Ripple Effect

Hello Ripple Effect Listeners!I have some very exciting news. After 10 wonderful years with Clyde Snow & Sessions I am moving to Culp & Kelly, LLP and CK Blueshift. This organization works on some of the West's most pressing water problems and I am thrilled to be joining their ranks. In this new position I will be focusing on water policy matters and multi-stakeholder collaborative efforts. Clyde Snow's water team will continue to provide excellent client service for more traditional water law needs.As part of this move, we are moving Ripple Effect to a new home. This current feed will be re-titled CSS Water Podcast and you can find all podcasts produced to date here. If you want to listen to new Ripple Effect episodes please look for and re-subscribe to Ripple Effect: A Podcast Putting Water in Context. You can find links to all major podcasting platforms on Ripple Effect's Buzzsprout site (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2464230) or re-subscribe directly on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. The logo will look the same and we are bringing all of the old episodes over with us. If you are a long time listener, please leave us a review and rating as it will help this new feed move up in the rankings.Thanks for listening and I am excited to keep the discussion going! 

Steve Clyde, Senior Partner and Chair of the Natural Resources Practice Group at Clyde Snow & Sessions, joins us to talk about his 40 year legal career in Utah water. Steve is an esteemed Utah water lawyer responsible for shaping decades of Utah water law and mentor to countless Utah water attorneys. A wonderful discussion, personal thank you from Ripple Effect's host, and look to the future! 

Dan Adams, Senior Executive with the Langdon Group, and Celeste Carlisle; Biologist with Return to Freedom Wild Horse, Sanctuary, Educational, and Advocacy Group; Chair of the National BLM Wildhorse Working Group; and Chair of National BLM & Forest Service Wild and Burro Advisory Board; join us to talk wild horses in the West.This free ranging discussion covers the incredibly complex and emotionally charged issue of wild horses. We talk about the environmental complexities, the regulatory complexities, and the political complexities informing solution making on this topic. Fascinating discussion.

Andrew Pompeo, Environmental Engineer with Division of Water Quality, and Dani Zebelean, Environmental Engineer with Division of Drinking Water, join us to discuss Utah's water reuse projects and regulatory process. Andrew and Dani provide a fantastic overview of municipal waste water systems, how water reuse fits into that process, and what the future of reuse might look like in Utah.

Jason Brown, Vice President of Communications and Education at Envision Utah, and Bart Forsyth, Utah Water Ways Policy Advisor, join us to talk about the release of the Utah Water Values study. This extremely helpful survey, study, and review makes a contemporary assessment about what Utahns are thinking about Utah's water. The study provides concrete recommendations regarding the terminology that most resonates with Utah, their biggest concerns, and what their hopes are for the future. The Utah Values Study will guide how Utah Water Ways and other Utah organizations engage and inform Utah citizens about water.

Sarah Page, Drinking Water Treatment Lead for the Utah Division of Drinking Water, joins us to provide a great PFAS update. We discuss EPA's final, but not yet implemented PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation, what monitoring and remediating PFAS will look like for various water systems, and the role of Guns and Roses in engaging water communication. Super practical information about a critical topic that will be with us a long, long time. 

Sarah Null, Professor at Utah State University in the Department in Watershed Sciences, Nell Green Nylon, Senior Research Fellow, and Molly Bruce, Research Fellow at the Center for Law, Energy, & Environment at the UC Berkeley School of Law, join us to talk about their report “Information Needs for Water Markets: Fair and Effective Water Markets Require Adequate Measurement and Reporting of Diversion and Use.” This collaborative effort synthesizes a number of key trends and themes across California, New Mexico, and Utah, impacting the ability to set up and establish water markets. The Report does a great job compiling a large amount of information and stakeholder feedback and distilling it into actionable recommendations. Fantastic effort led by a great group! 

Doug Clyde, Project Manager for High Altitude Watershed Planning for Mountain Resort Consulting and former Member of Summit County Council Planning Commission, joins us to talk about the importance of watershed health and incorporating watershed protections to land use planning rules and regulations. We discuss the specifics of the Kamas Valley in Summit County, Utah as a prime example of high altitude valleys, rural development, and how prospective land use planning can protect the water quality of a critical tributary to the Great Salt Lake. 

Shaina Shay, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of the Water Report, joins us to talk about her thoughts and themes for the upcoming 2025 Water Year. We discuss 1) Climate Change Adaptation: fire, floods, and drought and the rise of nature based solutions; 2) Funding: the end of a once in a generation surge of money for water through the Bi-partisan Infrastructure Bill and Covid relief funding and growing collaborative efforts to pool public, private, and corporate dollars; and 3) Administration Change: keeping watch on changes under the new Trump Administration and the lasting impacts of Sackett and the death of Chevon deference. We also discuss perennial hot topics of advanced water treatment technologies and the Colorado River. Great discussion for the New Year!! 

Jeff Gittins, partner at the law firm of Smith Hartvigsen and author of the Utah Water Law and Water Rights Blog, joins us for a 2025 Utah Legislative Preview. After several years of non-stop action, 2025 is shaping up to be a bit slower with most bills addressing specific administrative tweaks or brass tack items. This intentional slowdown is giving Utah some breathing room to let the big programs we have set up over the last several years develop and to identify the not so flashy but important micro-changes that make practicing water law easier. Check out his blog: https://utahwaterrights.blogspot.com/ 

Brett Bovee of Westwater Resources joins your host Emily Lewis to discuss the Utah Water Marketing Strategies Project. For the last 4 years Brett and Emily have been working with a Project Management Team of Clyde Snow, Westwater, HDR Engineering, the Utah Division of Water Resources, and the Utah Division of Water Rights to pilot the Utah Water Banking Act and to distill lessons learned into broader Statewide Water Marketing Strategies. This is a project near and dear to our hearts and a MUST listen.

Brian Steed - Executive Director, Anna McEntire - Managing Director, and Stephanie Frohman - Associate Director, join us to discuss the purpose and mission of the Institute. The Institute is an exciting new(ish) effort to best use the fantastic research capabilities of USU to inform and support Utah's policy objectives for land, air, and water. By bringing together academics, State agencies, and corporate partners, the Institute is taking an interdisciplinary approach to ensuring Utah is identifying, supporting, and executing Utah's natural resource priority issues. 

Dani Zebelean, Environmental Engineer III with the Utah Division of Drinking Water, joins us to discuss Minimum System Specific Sizing Standards. We discuss how Utah is working to get a better understanding of its water user by moving from a baseline estimate of per connection water use to the actual amount of used based on meter use. This is a brass tacks discussion about an important data set used to inform municipal water exactions, source and supply constraints, and many other overlapping areas of Utah water law.

Robyn Grimm, Chief Executive Officer & President of the California Water Data Consortium, joins us to discuss the Consortium and its very cool mission. As a public/private collaborative non-profit, the Consortium makes the most of California's water data by: 1) developing tangible ways to apply and scale data systems; 2) convening the parties collecting, distributing, and reporting on water data to establish best practices and coordinated strategies; 3) informing data policies and modernization; and 4) telling the story of California water data. This is a great discussion and a very cool organization that could be replicated in other States looking to bring more value to their water data. 

Laney Meeker, Programs Supervisor for the Statewide Planning Section of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, and Christian Fauser, Western Water Policy Associate for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, join us to talk about several very exciting Arizona programs. They are currently working on an innovative Rural Partnership Program, the Arizona Watersheds Project Database, and interactive funding tools to join partners, programs, and funding opportunities. Lots of helpful and useful information.

Jonathan Jennings, Meteorologist and Cloud Seeding Coordinator for the Division of Water Resources, joins us to discuss Utah's expanded and improved cloud seeding program. This is a great discussion about what cloud seeding is, what Utah's goals are, and the potential to significantly increase our snowpack and necessary spring runoff. A great rundown of this super fun program: the future is here.

Joseph Blackman, Founder of Vitendo Training Solutions and Host of the Public Works Podcast, joins us to talk about his niche business of creating custom training videos for utilities. Joseph has hit on a great solution meeting a real need of utilities to find creative and effect ways to pass along their institutional knowledge. Joseph makes short custom videos and interviews with key employees discussing how the specific pieces of infrastructure and tools of a particular utility work and best practices. Through Joseph's creative use of QR codes new and existing employees can access these videos at any point in time: for training, in the field, and as issues arise. This is an incredibly scalable and useful tool that will cut down on utility costs and inefficiencies while increasing employee morale and competency.

Stephanie Santell, Senior Advisor in EPA's Policy Office and Chair of the Resilient Infrastructure Work Group on Climate, joins us to discuss EPA's new Climate Resilience and Adaptation Funding Toolbox (CRAFT) and so much more. This discussion provides a great summary of the purpose and function of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (to protect the environment and human health) and some very innovative and exciting EPA programs. Stephanie discusses the agency's activities, which includes climate considerations for all agencies' activities and offices. From a public service perspective, we discuss the new and exceptional CRAFT website, which provides very hands-on and user-friendly resources to help EPA's funding applicants and recipients make climate-informed investments. CRAFT is chock-full of cool stuff. Check it out at https://www.epa.gov/resilient-investments.

TJ Budge of Racine & Olson joins us to give a fantastic update on the 2015 Idaho Groundwater Pumpers Association (IGWA) Settlement Agreement. The 2015 Settlement Agreement adopted an innovative conjunctive management program of balancing senior surface water rights and junior groundwater use with conservation measures, aquifer recovery and recharge, and collaborative modeling efforts. The provisions of the 2015 Settlement Agreement were tested in the drought years of 2021 and 2022, resulting in tensions amongst users and new litigation. The Parties have now revised and entered a new Settlement Agreement keeping key elements of the 2015 Settlement Agreement and revising more problematic provisions. Great discussion about “living law.”

Marian Rice joins us to talk about the many hats she wears and several exciting programs at the University of Utah. Marian sits as the:  Associate Director of Energy Futures Engine; Associate Director of Peak Water Sustainability Engine; the Lead Critical Minerals Working Group; and is on the Leadership Team NSF Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine. The University is using these programs to break down silos and connect academics to government agencies, consultants, and industry projects. Lots of exciting potential and possibilities at the U right now!!

Andrew Shaw, Wake the Great Salt Lake Coordinator for the Salt Lake City Arts Council and Kellie Bornhoft, Artist, Professor, and Grant Recipient, join us to talk about the Wake the Great Salt Lake Art Project and Kellie's “By A Thread” art installation. Hopefully one of several discussions, we talk about the Bloomberg funded art project, Kellie's artwork as the first of 12 art projects, and the Wake the Great Salt Lake's goals of raising awareness and conversation about the Great Salt Lake. So fun to step out of the academic arena for a moment and discuss the importance of art and different perspectives in addressing the complicated and critical issues surrounding the Great Salt Lake.

Paige Damiano, Director of The Water Table, and Patrick McCarthy, Water Policy Officer of the Thornburg Foundation, join us to talk about the funder collaborative that is The Water Table. This is a fantastic discussion on the role and power of coordinating and leveraging philanthropic funds to support water initiatives and projects. Philanthropic dollars are a huge part of funding the water solutions – this innovative approach makes those dollars go as far as possible and make the largest impact in creating social benefit.

This week we are revisiting an earlier episode that is still highly relevant to today's water discussion. We are looking back on episode 16: Reclaiming the Discussion.A talk with Mike Luers of the Snyderville Basin Reclamation District regarding water reclamation and reuse. Interesting tidbits about fish on Prozac and re-framing the narrative on waste water. 

Page Weil, Senior Water Resources at LRE and Erik Skeie, Special Projects Coordinator at Colorado Water Conservation Board, join us to discuss airborne snow observatory efforts in Colorado. This is a great companion episode to our earlier discussion regarding Utah's ASO efforts. This episodes goes further into the organization and function of the Colorado Airborne Snow Measurement Group and they are helping stakeholder members use ASO data to their advantage. Fantastic discussion! Check out their website https://coloradosnow.org/

Megan Jenkins, Chief Marketing Officer of Yoppify, makes a return appearance to discuss their Washington County Water Conservancy District pilot project to use Yoppify's electronic platform to collect retail water use data and communicate with water users. Yoppify is assisting WCWCD's municipal customers to automate leak notifications, increase AMI engagement, proactively identify disproportionally large water users for targeted conservation marketing, and provide general water use and conservation information. Great discussion about how their flexible tools can help collect big picture data and improve end user experiences.

We are joined by an all-star team from the Utah Geological Survey – Hugh Hurlow, Program Manager of the Groundwater and Wetlands Program, Paul Inkenbrandt, Senior Geologist, and Emily Jainarain, Hydrogeologist, to discuss the new UGS Utah Groundwater Data Hub. The new Hub combines UGS's existing groundwater data and is built to grow and include other datasets as the site develops. This is an extremely informative resource to find science backed information about ground water level trends, watershed information, and how groundwater informs critical issues like the Great Salt Lake.

This week we are revisiting an earlier episode that is still highly relevant to today's water discussion. We are looking back on episode 34: Building a Market.Great discussion with Kristina Ribellia, Founder and Chief Operations Director of Western Water Market. We discuss gaps in the water market and how to build a platform that is useful for water users, professionals, and western water market knowledge. 

Jeff Deems from Airborne Snow Observatories and Lily Bosworth from the Colorado River Authority of Utah join us to talk about their joint venture to more accurately measure snowpack in the Colorado Basin.  ASO employs a new flight technology using a combination of LIDAR and a high resolution spectrometer to remotely sense the depth of snowpack and get the snow water equivalent. This data is used for better snow run-off forecasting and reservoir operations. A really cool technology with the potential to be incredibly helpful in the coming years. Check-out the Authority's very cool public ASO Data Site to see the results of their Pilot Project.

Bart Leeflang, Assistant General Manager of Central Utah Water Conservancy District, joins us to discuss Central's SID pilot projects efforts. This discussion is much broader than the Pelican Lake project but also gives us a helpful insight into the role, importance, and evolution of Central – the lynchpin of Utah water.

Shane Coors, President, and Tony Powell, Senior Water Resources Engineer, from Precision Water Resources Engineering join us to talk about the RiverWare modeling software and the importance of modeling for large water systems. They discuss their theory of “stewardship through technology” and helping clients model a number of hydrologic, water rights, and water policy/contract considerations across river systems. An incredibly helpful discussion about a key tool in creating more accurate and resilient management of river systems.

Tage Flint joins us to discuss Utah Water Ways, Utah's new entity tasked with coordinating state water conservation efforts. Tage brings his decades of experience to help Utah make the most of its conservation programs and initiatives.

Rebecca Jewett, President and CEO, and Kristie Nackord, Vice President External Affairs, of the Palmer Land Conservancy, join us to discuss their innovate agricultural partnerships in Southern Colorado aim at conserving water and promoting the local community. We also talk about their very cool Marisol Film project as a unique way to tell their story and engage a larger audience.

Clyde Snow's own Nate Broadhurst joins us to talk about a recent Utah Court of Appeals decision distinguishing the difference between water rights and water shares. Spoiler, water rights are real property and water shares are personal property governed by corporate law. Great discussion and some clarity on a topic that continues to plague Utah law.

Tim Davis, Deputy Commissioner, discuses the role and activities of the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner. The Office is about a year old and plays a critical role in coordinating state and federal agency action on the Great Salt Lake. We discuss immediate goals for the next year, 5 year goals, and long-term planning.  Tim gives us a great overview of this very important Office and get us excited about the Great Salt Lake!

This week we are revisiting an earlier episode that is still highly relevant to today's water discussion. We are looking back on episode 40: From Mars and Life Itself.THIS IS A MUST LISTEN conversation with Bonnie Baxter, Professor of Biology and Director of the Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster College. Bonnie talks about several key Institute programs, including their partnership with NASA to explore microbial links between the Great Salt Lake and Mars. Be prepared to stretch your mind.

Shania Shay Owner and Editor of the Water Report joins us to follow-up on our January discussion about hot trends and topics in the water world. We cover PFAS, Lead, and micro-plastics, the water energy nexus, aging infrastructure, and wonder what AI hallucinations are going to do to the water world!! As always a great discussion with a consummate professional.

This week we are revisiting an earlier episode that is still highly relevant to today's water discussion. We are looking back on episode 43: Silver-Buckshot.Jesse Clark of Stream Landscape Architecture and Planning talks us through his many projects and the importance of urban stream health and creative storm water solutions. Great discussion about the importance of many small positive actions. 

This week we are revisiting an earlier episode that is still highly relevant to today's water discussion. We are looking back on episode 21: River City.Soren Simonsen, Executive Director of the Jordan River Commission, discusses the importance of vibrant urban water ways and the Commission's efforts to revitalize the Jordan River corridor.

Chris Austin, publisher of Maven's Notebook, walks us through her EXCELLENT website covering all things California water news. Maven's Notebook is brimming with timely and comprehensive information on a number of hot topics. Chris discusses collaboration as both the rising trend and best hope for implementing creative and impactful solutions to California water issues.

Lynn de Freitas, Executive Director of Friends of Great Salt Lake, joins us to discuss their 2024 Great Salt Lake Issues Forum – "Great Salt Lake: To Preserve and Protect in Perpetuity, How are We Doing?" A great conversation about how to gauge progress on the Lake (spoiler we have made a lot of progress) and critical steps the State of Utah is taking to tackle this challenge. As always, Lynn is a pleasure to speak with and brings a great perspective from her decades in the trenches.

Jon Parry, Assistant Manager for Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, joins us to discuss the many benefits of their solar panel demonstration project over the Layton Canal. This project is so cool on so many levels and has some serious potential for scalability win-win-wins all over the place. Great discussion about an exciting development in Utah.

Christopher Link, Founder, joins us to discuss his HDH Desalination Technology and his HALO Team's participation in Elon Musk's X-Prize Competition. Do not miss this conversation! So many interesting and innovative ideas occurring about how to incentivize useful water tech and desalination processes. I learned a ton and am excited to share Chris's work with our listeners.

Robert Walsh of Australian Water Life joins us to discuss the importance of micro-invertebrates in our fresh water system. Great discussion that reaches back into our 7th grade taxonomy skills and understanding the real world impacts of overlooking these little creatures. A very informative and needed science peak into water system. Check out images and more at http://www.australianwaterlife.com.au/

Justin Scott-Coe, General Manager of Monte-Vista Water District, joins us to discuss his new Podcast and collaboration with Maven's Notebook - the Water Shelf. The Water Shelf is the just the place for that certain co-hort of water lovers and book lovers. Justin talks us through the top 5 of his top 20 water books and we scheme future episodes: Western-Water Lit; Dystopian Future Water Lit; Water Thrillers; all the fun themes. A great discussion with more to be had!

Marcelle Shoop – Executive Director, and Adam Wickline of the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust join us to talk about the Trust's mission to protect and preserve water for the Great Salt Lake. We discuss their water transactions program, their wetland improvement program, and the associated distribution improvements and water management benefits these activities are bringing. In their first years the Trust has secured 64,000 AF of water for the Great Salt Lake – a tangible brass tacks success story for Lake recovery.

Jeff Gittins of Smith Hartvigsen joins us to discuss the water bills passed during the 2024 Legislative Session. Jeff does a great job of explaining updates to saved water, new long-term planning efforts, and hot items to be watching out for.

Amber Brown, Director of Government and Legislative Affairs, and Hannah Freeze, Program Manager, join us to discuss the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food's Agricultural Water Optimization program. The State of Utah has invested heavily in studying and employing water efficiency practices suited for Utah's unique conditions. We discuss specific projects, water savings potential, and how the program operates. Very informative!

Emily Zmak, Deputy Chief of Interstate Federal and Water Information Section at the Colorado Water Conservation Board, joins us to talk about her agency and the work they do. Great discussion about the people, processes, and information needed to inform top decisions makers and execute State water policies. Very informative and timely!

Tara Vander Dussen, Co-Host of the Discover Ag. Podcast, joins us for a lively and informative discussion about agricultural news and information. We dive into the presence and impact of social media, themes and trends, and why the new “food curious” movement is reshaping the agricultural discussion. Super fun discussion!Be sure to check out Tara's Podcast: (www.thehandsthatfeedus.com/podcast-1)

Amy Haas, Executive Director of the Colorado River Authority of Utah, talks us through the inception of the entity, how it executes its mission to protect and defend Utah's portion of the Colorado River, and where the Authority is leading out in tackling hard questions. Plus we get Amy's perspective as the consummate cat wrangler of complicated cats! Great and informative session! 

Alex Johnson, Chief Strategic Officer for Virridy, walks us through this Company's unique, and very innovative, platform to merge monitoring water quality improvements with selling carbon credits on the voluntary carbon market. Hint – treating water is energy intensive and reducing the need for treatment results in real verifiable carbon reductions. Absolutely fascinating discussion!