Podcasts about Wastewater

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello have a morning chat about the measles epidemic and H5N1 in cows before Dr. Griffin discusses how vaccination associates with reduced dementia risk before deep diving into recent statistics on measles epidemic, RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, a potential new influenza antiviral drug, whether or not the NB.1.8.1 variant should be included in the fall 2025 vaccines, immunization recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines, where to find PEMGARDA, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center's long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, associaton of remesdivir administration and long-term sequelae and contacting your federal government representative to stop the assault on science and biomedical research. Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Wastewater for measles (WasterWater Scan) Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola) Weekly measles and rubella monitoring (Government of Canada) Measles (WHO) Get the FACTS about measles (NY State Department of Health) Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola)) Measles vaccine (CDC Measles (Rubeola)) Presumptive evidence of measles immunity (CDC) Contraindications and precautions to measles vaccination (CDC) Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola)) Adverse events associated with childhood vaccines: evidence bearing on causality (NLM) Measles Vaccination: Know the Facts (ISDA: Infectious Diseases Society of America) Deaths following vaccination: what does the evidence show (Vaccine) Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg) The impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus infection on dairy cows (Nature) Avian flu exacts heavy financial toll on dairy industry, report says(CIDRAP) Inherited IFNAR1 deficiency in otherwise healthy patients with adverse reaction to measles and yellow fever live vaccines (Journal of Experimental Medicine) Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView) FDA-CDC-DOD: 2025-2046 influenza vaccine composition (FDA) RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) ENFLONSIA: novel drug approvals 2025 (FDA) RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection) Systematic review and expert consensus on the use of long-acting monoclonal antibodies for prevention of respiratory syncytial virus disease: ARMADA (Advancing RSV Management And Disease Awareness) Taskforce (OFID) Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) COVID-19 deaths (CDC) COVID cases likely rising in half of states, CDC estimates(CBS News) Estimated COVID-19 Periodicity and Correlation with SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein S1 Antigenic Diversity, United States (Emerging Infectious Diseases) Respiratory Illnesses Data Channel (CDC: Respiratory Illnesses) COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC) COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC) Estimated COVID-19 Periodicity and Correlation with SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein S1 Antigenic Diversity, United States (Emerging Infectious Diseases) SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain) Antigenic and Virological Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Variant BA.3.2, XFG, and NB.1.8.1 (biRxiV) This CDC Resignation Should Scare You (Substack: Beyond the Noise) ACIP: COVID-19–Associated Hospitalizations — COVID-NET, April 2025 Update (CDC: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases)) Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda) EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD) Infusion center (Prime Fusions) CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC) NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH) Drug treatments for mild or moderate covid-19: systematic review and network meta-analysis (BMJ) Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool) Paxlovid (Pfizer) Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society) Extended nirmatrelvir–ritonavir treatment durations for immunocompromised patients with COVID-19 (EPIC-IC) (LANCET: Infectious Diseases) Molnupiravir safety and efficacy (JMV) Convalescent plasma recommendation for immunocompromised (ID Society) What to do when sick with a respiratory virus (CDC) Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC) Steroids, dexamethasone at the right time (OFID) Anticoagulation guidelines (hematology.org) Daniel Griffin's evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID) Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center) The answers: Long COVID Invivyd and Leading Researchers Form SPEAR (Spike Protein Elimination and Recovery) Study Group to Assess the Effects of Monoclonal Antibody Therapy for Long COVID and COVID-19 Post-Vaccination Syndrome (INVIVYD) Reaching out to US house representative Letters read on TWiV 1236 Dr. Griffin's COVID treatment summary (pdf) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

Laura Knights, CEO and founder of Knights Consulting, shares what the second installment of ASTHO's Ignite, Accelerate, and Activate series has to offer public health leadership; Dr. Anil Mangla, Director for Disease Surveillance and Control at the South Nevada Health District, highlights the benefits and ethical concerns of wastewater surveillance; ASTHO is launching its Public Health Nursing Learning Lab Series next Wednesday, July 23rd; and ASTHO warmly welcomes new member Dena Schmidt, Administrator of the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, to the ASTHO community.  ASTHO Workshop: Ignite, Accelerate, and Activate: Series 2, Session 2: Conflict & Collaboration ASTHO Webinar: INSPIRE: Readiness - Navigating Ethical Issues in Wastewater Surveillance for Infectious Diseases  ASTHO Webinar: Public Health Nursing Workforce Learning Lab Dena Schmidt Bio  

Plus: State health care agencies warn the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will lead to “financial shock” for hospitals and more across Virginia.

What if Google had the solution to save 1 billion people... and just threw it away? Let's find out! Google spent 4 YEARS secretly developing a device that pulls safe drinking water from thin air using only sunlight. They proved it worked. They proved it could help over 1 BILLION people without clean water. Then they just... quit and open-sourced everything in 2021.

Ultra-pure water is essential for multiple industries, for example semiconductors, batteries, and pharmaceuticals, as well as food and beverage companies.  Such water is produced by various processes including desalination plants that use reverse osmosis.  The byproduct of the processing is industrial brine:  salty wastewater. The brine produced by desalination is generally dumped into the ocean […]

Unbeknownst to most people, Japan recently released its 12th batch of radioactive nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean.This latest batch of discharge weighed approximately 7,800 tons, or around 15.6 million pounds.Including this latest batch, it means that Japan has dumped an estimated 86,000 tons of nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean thus far. This sounds like a lot, but it's actually only the beginning. Its plan is to continue doing this for the next 30 years, and in the process, dump roughly 1.3 million tons of nuclear wastewater.The reason for this stems from what happened 14 years ago, during the Fukushima nuclear disaster. That was when an earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused a near meltdown of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.The disaster led to the contamination of a million tons of water.For the past 14 years, Japan has kept this water inside the plant, where it has been slowly treating it. But it ran out of space. Therefore, the Japanese government began to slowly release this treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean.Let's go through the full story, as well as what the latest research has found, in terms of the effects that this wastewater is having on the local marine life.

NK News Senior Analytic Correspondent Colin Zwirko joins this week's episode to discuss Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's high-profile visit to the newly opened Wonsan Kalma beach resort, where he met Kim Jong Un aboard a luxury yacht. He also dissects emerging signs that North Korea is preparing for a military parade and possible mass games to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea this October, while unpacking claims — now largely debunked — that the DPRK released radioactive wastewater into the Han River estuary.  About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

EMIT could be a diagnostic tool to identify pollution from the desert to the sea.

The Innovating for Earth podcast series returns to discuss the green iron opportunity.Steel is the backbone of modern society, yet conventional steelmaking is one of the world's largest sources of industrial emissions. Green iron therefore offers a large opportunity to contribute to both global decarbonisation and development.If Australia can take advantage of its iron ore and renewable energy resources to export green iron in place of iron ore, it is estimated that it could:Add 3x the value of its largest source of export income – from $120 billion for iron ore currently to up to $386 billion annually for green iron by 2060.Abate 3x Australia's current domestic emissions – equal to roughly 4% of the global total.   To discuss how Australia can seize its Green Iron opportunity, host James O'Loghlin is joined by Chris McMahen from The Superpower Institute, Max van Someren from Bivios and Chris Ormston from Calix . Together, they explore the scale of the challenge, emerging technology solutions like Calix's ZESTY, the economic and environmental implications for Australia and the world, and what more is needed to seize the opportunity.  

PFAS destruction for a lower cost than PFAS removal: Transformational or Questionable? Let's find out! For more water tech insights, subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6884833968848474112/

What if electron-rich Water Gas Molecules could target and destroy PFAS... for cheaper than PFAS removal technologies? Check it out! For more water tech insights, subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6884833968848474112/

In this episode, Suzan continues her fascinating conversation with Hye Jin Lee to explore how the City of Chino is reimagining wastewater as a sustainable community asset. Discover how Chino built a 34-mile recycled water system over the past 30 years, now used to keep Ayala Park's 144 acres green, support local agriculture, and earn potable water credits—all while reducing stress on regional water supplies.Learn how the city's partnership with the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IUA) enables tertiary water treatment and long-term resilience against drought conditions. Hye Jin also shares insights into the environmental impact, cost/resource savings, and how other communities can adopt similar water reuse strategies.

The Government insists it's not backtracking on its commitment to providing wastewater infrastructure in two unsewered Clare communities. In December of 2023, Broadford and Cooraclare were included in a €50 million pilot scheme devised to address the wastewater collection and treatment needs of villages without access to public wastewater services. In March of this year, Clare County Council stated the systems are expected to be in place within the next three to five years. Responding to Bodyke Fine Gael TD Joe Cooney in the Dáil, Minister of State Christopher O'Sullivan says engagement with local authorities is ongoing.

Send us a textA recent innovation, the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) has transformed from an emergency response to COVID-19 into a comprehensive early warning system for disease outbreaks.The NWSS monitors approximately 45% of the US population through over 1,400 sampling sites. Public health laboratories can analyze genetic material from the waste stream to detect the presence of pathogens even before clinical symptoms appear in communities. Despite the inherent complexity of wastewater samples, the process has demonstrated surprising accuracy in predicting disease trends.Visit cdc.gov/nwss to explore the NWSS dashboard.

What's the Water Secret that 99% of Climate Investors are Missing? Listen to This! Wanna dive deeper into water investment? Get my FREE exhaustive list of water tech investors (that cut 2+ checks) here: https://investors.dww.show/

Wastewater monitoring is a valuable, efficient, and robust tool that public health officials can use to guide public health decision making across the nation. When we turn on the tap or flush the toilet, we often don't think about where all that water goes.  Wastewater, the used water from our homes, schools, and businesses, holds valuable information about the health of our community. Wastewater monitoring can help cities manage wastewater effectively and also creates a safer, healthier, and more responsive living environment for their communities. This blog takes a closer look at five important things to know about wastewater monitoring and how it can help city leaders ensure the health of their communities.   1. Wastewater is more than just water  Wastewater is a mix of bits and pieces that go down our drains – soap, food bits, medicines, toilet paper, and even poop. When this mix is let loose into the environment without proper cleaning, it can mess up our lakes, rivers, and oceans. And not only that, it can be bad for our health too.  ​ 2. Wastewater monitoring gives communities a health checkup  ​ Just as doctors examine us to catch early signs of illness, experts examine wastewater to see what's in it. They look for things like diseases that can affect our health. Wastewater monitoring data can help city leaders identify disease spread early and take steps to keep everyone safe.   ​ 3. Wastewater monitoring is an early warning system for disease spread   ​ Wastewater holds clues about outbreaks of diseases like COVID-19, polio, flu, and more before they happen. When experts test wastewater, they can notice if diseases are starting to spread more. This helps them catch possible outbreaks early and take action to keep everyone safe. They don't leave anyone out—every home, business, and neighborhood connected to the sewage system is included in the process.   ​ 4. Monitoring wastewater involves sampling, testing, and analysis   ​ Sampling: Small amounts of wastewater are collected from different points in the treatment process. Experts use these samples to see what's in the water.  Testing: Using various tools and equipment, they test the samples to find out the levels of chemicals, bacteria, and other substances.  Analysis: Experts analyze the data to understand the changes in disease spread and whether new diseases are starting to appear. Analysis results enable city leaders to make proactive decisions to protect community health and well-being.   5. Wastewater monitoring is a special tool for city leaders that benefits everyone ​City leaders can use information from monitoring wastewater to make important decisions that protect the health of everyone in their communities. Wastewater monitoring data can help city leaders:     Talk to the public in better ways  Promote actions to keep the community safe (like wearing masks and staying apart)  Send medical tests, vaccines, and treatments to the people and places that need them the most  Make sure hospitals and clinics have enough staff  Wastewater might not be dinner table conversations, but it impacts our lives more than we realize. Wastewater monitoring is an important tool that can help city leaders make good decisions and take early action to prevent disease spread to keep the people they serve healthy. So, next time you flush, remember that what you send down the drain has important information that can help create and maintain healthy communities where everyone thrives.   About the authors: Sara Zeigler and Aliyah Ali are freelance writers at the National League of Cities. This article is a product of NLC's partnership with WastewsterSCAN. The National League of Cities (NLC) is partnering with WastewaterSCAN, a national initiative to monitor wastewater for a growing list of infectious diseases including COVID-19 and its variants, flu, and RSV gives communities reliable, sensitive, and actionable data to help them make public health decisions. As a national partner, NLC is raising awareness about the important role of wastewater monitoring in guiding public health responses, creating learning opportunities for NLC members interested in wastewater monitoring, and sharing information with communities across the country about WastewaterSCAN. CREDITS: https://www.nlc.org/article/2023/08/23/5-essential-things-you-need-to-know-about-wastewater-monitoring/

Veteran environmental attorney Phil Comella joins host Sean Grady on the Environmental Transformation Podcast to break down the EPA's proposed rollback of PFAS drinking water regulations. With over 40 years of experience, Comella offers expert legal insight on how the delayed compliance deadlines, potential MCL reductions, and CERCLA implications could affect municipalities, water utilities, waste management companies, and communities already exposed to PFAS. The conversation covers legal risks, scientific uncertainty, and the regulatory gaps that complicate cleanup and accountability.Thanks to our sponsors: Cascade Environmental, E-Tank, and WASTELINQ

In this episode of 21st Century Water, we sit down with Matt Stouder, Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC) in Oregon, to explore how his leadership is driving operational resilience, environmental stewardship, and innovative thinking in wastewater management. We begin by learning how Matt's rural upbringing and early exposure to water chemistry inspired a lifelong commitment to environmental protection and public service. His path from stormwater engineering to leading a regional utility reflects a deep-rooted belief in stewardship, collaboration, and giving back to the community.We then dive into the scale and structure of MWMC, which serves about 275,000 residents across Eugene and Springfield. Despite owning over $500 million in assets and operating a major treatment plant with a peak capacity of 277 MGD, the commission itself has no employees and operates through intergovernmental agreements—Springfield handles the administration and capital projects, and Eugene manages the operations. Matt emphasizes how strategic coordination is key to balancing daily operations with long-term capital investments, especially as the infrastructure ages.We discuss MWMC's shift from expansion to asset renewal, including a strong focus on asset management and funding strategies. Incremental rate increases and a rate stabilization fund have helped buffer financial volatility, allowing the utility to maintain steady investment without burdening ratepayers. Matt also shares MWMC's approach to innovation through projects like the biocycle farm, where biosolids are applied to hybrid poplar trees for local reuse, and a renewable natural gas facility that generates new revenue streams while reducing emissions.Communication and education emerge as central themes. From community partnerships and public outreach at local fairs to an award-winning Clean Water University program for fifth graders, MWMC prioritizes transparency and awareness. Matt's engineering background doesn't limit his commitment to public engagement; instead, it reinforces it.As we shift to environmental goals, Matt outlines how MWMC embraces a circular economy mindset. Instead of costly infrastructure like chillers, the utility addresses thermal pollution by planting trees along the McKenzie River, effectively reducing river temperatures while supporting watershed health. He also highlights how climate change is affecting local precipitation patterns, forcing the utility to adjust infrastructure capacity and operational readiness.Looking ahead, Matt is focused on a $300 million infrastructure renewal plan, transforming biosolids into a higher-value Class A product, and potentially expanding MWMC's services to nearby communities through regionalization. He views himself as a custodian of the system, aiming to leave the utility stronger than he found it and prepared for the next generation.More:Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC): https://www.mwmcpartners.orgOregon Association of Clean Water Agencies (ORACWA): https://oracwa.orgNorthwest Natural Gas (NW Natural): https://www.nwnatural.comWillamette Riverkeeper: https://www.willametteriverkeeper.orgNational Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA): https://www.nacwa.orgPacific Northwest Clean Water Association (PNCWA): https://www.pncwa.org Aquasight Website: https://aquasight.io/

The first ever Mayor of Clare from Clarecastle says enhancing wastewater infrastructure will be among the main goals of his term in office. Fine Gael Councillor Paul Murphy has been elected Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council from the 2025 to 2026 term, with Ennis Fianna Fáil Councillor Clare-Colleran Molloy to serve as deputy. There are currently 26 towns and villages in Clare without extensive public access to sewerage facilities, while a further 25 have no connection at all. Cathaoirleach Murphy says there's a clear focus for the year ahead.

3 Radical Approaches Solving Water Scarcity Today, in just one video! More #water insights? Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6884833968848474112/

Send us a textIn this episode of Temperature Check: Coastal Edition, host Natalia Sanchez Loayza dives beneath the surface to explore how climate change is disrupting marine life and infrastructure along North Carolina's coast. She's joined by Dr. Jane Harrison, an environmental economist at NC State University, whose personal story and professional research illuminate the complex intersections of climate, economy, and community.Dr. Harrison reflects on her environmentally rich upbringing and explains how sea level rise and intensified storms are degrading rural septic systems—posing hidden threats to water quality and development. She outlines how these often-overlooked systems are increasingly failing in coastal areas, complicating housing and public health.The episode also spotlights Harrison's work with the North Carolina Oyster Trail, revealing how oysters—vital to both local culture and marine ecosystems—are struggling against climate-induced challenges. From habitat loss to harvesting delays after major storms, oysters offer a lens into the broader environmental and economic shifts underway.Join us for a thought-provoking exploration of coastal resilience, wastewater policy, and the delicate balance between environmental protection and economic survival in Eastern North Carolina.Support the showwww.shoresides.org

Why do we choose expensive over affordable in Water? Let's use the Permian Basin's example to make a point: wastewater reuse is the way!More #water insights? Subscribe to my newsletter on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=6884833968848474112

Clare County Council has committed to developing a plan to roll out modular wastewater treatment plants to boost housing in unsewered areas. There are currently 50 towns and villages in Clare without a sewerage connection, while plants in Clareabbey, Miltown Malbay, Ennistymon, Kilkee. Kildysart and Kilmihil are all at capacity. Following a proposal passed this week, the local authority has now pledged to engage with the Department of Housing with a view to expediting developer led systems as an interim solution. Lisdoonvarna Fine Gael Councillor Joe Garrihy says it's urgently needed.

Wanna know why Big Pharma is Knocking on This French Startup's Door? Listen to this!More #water insights? Connect with me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoinewalter1/

It's feared Ennis will be "hamstrung" unless urgent action is taken to increase wastewater capacity. Ennis Municipal District has confirmed no new planning permissions can be given in the south of Ennis or in Clarecastle at present as the Clareabbey Wastewater Treatment Plant is at full capacity. The body has now written to Uisce Éireann requesting details on plans to expand or improve the current network. Clarecastle Fine Gael Councillor Paul Murphy has been telling Clare FM's Seán Lyons swift action is required to prevent the county town and its environs from being brought to a standstill.

June 11, 2025 - Buffalo Sewer Authority Principal Sanitary Engineer Rosaleen Nogle talks about their effort in the Queen City to deal with wastewater and why this work is hampered by a lack of state and federal support.

Environment Canterbury's submission to the water regulator says proposed wastewater treatment standards are far below what it demands currently.

Billions of dollars are finally flowing into the water industry, but the financial landscape is still far behind energy, climate tech, and other booming sectors. In this episode of In The Newsroom, Travis Loop is joined by Antoine Walter, host of the (don't) Waste Water podcast, for an insider look at how investment in the water sector is evolving—and where it's still stuck. They discuss how private equity, venture capital, and institutional investors are cautiously entering water, often drawn by its long-term stability but frustrated by its slower growth cycles compared to fast-scaling industries. Antoine explains how early-stage water startups face much longer timelines—often 16 to 25 years to reach market maturity—making water a challenging space for traditional VC models.They explore the surge in private equity consolidation, with firms attempting to replicate past roll-up success stories. The conversation also dives deep into sectors attracting the most attention, including digital water, PFAS removal and destruction, membranes, desalination, and atmospheric water generation. Antoine shares how AI, data centers, and tech giants like Microsoft and Google are pushing water reuse and efficiency as public pressure mounts over their water footprints. The episode wraps by examining how water scarcity, PFAS contamination, and infrastructure failures are both exposing risks and unlocking new financial opportunity. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.

June 5th, 2025

I analyzed 139 publicly traded water companies and discovered a simple formula that predicts their valuations using just three parameters: position on the "boring-to-hype spectrum," percentage of digital revenue, and percentage of recurring revenue. This formula reveals systematic market mispricing that creates 8-25% annual return opportunities by exploiting Wall Street's ignorance of water industry fundamentals. Wanna find out? Listen to this!More #water insights? Connect with me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoinewalter1/

Craft beer grew in popularity over the past decade across Minnesota, but the brewing process has also created a ton of wastewater. Now, there's an experiment to make the process carbon neutral. University of Minnesota professor Paige Novak and Fulton Brewing are working on a new, sustainable way to treat wastewater from the brewing process.She spoke to MPR chief meteorologist Paul Huttner for Climate Cast.The transcript below has been lightly edited for clarity and length.Tell us about the craft brewing process and how it contributes to carbon emissions.When beer is brewed, a whole lot of extra wastewater is produced. For every pint of beer that's made, there's usually four to 10 pints of wastewater that's generated at the same time. This wastewater tends to go to a centralized treatment facility where it's treated, then cleaned up and discharged to a river. What happens during that wastewater cleanup process is that a lot of energy is used to pump air into the water, bacteria eat up all the waste, and all that pumping of the air creates a huge energy requirement, and also produces CO2. It can take up to 15 to 30 percent of a city's total energy bill to process wastewater, and that can add up to about 2 billion gallons annually. Is that right? It's a huge amount of energy that we use to clean our wastewater. If you look nationally, the amount of electricity that we use nationally just for wastewater is about 2 percent. So you think about everything that we do in terms of driving, heating our homes, lighting things, and 2 percent of that is used for our wastewater. It's a huge amount. Tell us about your project with Fulton Brewing. I work in biological wastewater treatment systems. I look at bacteria that can help clean up pollutants, including wastewater pollutants. What we've done is develop a system where we can put bacteria into little pellets. We can add these pellets to a tank. The bacteria are active, so we can put a lot of bacteria in there and keep them in the tank and they degrade all the wastewater. And if you do it at the site before the wastewater is diluted, you can treat the wastewater differently and actually generate methane gas, which can be used as an energy source onsite. In addition to using a lot of water, breweries use energy to heat the material to make the beer — also to heat the brewery in the winter. So you get added energy creation at the brewery, and then you save energy for treatment when you go to the wastewater treatment plant. Has Fulton Brewing been receptive to your research? They have been wonderful partners. They've been working with us on this process for years now. We did an initial pilot study at their brewery a few years ago, and that was really helpful to see what didn't work. And then we were able to get additional funding from the Department of Energy to continue to work on this process. We just finished up a second pilot study at Fulton where we were able to show that the system worked amazingly well.What else should people know about beer and carbon neutrality?I think we, just as consumers, need to keep in mind that there's all this additional work that needs to be done to keep these processes that supply us with the food and beverages going. So think about supporting clean water use, supporting treatment, and supporting research as you go along your day using these products.To hear the full conversation, click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast.

Sarasota residents who were flooded last year are putting pressure on the county commissioners. But is Sarasota ready for the next storm season?Next: When it comes to sewage spills, Bradenton has been the worst offender in the region. Now that the city has outsourced its wastewater management, it is trying to get a sense of what all of this will cost. Then: In a meeting last week, the new chair ended the Mike Moran era in the Sarasota County Commission - at least when it comes to the former chair's makeover of social service funding. We have more on that.

Virginia Natural Gas is partnering with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District on the project in Virginia Beach.

Wanna learn how to comply with PFAS Removal targets with the lowest risk and without breaking the bank? Listen to this!More #water insights? Connect with me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoinewalter1/

In this episode of 21st Century Water, we sit down with Eric Johnson, Executive Director of the Fox River Water Reclamation District (FRWRD), to unpack a unique leadership journey and explore a forward-thinking approach to water management. Eric's path to running a regional wastewater agency is anything but conventional. Starting in public service at age 19 while in college, he transitioned from political roles to township supervisor, then city manager, and eventually into the water sector. What stands out is how he's brought a legal and administrative mindset into a highly technical domain, focusing on assembling expert teams rather than becoming the technical expert himself.We dive into the scale and complexity of FRWRD's operations—three plants serving over 200,000 residents across multiple counties, with a $24 million operating budget and up to $20 million in annual capital projects. Eric walks us through a strategic pivot the agency is undergoing: its first-ever facility master plan. This includes initiatives like implementing a digital twin, improving asset management, and exploring plant consolidation to drive efficiency.We also talk about regionalization. Eric makes a strong case for consolidating smaller wastewater utilities into regional agencies to improve cost-effectiveness, compliance, and service quality. He cites examples from his own district and explains the political and institutional barriers to broader adoption, highlighting the need for leadership willing to set aside control for the greater good of the community.Financially, FRWRD recently completed a rate study, aiming to keep costs fair and predictable while balancing regulatory pressures and infrastructure needs. Eric shares how the utility is pursuing alternative revenue streams, including water reuse and solar energy, to reduce the financial burden on ratepayers. He also emphasizes the importance of public communication, using scale, continuity, visibility, and plain language to help people understand the unseen but essential role wastewater infrastructure plays.Operationally, FRWRD faces challenges with aging infrastructure, rising costs, and a tightening labor market. Eric outlines efforts to modernize the organization—from equipping staff with better technology to launching workforce development partnerships and emphasizing leadership training. His passion for building high-performing, collaborative teams is clear, and he sees talent development as central to his long-term vision.Eric closes with reflections on legacy. For him, success means advancing regionalization, fostering innovation, and creating an environment where employees thrive—even if that means they eventually move on to bigger roles. He hopes FRWRD becomes known as a forward-thinking, mid-sized agency that others look to for leadership, innovation, and talent.More:Fox River Water Reclamation District: https://www.frwrd.com/ Aquasight Website: https://aquasight.io/

Is this the end of Mineral Water? Or just the end of Nestlé Waters? Listen to this!More #water insights? Connect with me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoinewalter1/

Why is a mildly successful Water Tech company valued at almost twice the S&P500 M&A average? And how is that link to Private Equity's appetite for water companies? Let's find out!More #water insights? Connect with me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoinewalter1/

Waikato regional council says proposed nationwide wastewater standards could result in more pollutants going into Lake Taupo. Libby Kirkby-McLeod reports.

It's claimed the increased cost of implementing the wastewater treatment schemes in Broadford and Cooraclare is no excuse not to deliver the projects on time. At this month's meeting of Clare County Council, Doonbeg Fianna Fáil councillor, Rita McInerney, requested an update on the current status and progress of the schemes which were announced in December of 2023. In response, Clare County Council says the projects' estimated delivery remains between three and five years, and additional funding at government level should be sought. Councillor McInerney says the projects have been committed to and must be delivered with haste.

Why is the Global Water Summit the Davos of Water? Watch this video and you'll find out! More #water insights? Connect with me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoinewalter1/

A Clare TD says there's a lack of willingness at Government level to adopt innovative solutions to facilitate the delivery of housing developments in the county. Speaking in the Dáil, Bodyke Fine Gael TD, Joe Cooney, claims the inability of Uisce Éireann to deliver wastewater treatment infrastructure is resulting in the blocking of developments. The use of modular wastewater treatment systems been identified as a means of speedily providing small scale developments to aid the State in reaching its housing targets. Deputy Cooney says there are obvious solutions, but they just need the go ahead.

Episode Summary Afreenish Amir, Ph.D., Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Project Director at the National Institute of Health in Pakistan, highlights significant increases in extensively drug-resistant typhoid and cholera cases in Pakistan and discusses local factors driving AMR in Asia. She describes the development and implementation of a National Action Plan to combat AMR in a developing country, emphasizing the importance of rational antimicrobial use, surveillance and infection control practice. Ashley's Biggest Takeaways AMR is a global and One Health issue. Pakistan has a huge disease burden of AMR. Contributing factors include, but are not limited to, overcrowding, lack of infection control practices, poor waste management practices and over-the-counter prescription practices. Promoting the rational use of antimicrobials is imperative at all levels—from tertiary care to primary care practitioners. Typhoid and cholera are high-burden infections in Pakistan, with typhoid being a year-round issue and cholera being seasonal. A holistic approach, involving various sectors and disciplines, is necessary in order to address the global AMR threat. Amir highlights the need for better communication and collaboration to bridge gaps and build trust between different organizations. Featured Quotes: I've been working at the National Institutes of Health for the last 7 years now. So, I've been engaged in the development and the implementation of the national action plan on AMR, and that gave me the opportunity to explore the work in the field of antimicrobial resistance. Reality of AMR in Pakistan [Pakistan] is an LMIC, and we have a huge disease burden of antimicrobial resistance in the country right now. A few years back, there was a situational analysis conducted, and that has shown that there is presence of a large number of resistant pathogens within the country. And National Institutes of Health, they have started a very standardized surveillance program based upon the global antimicrobial use and surveillance system back in 2017. And [those datasets have] generated good evidence about the basic statistics of AMR within the country. So, for example, if I talk about the extensively drug-resistant typhoid, typhoid is very much prevalent in the country. Our data shows that in 2017 there were 18% MDR typhoid cases through the surveillance data. And in 2021 it was like 60%. So that has shown that how the resistance has increased a lot. A number of challenges are associated with this kind of a thing, overcrowded hospitals, poor infection prevention and control (IPC) measures. So, there is AMR within the country—there's a huge burden—and we are trying to look for the better solutions.  Local Factors Driving AMR Bacteria, they do not know the borders. We have a close connection with the other Asian countries, and we have a long border connected with the 2 big countries, which are Afghanistan and India and Bangladesh and China. So, we see that it's not limited to 1 area. It's not regional. It's also a history of travel. When the people travel from one area to the other, they carry the pathogen as a colonizer or as a carrier, and they can infect [other] people. So, it's really connected, and it's really alarming as well. You never know how the disease is transmitted, and we have the biggest example of COVID—how things have spread from 1 country to the other, and how it has resulted in a massive pandemic. AMR is similar. We have seen that it's not limited to 1 region. We are part of this global community, and we are contributing somehow to the problem. First, I'll talk about the health care infrastructure. We do have the capacities in the hospitals, but still, there's a huge population. Pakistan is a thickly populated country. It's a population of around 241 million. And with the increasing population, we see that the infrastructure has not developed this much. So now the existing hospitals are overcrowded, and this has led to poor infection control practices within the hospitals. The staff is not there. In fact, ID consultants are not available in all the hospitals. Infection control nurses are not available in all the hospitals. So, this is one of the main areas that we see, that there is a big challenge. The other thing that can contribute is the poor waste management practices. Some of the hospitals—private and public sectors—they are following the waste management guidelines—even the laboratories. But many of the hospitals are not following the guidelines. And you know that AMR is under one health. So, whatever waste comes from the hospital eventually goes to the environment, and then from there to the animal sector and to the human sector. [Another big] problem that we are seeing is the over-the-counter prescription of antimicrobials. There is no regulation available in the country right now to control the over-the-counter prescription of antibiotics. They are easily available. People are taking the antibiotics without a prescription from the doctors, and the pharmacist is giving the patients any kind of medicine. And either it is effective/not effective, it's a falsified, low-quality antibiotic for how long in duration antibiotic should be taken. So, there are multiple of things or reasons that we see behind this issue of AMR. Rational Use of Antimicrobials It is a complex process how we manage this thing, but what we are closely looking at in the country right now is that we promote the rational use of antimicrobials at all levels—not only at the tertiary care levels, but also at the general practitioner level. They are the first point of contact for the patients, with the doctors, with the clinicians. So, at this point, I think the empirical treatment needs to be defined, and they need to understand the importance of this, their local antibiograms, what are the local trends? What are the patterns? And they need to prescribe according to those patterns. And very recently, the AWaRE classification of WHO, that is a big, big support in identifying the rational use of antimicrobials—Access, Watch and Reserve list—that should be propagated and that should be understood by all the general practitioners. And again, I must say that it's all connected with the regulations. There should be close monitoring of all the antibiotic prescriptions, and that can help to control the issue of AMR. National Action Plan on AMR So, when I joined NIH, the National Election plan had already been developed. It was back in 2017, and we have a good senior hierarchy who has been working on it very closely for a long period of time. So, the Global Action Plan on AMR, that has been our guiding document for the development of the national action plan on AMR, and we are following the 5 strategic objectives proposed in the global action plan. The five areas included: The promotion of advocacy and awareness in the community and health care professionals. To generate evidence through the data, through the surveillance systems. Generation of support toward infection prevention and control services IPC. Promoting the use of antimicrobials both in the human sector and the animal sector, but under the concept of stewardship, antimicrobial consumption and utilization. Invest in the research and vaccine and development. So, these are some of the guiding principles for us to develop the National Action Plan, and it has already been developed. And it's a very comprehensive approach, I must say. And our institute has started working on it, basically towards recreating awareness and advocacy. And we have been successful in creating advocacy and awareness at a mass level. Surveillance We have a network of Sentinel surveillance laboratories engaged with us, and they are sharing the data with NIH on a regular basis, and this is helping NIH to understand the basic trends on AMR and what is happening. And eventually we plan to go towards this case-based surveillance as well, but this is definitely going to take some time because to make people understand the importance of surveillance, this is the first thing. And very recently, the Institute and country has started working towards the hospital acquired infection surveillance as well. So, this is a much-needed approach, because the lab and the hospital go hand in hand, like whatever is happening in the lab, they eventually reach the patients who are in the hospitals. Wastewater surveillance is the key. You are very right. Our institute has done some of the work toward typhoid and cholera wastewater surveillance, and we were trying to identify the sources where we are getting these kinds of pathogens. These are all enteric pathogens. They are the key source for the infection. And for the wastewater surveillance mechanism, we can say that we have to engage multiple stakeholders in this development process. It's not only the laboratory people at NIH, but we need to have a good epidemiologist. We need to have all the water agencies, like the public health engineering departments, the PCRWR, the environmental protection agencies who are working with all these wastewater sites. So, we need to connect with them to make a good platform and to make this program in a more robust fashion. Pathogens and Disease Burdon For cholera and typhoid within Pakistan, I must say these are the high burden infections or diseases that we are seeing. For typhoid, the burden is quite high. We have seen a transition from the multidrug-resistant pathogens to the extensively drug-resistant pathogens, which now we are left with only azithromycin and the carbapenems. So, the burden is high. And when we talk about cholera, it is present in the country, but many of the times it is seasonal. It comes in during the time of the small zone rains and during the time of floods. So, every year, during this time, there are certain outbreaks that we have seen in different areas of the country. So, both diseases are there, but typhoid is like all year long—we see number of cases coming up—and for cholera, it's mainly seasonal. Capacity Building and ASM's Global Public Health Programs Capacity building is a key to everything, I must say, [whether] you talk about the training or development of materials. I've been engaged with ASM for quite some time. I worked to develop a [One Health] poster in the local language to create awareness about zoonotic diseases. So, we have targeted the 6 zoonotic diseases, including the anthrax, including the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and influenza. And we have generated a very user-friendly kind of layout in the local language, trying to teach people about the source of transmission. What are the routes of transmission, if we talk about the CCHF? And then how this can be prevented. So, this was one approach. And then I was engaged with the development of the Learnamr.com. This is online platform with 15 different e-modules within it, and we have covered different aspects—talking about the basic bacteriology toward the advanced, standardized methods, and we have talked about the national and global strategies [to combat] AMR, One Health aspects of AMR, vaccines. So, it's a huge platform, and I'm really thankful to ASM for supporting the program for development. And it's an online module. I have seen that there are around more than 500 subscribers to this program right now, and people are learning, and they are giving good feedback to the program as well. We keep on improving ourselves, but the good thing is that people are learning, and they are able to understand the basic concepts on AMR. Links for This Episode: Experts Discuss One Health in Pakistan: Biosafety Education Inside and Outside the Lab.  Explore ASM's Global Public Health Programs.  Download poster about zoonotic disease in English or Urdu.  Progress on the national action plan of Pakistan on antimicrobial resistance (AMR): A narrative review and the implications.  Global diversity and antimicrobial resistance of typhoid fever pathogens: insights from 13,000 Salmonella Typhi genomes.  Wastewater based environmental surveillance of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae in Pakistan.  Point Prevalence Survey of Antimicrobial Use in Selected Tertiary Care Hospitals of Pakistan Using WHO Methodology: Results and Inferences.  Overcoming the challenges of antimicrobial resistance in developing countries.  Take the MTM listener survey! 

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Just received a PFAS Notice at home? Don't panic - let's go through it together! #️⃣ All the Links Mentioned in this Video #️⃣ Johns Hopkins study on PFAS in Bottled Water: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34118648/ Study on PFAS in Beer: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40272161/ The Toronto Paper on LCMS to detect PFAS at ppt levels: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ac0100648 Decline in vaccine efficiency linked with blood PFAS levels: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22274686/ Increased cholesterol linked with PFAS in blood: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3116641/ Pregnancy disorders linked with PFAS: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35696844/ The AWWA vs EPA lawsuit: https://www.awwa.org/resource/pfas/ Tapscore's PFAS screening test: https://mytapscore.com/products/epa-8327-pfas-screen-water-test 10 PFAS questions answered: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dlH0RSCtH0

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