Water Sessions

With almost half the world's population facing severe water scarcity by 2030 without urgent action, the future is demanding the adoption of sustainable water practices to protect this precious resource. Recognizing the need for a more sustainable way to recycle household water at the point of use, Hydraloop co-founders Sabine Stuiver and Arthur Valkieser’s startup story starts with a determination to create a recycling system that retrieves, purifies and disinfects shower, bath and washing machine water without the use of membranes or filters for household reuse. Ten years on, their idea culminated in an innovation sensation, winning CES’s Best of the Best award in 2020. This is their journey.

Situated on the shores of 20 percent of the world’s freshwater supply, Milwaukee’s inner harbor is a natural resources gem. Not only a confluence of three rivers that come together and flow into Lake Michigan, but it’s also a confluence of creative collaboration between private and public entities working together to support the region’s redevelopment with a focus on natural resource rehabilitation. Through sustainable land and water use practices, hear how local water-related stakeholders developed an urban ‘Water District’ model based on the principles of the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Standard that serves as a best practice for other regions to follow.

Dairy operations can use and discharge a lot of water, and are often perceived to have significant negative impacts on water resources. Simultaneously, the dairy industry is struggling as milk prices remain low and other external factors are diminishing the demand for milk. Miltrim Farms, located in central Wisconsin, milks 2,500 cows on nearly 5,000 acres of agricultural land. They believe that dairy farms can be stewards of the environment and water resources, while not only maintaining profits but leveraging their stewardship to enhance profitability. As the first farm in North America to earn Alliance for Water Stewardship certification, Miltrim Farms Manager David Trimner shares his insight about their water stewardship journey and what can be achieved by employing good water stewardship and innovative farming principles.

What is water stewardship and how does that translate into brand value for a corporation? A better understanding of all aspects of water stewardship will lead corporates to sustainably use water within their four walls, but also leverage what they do best in the marketplace to address shared water-related challenges outside their fence-line. Often times corporates overlook the social and governance aspects of true water stewardship because addressing those challenges and opportunities may seem outside the bounds of the traditional business value proposition. It is in that space of action, however, where brand value is enhanced and transformative change can occur to the health of a given watershed. As ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Reporting proliferates, there is an opportunity for true corporate water stewards to be rewarded for credible water stewardship actions. To unpack these complex issues, The Water Council’s Matt Howard welcomes water strategist Will Sarni to kick the tires on some wicked water problems and explore how ‘doing good’ makes for doing good business.

How much water are your customers going to use? If you know the answer to that question, you can do a dozen other things smartly — from staffing, to managing pump networks, to maintenance. It even allows you to track and discover leaks. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning — the sophisticated computer techniques used everywhere from medicine to managing the internet — can transform the way water utilities are managed. Tom Woolley, business development director for water AI firm Aquasuite, explains how that simple, astonishingly accurate prediction — how much water will your customers will use tomorrow at 2 pm — changes everything else.

Computerized intelligence has reshaped every aspect of our lives — from how we shop to the quality of our medical care. But the world of water has long resisted artificial intelligence and machine learning. Dragan Savic has spent his career bridging that gap — finding new ways to use the power of computing to make water systems more efficient, less expensive, less wasteful, and easier to run every day. Savic is very clear: Wherever you work in the world of water, it’s time to harness high-powered computing.

Corvias may not be a household name but its partnerships with federal, state and municipal governments on the design of the operation and maintenance of stormwater systems are far-reaching. Listen in to hear Solutions Innovator Greg Cannito discuss the ever-changing environmental and regulatory stressors to stormwater management and some of the creative infrastructure solutions the firm has employed to deliver good public outcomes for its partners.

In the low country around Charleston, S.C, sea level has risen a foot in the last 100 years, and the city itself has gone from 10 significant flooding events each year 20 years ago to more than 50 a year now. Adapting to climate change is front-page news in the Charleston area almost every day. Six years ago, a group of professionals from the worlds of real estate, corporations, academia, government and environmental groups got together to form a regional network to tackle climate change across boundaries — while sustaining the economic growth that has made Charleston such a vibrant place to live and work and visit. Dan Burger, who then worked for the state of South Carolina’s environmental agency, was one of the co-founders of the Charleston Resilience Network, and tells the story of how it came to be, and its power for getting people aligned to tackle climate change locally — where it’s happening. And how other communities can create similar “resilience networks.” 

Hear from Moonshot Missions CEO and Founder George Hawkins who shares his views with host Charles Fishman about the monumental change in day-to-day operations for water utilities managing COVID-19, the state of the industry for public water institutions and a vision for building a more resilient model that can save costs and improve efficiencies.  

Journalist and New York Times best-selling author Charles Fishman interviews Ghassan Korban, executive director of the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO), to discuss the challenges of modernizing an aging 4-in-1 utility system during demanding times. Plus a bonus track. Get a glimpse of a day in the life of Danny Brammer, a front-line water dispatcher at the Water Division of the Imperial Irrigation District during COVID-19 whose job is helping oversee the delivery of 3 billion gallons of water a day to one of the most productive agricultural regions in the United States.  For further reading: A profile of Ghassan Korban: www.nola.com/article_961a7907-2ca6-5176-aaf5-486614e8589d.html   The famous logo of the SWBNO www.nola.com/news/politics/article_8b317d92-8593-5de1-84cd-98e2d109558a.html