Water You Talking About

Water recycling may be a new technology for most of us, but astronauts have been drinking recycled water for years. In fact, one of our hosts worked on on the water recycling system for the space station! Today, how we recycle water in space, how astronauts' skeletons get in the way, and what all this tells us about water recycling on earth.

Water recycling is one of the most important topics in urban water, and also one of the most difficult. Today we discuss why the engineering is sometimes the easy part, and how engaging with communities is where the real work of water recycling begins.

Joe’s literary-minded sister is back; this we’re time taking on her town’s water quality report. Small arguments and big laughs ensue.

One hundred fifty facts, figures, experiences, and emotions that will enhance the lives, vocations, and perspectives of environmental engineers.

Originally aired in 2017. Addressing the largest failure of US infrastructure in the last decade: the Flint water crisis. I consider the intersection of racial and environmental justice. This is a special episode produced independently by Joe Charbonnet.

This show has always been about science for non-engineers, so we got one on the show! About the only contact Joe's literary-minded sister has with water systems is her monthly bill, so we dive in and discover the surprising (and yes, compelling) stories behind each line item.

We feature a new podcast from one of the makers of Water You Talking About: "The Watercourse." You can find The Watercourse at https://soundcloud.com/watercoursepodcast and where ever you get your podcasts.

Agriculture is by far one of the largest users of water because, well, it takes a lot of water to grow food! And as the population grows larger and larger, we can expect our food and water consumption to also increase. And this may seem obvious, but it has huge impacts on food and water security. So the question we asked is, should we stop consuming water intensive food to save water? Click play to find out!

There’s a hidden cost to flipping a switch or a dripping tap. In this episode we investigate how and why water and energy are so closely intertwined.

As the world struggles to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, environmental engineers ask what role we have in protecting our world and our water. We also nerd out on whether viruses are even alive.

What happens when we simply let water researchers talk? They drop the filter and start talking about filters.

Our first Spanish-language Episode! ¡Nuestro primer episodio en Español! La Ciudad de México simplemente "emergió" de un lago. Chris y Joe discuten como este nacimiento ha influenciado la relación complicada entre un megalópolis y su agua.

In observance of "The Day Without Water", this radio drama-style episode invites listeners into a campy parody of the classic show "The Dating Game". A drop of water will fall from the sky and must choose its fate by questioning three different types of water management frameworks.

There is a silent, nearly invisible accident hiding in your plumbing and protecting that vital fluid that flows within it.

When cities grow, there are lots of changes to the environment, but one change you might not think of is what happens to natural surfaces when they are paved over. Let’s go back “Inside the PhD” and learn how a special type of urban development is changing stormwater runoff.

Victor Hugo said, "Paris has another Paris under herself. A Paris of sewers...There everything converges and confronts itself." What is it about the vast net work of tunnels that snake under this incredible city that has captured the imagination of writers, engineers, politicians, and even kings for hundreds of years?

One thing that becomes clear when you are a PhD student is that almost no one who is not a PhD themselves knows what a PhD student does. And how could they know? But to really understand our research, I think you have to understand the day-to-day for those of us in academia after we finish college. Today we coun down 5 facts that you ought to know about life in Grad School.

We continue to delve into PhD research by finding out why Joe is spinning electrons around at the speed of light. In this episode, clean water meets Big Science.

This episode, Water You Talking About gets personal. We delve into Joe's PhD research by getting his "elevator pitch." Stormwater is something that cities tried to get rid of for a long time, but now fresh water falling from the sky is starting to look pretty good. What are we doing about it?

Where can your city turn for drinking water when drought disrupts the normal supply? In Kingston, Jamaica the best alternative is groundwater, but there’s a catch – it’s heavily polluted. In this episode we learn about a public-private partnership to pump and treat the groundwater, but that’s just the beginning of the story...

In the U.S., the water cycle is taught as a part of primary level curriculum and often never touched again. As a result, many misconceptions exist surrounding water in the minds of both children and adults alike. This episode discusses misconceptions of water conservation, stormwater treatment and fate, and groundwater.

Season 3 is coming real soon, so we thought we give you a fun mini-episode to whet your appetite. Enjoy!

When talking water systems we inevitably come around to waste. But what if water isn’t wasted just because it’s lost? In this episode, we take a look at a gigantic loss of water, the services that loss provides, and consider its surprising role in our water systems. (And yes, we’re counting this is in Season 2.)

An unfortunately timely episode addressing the largest failure of US infrastructure in the last decade: the Flint water crisis. I consider the intersection of racial and environmental justice. This is a special episode produced independently by Joe Charbonnet. Thanks to Aaron Greenwood for helping to inspire this episode.

Scott Miller takes a journey throughout time to discover North America's Great Lakes, meeting a talking moose, a steel worker, an environmentalist, and re-visiting with Xenon Water Princess along the way. Hold on to your canoe paddle!

This is a story about you. This is a story about something that hasn't happened yet, and about something that has. The story is about a beer and a stone cobble on the side of the road. It's about a pump and it's about millions of lives.

Beauty pageants, soccer tournaments, and songs about poop: In preparation for the 2017 Colorado WASH symposium, we engage with some of the brightest minds in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene to discuss just how development work in the sector can be effective, and how newcomers can to break into the field.

The way that we divvy up water in the west has always been contentious. But does it need to be confusing too? This month bona fide water rights experts James Eklund helps us to untangle who gets first crack at the surface water in the western US, and how you don't always have fight for your right, but sometimes people do.

Everyone knows the West is running out of water. Everyone knows that people will pump all the water they can get until there is none left. But what if everyone is wrong? Today we talk to John Fleck, author of "Water is for Fighting Over: And Other Myths about Water in the West"

As Environmental Engineers, we get asked about global warming a lot. But as water researchers, we tend not to think of as often as people think. In this episode we say, "Why not?" and dig into what a warmer world means for our urban water systems. You've probably never heard people talk about this side of climate change--and it's not all bad news.

Water is packaged in plastic bottles in unnecessary quantities and to environmental detriment. In this episode, Scott travels to McCloud, CA to meet a [fictionally-portrayed] hero of the fight against a powerful bottled water company.

Have you ever wanted to go to a developing country to help drill a well? Sadly, a lot of good intentions are misplaced and can actually make things worse for community that receives our “help”. In this two-part podcast, we explore common mistakes and share words of wisdom with those who are interested in international development in the water sector.

We all love the newest, the greatest, and the most advanced. So why is innovative technology so hard to develop in the water sector? The reason is frustrating, but surprisingly, makes a ton of sense.

Our water systems seem like a pretty mundane part of life right now, but the developments that got us to this point were made by some truly heroic people and epic events. In this episode we travel through space and time to find out what made our water systems great.

What do you think about when you hear "water problems"? What about "water solutions"? Why aren't we talking about how water crises are opportunities for growth, development and innovation?