SAMCO Technologies and Buecker Associates to examine what happens when familiar assumptions go unchallenged. Safety Comes First in High-Energy Systems Bradley begins with the lesson that has shaped decades of his work: safety. Power and industrial systems involve heat, flow, moving equipment, chemicals, confined spaces, lockout/tagout requirements, and PPE decisions that cannot be treated casually. That safety lens carries directly into the discussion of flow accelerated corrosion, or FAC. Bradley explains how older thinking around removing all oxygen from high-pressure steam generation systems helped shape all-volatile treatment reducing programs. However, research following a catastrophic 1986 feedwater line failure showed that chemistry, flow conditions, pH, temperature, and piping geometry can combine to thin protective oxide layers on carbon steel. "Water is Water" Is a Risky Mindset Trace and Bradley then challenge one of the most expensive assumptions in industrial plants: “water is water.” Bradley explains why boiler makeup treatment, softener performance, hardness control, and operating discipline deserve attention before failures appear. Low-pressure and intermediate-pressure boilers may tolerate a range of dissolved solids, but hardness remains a serious threat. Calcium and magnesium can form calcium carbonate scale in hot boiler environments, especially when softeners are poorly maintained, overrun, or bypassed to keep production moving. Bradley shares examples where short-term operating decisions led to tube failures, re-tubing, hydrogen damage, and costly downtime. Layup, Stainless Steel, and Data Before Assumptions The conversation also covers proper layup, oxygen and moisture corrosion, nitrogen capping, dehumidified air, vapor phase corrosion inhibitors, and why idle systems need a plan. Bradley reminds listeners that protecting the boiler is not enough; condensers, low-pressure turbines, and other surfaces also matter. Finally, Bradley discusses stainless steel selection and why 304L or 316L should never be treated as a universal cure for corrosion. Chlorides, deposits, cycling in cooling towers, and pitting risk all need to be evaluated before materials decisions become expensive lessons. His closed cooling water case history reinforces the same principle: do not clean, treat, or specify based on assumption. Get the data first. Good water treatment decisions protect people, equipment, and production. This conversation is a reminder that experience matters, but so does the willingness to ask questions, challenge old habits, and reach out before a problem becomes a failure. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:30 — Trace opens the episode by thanking listeners for encouraging him to share more personal reflections, showing how audience feedback shapes the podcast. 04:50 — Trace highlights upcoming industry events, including ACE26 and The Water Expo, and reminds water professionals to use the Scaling UP! H2O events section for career and networking opportunities. 07:10 — James McDonald presents Words of Water, defining the mole and keeping technical learning approachable for industrial water professionals. 09:10 — Trace welcomes Bradley Buecker of SAMCO Technologies and Buecker Associates as his lab partner for the episode. 10:00 — Bradley summarizes his career across coal-fired utilities, water treatment, steam generation chemistry, air emissions control, engineering firms, and water treatment companies. 11:30 — Bradley identifies safety as the most important lesson from his career, emphasizing PPE, lockout/tagout, confined spaces, chemicals, and high-energy systems. 12:50 — Bradley challenges the phrase “that’s the way we’ve always done it,” pointing to changes in membrane technologies, high-pressure steam chemistry, and cooling water treatment. 13:50 — Bradley introduces two major concerns: flow accelerated corrosion and the dangerous assumption that “water is water.” 15:10 — Bradley explains the historical focus on removing oxygen from high-pressure steam systems using mechanical deaerators and reducing agents. 16:10 — Bradley describes the 1986 nuclear plant feedwater line failure that killed four personnel and intensified research into FAC. 18:50 — Bradley explains how AVTR chemistry, flow conditions, fittings, pH, and temperature can thin protective oxide layers and lead to catastrophic failure. 20:20 — Bradley discusses how high-purity feedwater with a small amount of dissolved oxygen can form a denser oxide layer that protects carbon steel from FAC. 23:50 — Bradley compares oxygen scavengers, including sulfite, hydrazine, carbohydrazide, DHA, and methyl ethyl ketoxime, and explains where their use differs. 26:50 — Trace and Bradley unpack why “water is water” often means water is treated as the last priority instead of the first. 28:10 — Bradley explains why sodium softening, hardness control, and boiler makeup treatment are essential for low- and intermediate-pressure boilers. 31:00 — Bradley shares examples of softener bypass decisions that can lead to boiler damage, tube failures, re-tubing, and costly downtime. 36:50 — Bradley explains why layup matters, especially when water cools, air enters, and localized corrosion develops inside idle equipment. 42:00 — Bradley warns that stainless steel is not a cure-all and explains how chloride concentration and pitting risk affect 304L and 316L applications. 45:50 — Bradley shares a closed cooling water case history where black material was assumed to be iron but turned out to be bitumen from an unsuitable pipe liner. 51:00 — Bradley stresses the need for data before action, explaining how an incorrect cleaning assumption could have compounded a seven-figure materials mistake. 52:50 — Trace and Bradley discuss the value of experience and why younger professionals should seek training, conferences, vendors, and technical networks. 54:20 — Bradley speaks to the importance of mentorship as experienced professionals retire and critical industry knowledge risks being lost. 59:40 — Trace closes Part 1 and previews Part 2, which will continue the conversation on oxygen scavengers, pretreatment stories, and Bradley’s career. Connect with Bradley Buecker Email: LinkedIn: Guest Resources Mentioned Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses Words of Water with James McDonald Today's definition is the standard SI unit for the amount of substance, defined exactly as 6.02214076 x 10^23 elementary entities, such as atoms or molecules. Can you guess the word or phrase? 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking .
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476 Positive Communication, Temperaments, and the WOW Effect with Paule Genest
05/15/2026
476 Positive Communication, Temperaments, and the WOW Effect with Paule Genest
Communication shapes how teams learn, respond, correct, and build trust. Trace Blackmore, CWT welcomes returning guest Director, Sales and ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) Water and Energy TGWT / The Tannin Guys for a conversation on positive communication, temperaments, the WOW Effect, and how water professionals can use words with more clarity and care. Communication With a Positive Impact Paule reframes positive communication as communication with a positive impact. The goal is not fake positivity or polished language. The goal is to use the right words, tone, timing, and listening habits to create better emotional and relational outcomes. That distinction matters in technical environments. Teams may say they want innovation, accountability, safety, or trust, but unclear or defensive communication can unintentionally create the opposite result. Paule reminds listeners that communication is not optional. It is operational. Listening, Temperaments, and Shared Definitions Trace and Paule revisit the temperament framework made familiar to Scaling UP! Nation through Kathleen Edelman’s past appearances. Paule identifies herself as a “yellow,” while Trace identifies as a “red,” creating a useful example of how different communication styles can either complement or frustrate one another. They also discuss why listening is more than waiting to respond. Paule encourages listeners to pay attention to words, nonverbal cues, context, environment, and emotion. She also emphasizes the importance of shared definitions. A word like “innovation,” “courage,” or “accountability” may not mean the same thing to every person in the room. The Fizz Factor Paule introduces the idea of “just enough fizz” in communication. Fizz is the energy, care, authenticity, and clarity that makes communication feel alive without becoming fake, overwhelming, or unclear. Too little fizz can make communication flat. Too much can create noise. The professional challenge is learning how much energy, directness, empathy, and clarity the person and the situation require. When Communication Gets Difficult The conversation also addresses harder moments: tension in meetings, emotional escalation, apologies, safety corrections, and urgent technical situations. Paule encourages professionals to pause, breathe, validate, and revisit conversations when needed. In a boiler room or safety-critical setting, direct communication may be necessary immediately. However, Trace and Paule agree that teams can still return later to review what happened, protect the relationship, and improve the system. Better communication does not remove difficulty from technical work. It helps professionals handle difficulty with more clarity, humility, and purpose. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 01:17 — Trace shares information about the Global 6K for Water and invites listeners to participate on Saturday, May 16. 02:20 — Trace introduces the episode topic: why clear, positive communication matters during busy seasons filled with projects, audits, customer calls, emails, and coordination. 03:28 — Words of Water with James McDonald 05:03 — Trace encourages listeners to visit the Scaling UP! H2O events page and highlights the 2026 Environment Systems Research Institute Conference in San Diego, California, July 13–17. 06:33 — Trace previews Legionella Awareness Month in August and explains why the podcast dedicates the month to Legionella, waterborne pathogens, expert interviews, and industry education. 08:29 — Trace introduces Industrial Water Week, taking place October 5–9, with daily themes for pretreatment, boilers, cooling, wastewater, and careers. 09:45 — Trace announces the return of Detective H2O during Industrial Water Week and reminds listeners why the week is designed to celebrate the industrial water treatment profession. 10:42 — Trace sets up the main interview by identifying miscommunication as a common professional challenge and introducing the need for better communication. 11:17 — Trace welcomes returning guest Paule Genest of TGWT Clean Technologies Inc. and references her previous appearances on Episode 192 and Episode 380 12:31 — Paule shares what she has been focused on since her last appearance, including growing relationships, improving communication, and supporting the water technologies community. 13:47 — Paule discusses her podcast-style work with power engineers and boiler operators, created to bring visibility to professionals who are often overlooked. 14:40 — Paule shares her work as an adjunct teacher at the University of Montreal, where her class on social responsibility and PR has become a required course. 15:23 — Paule talks about the Women of Water community, mentoring Abigail Coquette, and the value of documenting mentorship experiences for future learning. 16:05 — Trace reflects on an AWT Colorado Springs panel with baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z, showing how different generations respond to the same communication questions. 17:01 — Paule explains how she has learned to organize her communication around the listener and the message she wants them to take away. 18:30 — Trace introduces temperaments, with Paule identifying as yellow and Trace identifying as red, and connects the discussion to Kathleen Edelman’s communication work. 19:31 — Trace explains why communication should be shaped for the recipient, using his Gen Z son and punctuation in text messages as an example. 19:54 — Paule explains that positive communication is not simply the opposite of negative communication, but a way of choosing words that influence emotional and relational outcomes. 21:40 — Paule emphasizes listening as an art and encourages professionals to pay attention to words, nonverbal cues, context, environment, and emotion. 22:43 — Paule explains why shared definitions matter, using “innovation” as an example of a word that may mean different things to different people. 23:54 — Paule discusses how people bring past experiences into present conversations and references I’m Okay, You’re Okay and the child, parent, and adult framework. 26:00 — Trace asks Paule to explain her idea of “just enough fizz” in communication. 26:09 — Paule defines fizz as the energy, care, authenticity, vulnerability, and positive impact that help communication become more effective. 28:14 — Paule introduces the Fizz Factor Quiz and walks Trace through possible responses when tension rises in a team meeting. 29:29 — Paule compares communication styles to still water, espresso, sparkling water, and kombucha, helping listeners visualize different ways people show up in conversation. 30:30 — Paule explains the importance of speaking truth with empathy, checking tone and timing, and acknowledging how a message is received. 31:40 — Trace shares the example of a communication stick, where one person speaks until the other can accurately reflect what was said. 34:07 — Paule explains how to step back during emotional conversations by breathing, noticing physical cues, and returning to a listening mode. 37:10 — Paule reframes positive communication as “communication with a positive impact,” focusing on the outcome it creates for both parties. 40:02 — Trace explains the three-part apology: acknowledging what happened, connecting with how it affected the other person, and asking how to make it right. 41:01 — Paule connects social responsibility with communication and explains why the outcome needs to be positive for both parties in a dialogue. 42:11 — Paule describes the communication model of speaker, listener, message, environment, noise, context, and feedback. 45:21 — After the sponsor break, Trace explains a question he uses when communication does not land as intended: “What did you just hear me say?” 45:55 — Paule suggests rating meetings and conversations by asking what each person felt, understood, and took away. 46:34 — Trace asks how communication changes in urgent safety situations, such as a boiler room issue that could lead to equipment failure or injury. 46:59 — Paule explains that direct safety communication may be necessary in the moment, but the team should revisit the conversation later to learn and preserve the relationship. 48:37 — Trace returns to the idea of “just enough fizz” and asks how to know whether the fizz is for the speaker, the listener, or the situation. 48:53 — Paule explains that fizz should respect both people, the situation, and the communication style of the other party. 50:47 — Paule shares how Melanie helped her realize that poetic communication still needs a clear action or outcome. 53:06 — Paule introduces Mathieu Laferrière’s Feel, Know, Do approach as a practical structure for communication and email writing. 55:43 — Trace asks whether fizz works in email, where tone, facial expression, and visual cues are missing. 56:07 — Paule explains how to adapt the Feel, Know, Do structure for different temperaments, especially when writing to more direct communicators. 57:08 — Paule encourages listeners to ask people how they prefer to communicate, whether by email, text, Messenger, or another channel. 58:31 — Trace raises a practical technical example, asking whether fizz matters when simply reporting that a pump was out of prime. 58:54 — Paule explains that fizz is part of the experience and can still be present in technical updates through clarity, usefulness, and a human touch. 01:00:38 — Trace shares advice he received early in podcasting: it is okay to be impressed, but you have to be involved. 01:02:33 — Paule summarizes her key message: positive communication is not optional, it is operational. 01:03:15 — Paule begins the lightning round by creating a friendship holiday centered on writing a letter to yourself and to a friend. 01:04:52 — Paule shares her mantra, “Life is fragile,” and connects it to people, the environment, Mother Nature, and water. 01:06:50 — Paule explains why she wishes more people understood the importance of boiler operators and power engineers. 01:10:21 — Trace summarizes the main lesson from the conversation: positive communication requires intentionally chosen words that help the other person understand the message. 01:11:16 — Trace explains how past experiences can shape miscommunication and why choosing words carefully can remove some of the “gray” in communication. 01:12:07 — Trace reflects on generational communication differences and encourages listeners to give others more grace. Quotes “Be calm. Make sure your antennas are open and grab whatever is happening with the words, but also the nonverbal communication, the context, the environment.” “I would like to say that communication is not optional. It's operational.” “To be clear and check you know on our tone and timing, I've had to learn about my timing this year in hard ways.” “don't let kindness cloud the core message.” Connect with Paule Genest Phone: (514) 703-4317 Email: Website: LinkedIn: Guest Resources Mentioned Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses Words of Water with James McDonald Today's definition is an electrochemical form of corrosion that occurs when two dissimilar metals are in electrical contact with each other in the presence of an electrolyte. Can you guess the word or phrase? 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking .
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475 Inside the Boiler: Inspection, Failure Analysis, and Photography with Cheryl Heiser
05/08/2026
475 Inside the Boiler: Inspection, Failure Analysis, and Photography with Cheryl Heiser
A boiler failure can create pressure quickly: production is down, emotions are high, and the water treater may be the first person blamed. of . joins Trace Blackmore, CWT, to walk through a more disciplined way to evaluate boiler issues by looking beyond chemistry alone. Why Boiler Failures Need a Broader Lens Cheryl brings field experience from the OEM boiler side, conventional water treatment, and purified tannin boiler treatment. Her perspective is rooted in the idea that no two boilers are the same. Design, operating conditions, fuel, history, circulation, steam separation, and customer practices all influence how a boiler behaves. She explains the premise of her AWT paper: helping water treaters avoid being immediately blamed when boiler tube failures occur. In her case study, two twin HRSG units were producing 100,000 pounds per hour of steam each, with superheaters operating at 600 PSI and 750 degrees Fahrenheit. The failures did not point to a simple water treatment explanation. Instead, the investigation involved steam drum internals, carryover, tube geometry, circulation concerns, and normal operating water level. What to Look for Inside the Boiler Cheryl emphasizes inspection discipline. Take photos, use a borescope when available, enter the boiler when safe and possible, and look for patterns in deposits, discoloration, distortion, turbulence, uneven circulation, and steam drum staining. She also explains why orientation matters. A photo that makes sense during the inspection may be difficult to interpret later unless the location and direction are clearly identified. Deposit analysis and metallurgical analysis can also help determine whether a failure is connected to deposits, material factors, overheating, combustion-side issues, or other mechanical contributors. The key is to understand the boiler as a system, not as a black box. Trust, Documentation, and Customer Communication When a boiler is down, the relationship with the customer matters as much as the technical investigation. Cheryl encourages water professionals to guide customers toward an investigative approach instead of a defensive reaction. That means asking better questions, understanding what relies on the steam, knowing the customer’s priorities, and reassuring them that the goal is to find the root cause. Trace closes the conversation by reinforcing the importance of documentation. Service reports protect the customer, the boiler, and the water treater. When recommendations are made, they need to be written down, repeated when necessary, and tied back to the operational risks they are meant to prevent. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:31 — Trace Blackmore shares guidance for Certified Water Technologists on staying ahead of CEU requirements, preparing through CWT Prep, using AWT technical training for verified CEUs, taking the first step toward certification, and creating accountability around professional goals 08:01 — Trace introduces the episode’s boiler troubleshooting theme, explaining that no two boilers are the same because design, operating conditions, fuel, history, and system “personality” can all affect how problems show up 08:38 — Words of Water with James McDonald 10:13 — Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals 12:04 — Interview with Cheryl Heiser, International Business Development Manager, Tannin Guys Network, TGWT: Trace welcomes Cheryl and references her recent AWT conference paper on boiler failures. 12:38 — Cheryl shares her career path from field work with Babcock and Wilcox to conventional water treatment and purified tannin boiler treatment. 13:43 — Cheryl explains how her boiler background led naturally into water treatment through her interest in fireside conditions, water-side chemistry, and boiler metallurgy. 14:32 — Cheryl describes starting in boilers during an engineering internship in northern Alberta, where she worked around major boiler inspections, shutdowns, NDE inspectors, and boiler specialists. 16:46 — Cheryl explains why she wrote and presented an AWT paper: to help water treaters understand boiler failures from a physical and mechanical perspective, not only from a water treatment perspective. 17:38 — Cheryl outlines the premise of her paper: boiler tube failures may involve operating conditions, operator practices, design issues, circulation problems, overheating, or carryover, not only water chemistry. 19:32 — Cheryl explains why distinguishing between water-cooled tubes and steam-cooled tubes matters when evaluating boiler operating conditions and failure locations. 19:57 — Cheryl discusses superheater tube failures in the case study and explains how carryover from the steam drum contributed to deposits on the hottest part of the superheater. 20:52 — Cheryl describes generating bank tube failures related to tube geometry, low slope, flow stalling, repeated wetting and drying, magnetite behavior, and thinning. 22:17 — Cheryl explains how the normal operating water level in the steam drum made the generating bank issue worse because the top row of tubes was not fully flooded. 23:06 — Cheryl shares how to begin a boiler failure investigation by asking detailed questions about operation, combustion, water treatment, controls, mechanical conditions, leaks, and the customer’s immediate priorities. 24:40 — Cheryl emphasizes inspection tools and practices, including photos, borescopes, entering the boiler, when possible, deposit analysis, and metallurgical analysis 27:16 — Cheryl explains how to keep inspection photos useful by labeling locations and capturing orientation, such as fire end, cold end, right side, left side, north end, or south end 29:27 — Cheryl identifies specific inspection clues in a steam drum, including water line stains, turbulence, uneven circulation, leaking internals, deposits, and deposit patterns 33:20 — Cheryl discusses how stress, downtime, and customer trust affect boiler failure investigations and why water treaters should guide an investigative approach rather than a reaction 37:40 — Cheryl discusses her AWT committee involvement, including Women on Water and the Boiler Committee, and how those roles support networking, confidence-building, technical contribution, and industry learning 41:40 — Cheryl recommends practical ways to learn boiler systems: trace lines, understand steam use, observe furnace viewports, note sight glass levels, and ask new questions during service visits 43:02 — Cheryl recommends the Babcock and Wilcox Steam book as a major boiler reference and encourages water professionals to understand combustion-side factors that can affect water-side problems 49:17 — Trace closes the episode by reinforcing better troubleshooting through structured questions, careful documentation, service reports, and a willingness to work with customers on root cause rather than defaulting to blame Quotes “And if you know enough about your boiler, you can help the customer find other reasons for failures other than just saying, well, it must be the water chemistry, it must be the water treatment.” “You have to ask a lot of questions.” “That's really the basis of a good investigative process.” “First and foremost, always take lots of photos.” “The more you can inspect, the better, even if at first it doesn't seem like that area might be related to the failure or the issue.” “This is where you can help them keep an open mind, guide an investigative approach rather than a reaction.” “But just knowing your customer's system and their priorities is really key.” “I wish more people understood how critical steam boilers are in manufacturing, food production, power generation, heating, and so many other things.” “So, whenever you mention something to a customer, get in the habit of writing that down in the service report.” Connect with Cheryl Heiser Phone: (613) 277-7804 Email: Website: LinkedIn: Guest Resources Mentioned Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses Words of Water with James McDonald Today’s definition is an expression that describes the terminal settling velocity of small, spherical particles falling through a fluid under laminar-flow conditions, based on the balance of gravitational, buoyant, and viscous drag forces. Can you guess the word or phrase? 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking .
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474 Questions from the Scaling UP! Nation about Trace
04/30/2026
474 Questions from the Scaling UP! Nation about Trace
Every career in industrial water treatment is shaped by decisions, mentors, credentials, systems, and the willingness to keep learning. In this special mailbag-style episode, Trace Blackmore, CWT, answers questions from the Scaling UP! Nation about how he entered water treatment, why he started the podcast, what professional credentials have meant to him, and what he is still working to improve. This conversation gives water professionals a practical look at the habits behind a long career in the industry: getting involved early, documenting customer conversations, building strong teams, using repeatable processes, and staying open to new tools like AI. From Family Influence to a Career in Water Treatment Trace shares that his start in water treatment came through his father, who brought him along to accounts after school. His early memories include watching test results change color, learning around hospital accounts, and seeing how water treatment decisions were made in the field. Before entering water treatment full-time, Trace worked in financial services and received strong sales training. However, he realized he was not enjoying the work. His father invited him to become a service technician, which led to a career path that combined technical problem-solving, customer service, sales, and a deep appreciation for the industrial water community. Why Credentials, Associations, and Documentation Matter Trace explains why the Certified Water Technologist credential remains one of the professional accomplishments he values most. He also discusses his LEED GA and LEED AP credentials, his time as a former president of the Association of Water Technologies, and his training as a master facilitator. For professionals building their own careers, the larger lesson is clear: credentials, online presence, and association involvement can shape how customers and peers understand your expertise. Trace also emphasizes the importance of documenting conversations, decisions, and recommendations so teams and customers have a clear record when issues arise. The Podcast, Rising Tide Mastermind, and Raising the Industry Bar Trace reflects on launching the Scaling UP! H2O Podcast in 2017 after encouragement from Charlie Cicchetti and Conor Parrish. What began as a monthly podcast eventually became a weekly resource with structured processes, procedures, and a growing audience of water professionals. He also discusses the honor of having Scaling UP! H2O recognized as the official podcast of the Association of Water Technologies, as well as the creation of Rising Tide Mastermind, which now includes 76 members across 7 groups. Both platforms reflect the same goal: creating spaces where industrial water professionals can learn, connect, and improve together. Technology, AI, and the Next Phase of Learning When asked about the biggest change in the industry, Trace points to data collection, remote monitoring, the Internet of Things, and AI. He remembers a time when system information required an on-site visit. Today, water professionals can review controller data, reports, and trends before arriving in the field. Trace also shares how his Doctor of Business Administration program is changing the way he thinks about research, learning, and long-term growth. His 2026 goals include continuing that academic work, strengthening the podcast’s educational value, and giving family and personal commitments proper space on the calendar. This episode is not only a personal reflection. It is a reminder that long-term success in water treatment depends on learning, relationships, systems, and the willingness to keep improving. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:35 — Trace opens the episode with a May update and connects the season to a practical cooling tower challenge: pollen in Southern systems. 04:30 — Trace explains why this episode is different: Scaling UP! Nation asked for more personal stories and career reflections from him. 06:50 — Trace highlights the 6th Annual Oilfield Water Markets Conference and shares the Scaling UP! H2O listener discount code. 08:00 — Trace mentions the International Water Association Leading Edge Conference on Water and Wastewater Technologies in Houston. 08:50 — Trace points healthcare-focused water professionals toward ASHE’s Healthcare Facilities Innovation Conference in Minneapolis. 09:50 — James McDonald presents a new Words of Water definition focused on wet bulb temperature and cooling tower performance. 11:20 — Trace explains why receiving compliments used to be difficult and how mentorship helped him respond with more respect and gratitude. 13:50 — Trace answers how he got started in water treatment through his father, field visits, testing, and early exposure to accounts. 15:50 — Trace describes leaving financial services, joining his father’s company as a service technician, and finding work he genuinely enjoyed. 18:20 — Trace explains the credentials behind his name, beginning with the Certified Water Technologist designation. 20:25 — Trace discusses LEED GA and LEED AP credentials and how they helped him communicate with commercial building owners. 23:00 — Trace shares why his AWT leadership experience and master facilitator training matter to his professional identity. 24:55 — Trace explains how Charlie Cicchetti introduced him to podcasts and encouraged him to start what became Scaling UP! H2O. 27:30 — Trace describes the podcast’s early cadence, moving from monthly to biweekly and then weekly episodes. 32:30 — Trace identifies AWT naming Scaling UP! H2O its official podcast as a crowning moment for the show. 33:45 — Trace shares personal and professional achievements, including adopting his son, building the podcast, and launching Rising Tide Mastermind. 35:30 — Trace explains how he balances podcasting, business, and other responsibilities through team support, time blocking, procedures, and the 12 Week Year. 41:05 — Trace shares advice to his younger self: join an association early, get involved, document everything, and build relationships in the industry. 44:40 — Trace identifies data, remote monitoring, IoT, AI, Legionella, PFAS, and water management plans as major changes in the industry. 48:10 — Trace shares scuba diving as his favorite non-water-treatment hobby and reflects on teaching more than 1,000 people to dive. 50:00 — Trace explains how pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration is teaching him research, academic discipline, and new ways to learn. 54:05 — Trace shares his 2026 goals, including progressing through his DBA program, expanding podcast resources, and prioritizing family on his calendar Connect with Scaling UP! H2O Submit a show idea: LinkedIn: YouTube: Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned video courses Words of Water with James McDonald Today's definition is the lowest temperature that can be achieved through evaporation alone and is used to evaluate cooling tower performance. Do you know the word or phrase? 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking .
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