Episodios

  • 459 From Wastewater to Resource: Water Reuse with Dr. Veronika Zhiteneva

    459 From Wastewater to Resource: Water Reuse with Dr. Veronika Zhiteneva
    Jan 16 2026
    Industrial water professionals are increasingly pulled into conversations about scarcity, resilience, and "where the next gallon comes from." Dr. Veronika Zhiteneva, CEO and Co-founder of Waterloop Solutions frames water reuse as an implementation challenge more than a technology gap—and explains where the practical starting points are when the scope feels overwhelming. Moving reuse forward when the technology already exists Waterloop Solutions was founded to accelerate implementation: clarifying end-use quality, identifying post-treatment needs on the back end of existing plants, and building risk management plans that fit real operational and regulatory expectations. The conversation stays grounded in what slows projects down (time, permitting, funding, and public acceptance) and where progress can be made without reinventing the toolbox. Centralized vs. decentralized: why "less regulated" can move faster Europe's agricultural reuse regulation (noted as coming into effect in June 2023) created shared minimum requirements, but also uncertainty around permitting and responsibility at the local level. In contrast, decentralized reuse is described as an "early adopter" space—often driven by innovative building projects (gray water separation, rooftop rain capture) and, in some cases, easier implementation from scratch than retrofits. What matters to industrial listeners: partnerships, autonomy, and distance For industrial teams, Dr. Veronika points out opportunities for synergistic partnerships with municipalities and agriculture—balanced against the realities of infrastructure distance and cost. She also makes the case for industrial autonomy: decoupling from conventional sources through internal reuse to protect future production when municipal needs take precedence. Communication and the "toilet to tap" problem Public perception remains a stubborn barrier. Dr. Veronika calls out the long-lasting impact of "toilet to tap" framing and why first impressions can derail technically sound reuse projects. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 03:58 - Trace Blackmore shares how "Pinks and Blues" questions get chosen—and where listeners can submit them 05:05 - Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals 07:42 – Words of Water with James McDonald 11:47 – Meet Dr. Veronika Zhiteneva and why Trace invited her from LinkedIn insights 12:20 — Veronika's path: UMD → Colorado School of Mines → PhD at Technical University of Munich 15:40 — Why Waterloop Solutions started: progress is slow, but implementation support is missing 19:40 — Decentralized reuse: why interest is rising, and why it can be easier to implement in buildings 20:20 — EU agricultural reuse regulation (June 2023): minimum quality, crop types, and risk plan uncertainty 23:40 — Unique barriers by sector: municipal timelines, industrial ROI, and the difficulty of reaching farmers 33:20 — Lowest-hanging fruit: municipal reuse for street cleaning and parks; industrial autonomy via internal reuse 45:00 — Women and young professionals: visibility, role models, and why the sector's willingness to help matters 47:20 — Where to learn more: US EPA resources, EU work underway, and Australia as a reuse leader Quotes "It's okay to ask questions." "But actually, all the technology needed for it already exists." "What I think is awesome in the US, for example, that you guys are really pursuing this direct potable reuse now." "I think these are all valid options to have kind of in the water management portfolio on a local level and also on a regional level." Connect with Dr. Veronika Zhiteneva Email: vzhiteneva@gowaterloop.com Website: Home – Waterloop Solutions LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vzhiteneva/ Waterloop Solutions: Overview | LinkedIn Guest Resources Mentioned Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (Paperback) European Commission's Water reuse: New EU rules to improve access to safe irrigation Intermezzo Paperback – by Sally Rooney (Author) Radical Candor: Fully Revised & Updated Edition: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott US EPA State Water Reuse Resources US EPA Water Reuse Information Library US EPA's "A Framework for Permitting Innovation in the Wastewater Sector Report" US Department of Energy's About the BuildingsNEXT Student Design Competition The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) Water Reuse Europe Policy and Regulations Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned AWT (Association of Water Technologies) AWT Technical Training Seminars Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses Submit a Show Idea The Rising Tide Mastermind Words of Water with James ...
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    56 m
  • 458 Hiring Olympics and High-Performance Culture with J.D. Roth

    458 Hiring Olympics and High-Performance Culture with J.D. Roth
    Jan 9 2026
    "Stay curious. And you only have one reputation. Guard it with your life." Hiring for judgment, not just rehearsed confidence Industrial water treatment is full of decisions made with incomplete data—on sites, with customers, and inside the business. JD Roth (Managing Director and Co-owner of Guardian Chemicals) builds his hiring around that reality. His aim is straightforward: protect the team and the culture by selecting people who can think, collaborate, and lead under pressure. JD frames the organization as a group of people choosing to work toward a common goal: building a better future for communities, the environment, and staff. That priority shows how Guardian hires, who they keep, and what becomes a deal-breaker. If a candidate is misaligned with core values, JD is clear: performance elsewhere won't override that mismatch. The "Hiring Olympics" structure For a high-bandwidth, project-based role (their Graduate Business Analyst program), Guardian needed a way to evaluate many strong candidates without consuming 40–50 hours of team time. The result is a four-hour, multi-station day that includes: Core values interviews (two-person format)Competency interviews (horsepower and capability)An individual case study (primarily math/business-oriented)A collaborative case study (decision-making and team dynamics) The collaborative case study is the centerpiece. Candidates work with peers who are also competitors for limited roles, using real cases built around business decisions—often with imperfect or incomplete information—so the team can observe how candidates break down problems, delegate, support others, and present recommendations. How decisions get made afterward After candidates leave, the interview team convenes for a group decision. JD starts by looking for any "vetoes," especially around core values to fit (he references an EOS-style standard of meeting 5 out of 6 core values most of the time). From there, the team compares notes across competency, core values, and observed collaboration behaviors. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:20 – Trace Blackmore shares part of a real-world service routine and ongoing professional improvement 05:35 – Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals 12:00 – Words of Water with James McDonald 13:52 – Fun Fact about 1903 from this day 14:28 – Interview with JD Roth, Managing Director and Co-Owner of Guardian Chemicals 15:20 - "A company is people" 19:00 – First solo site lesson: ask for help vs. pretend 25:10 – The GBA Program (Graduate Business Analyst) 27:50 – Hiring Olympics format + Efficiency 33:30 – "Ping pong balls in a jumbo jet" example 39:10 – Selection rules: Core values veto + EOS bar + Values list Quotes JD:"And if you've got great people and you take care of great people, they take care of your customers, and your customers take care of you." JD: "There really isn't a company. There is just a whole bunch of people who have decided to work together towards a common goal." Trace: "I can only imagine how empowered your team feels because they're so involved in this process and you're involving everybody" Trace: "I love the fact that we're diving deeper into the most important thing, and that's protecting and enhancing our culture." Connect with JD Roth Email: jdroth@guardianchem.ca Website: http://www.guardianchem.ca/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-david-jd-roth-58714113/ Guest Resources Mentioned Entrepreneurs' Organization Verne Harnish 'Scaling Up' About Verne Harnish Harvard Business Review Case Studies Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned AWT (Association of Water Technologies) AWT Technical Training Seminars Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses Submit a Show Idea The Rising Tide Mastermind 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen. R. Covey Fearless Pricing: Ignite Your Team, Own Your Value, and Command What You Deserve by Casey Brown Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection by Charles Duhigg Charles Duhigg — "The science behind dramatically better conversations" (TEDxManchester) 12 Week Year Plan 457 2026: A New Year with New Intentions Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business Words of Water with James McDonald Today's definition is an ion with a net positive charge, formed when an atom or molecule loses one or more electrons. Can you guess the word or phrase? 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we've listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.
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    57 m
  • 457 2026: A New Year with New Intentions

    457 2026: A New Year with New Intentions
    Jan 2 2026
    Trace Blackmore opens 2026 with a practical reset: how to plan with urgency, sharpen the fundamentals that make troubleshooting easier, and use the tools around this podcast to keep your development moving all year. The 12-Week Year: urgency you can use Annual goals often feel "far away" until December forces focus. The 12-week year flips that dynamic by treating each quarter like a year—creating urgency sooner and giving you four chances to reset and improve. Trace walks through the structure: start with a vision (he uses a three-year example), then choose 3–5 tactical goals for the next 12 weeks, so you don't overload and quit. He also ties it to a water treatment reality: quarterly customer touchpoints are simply more productive than an annual "re-introduce everything" meeting. Trace points listeners to planning support and easy on-ramps: the book link: ScalingUpH2O.com/12weekyear the planning guide PDF: ScalingUpH2O.com/12weekyearplan and an Audible option (free month + free book mentioned in the transcript). Mailbag: how the show is made—and what's changing A listener asks how an episode goes from spark to air. Trace lays out the workflow: idea sourcing, research and pre-production, guest outreach, scheduling, outline creation, recording discipline, post-production with audio engineer Sean, then show notes, graphics, social posts, scheduling, and promotion. He also shares a key quality upgrade: guests now receive equipment prerequisites (including budget-friendly mic options) because the Scaling Up Nation can hear the difference. On what's new for 2026, Trace shares a major personal commitment: he's pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration, including research, data collection, and defending a thesis—with an intent to involve listeners through future surveys. Skills to build in 2026: foundation, communication, and technology Trace's recommendations land in three buckets: Strengthen fundamentals (chemistry, products, and the "why" behind test kits), improve communication and relationship-building (including temperament-based communication concepts he references), and Learn what's available in data and technology so you can show up to accounts better prepared—and avoid time-wasting return trips. He closes with a direct action: browse the ScalingUpH2O.com events section and pick learning opportunities you can attend (especially those nearby), then build a 12-week plan that helps you justify bigger conferences by clearly stating what value you'll bring back. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:38 - Welcome to 2026 and what this "first show of the year" is designed to do (reset, tools, and a mailbag). 07:30 – 12 Week Year Planning format 21:09 – Dive Into The Scaling UP! H2O Mailbag 30:54 – What Is New for 2026 for Trace Blackmore 38:05 – Words of Water with James 40:15 – Trace's Favorite Food 46:42 – What Are The Top 2 to 3 skills Water Treaters Should Focus On Quotes "Now the reason I really like the 12-week year is because it puts the urgency of not having a full year of time, only having a smaller amount of time to work for you." "It also gives you 4 chances a year to reset and improve, not just one." "Everybody in water treatment should focus on developing skills around a solid foundation." "That leads me to my third skill that I want to talk to you about, and that's learning what's available to you when it comes to data and technology." Connect with Scaling UP! H2O Submit a show idea: Submit a Show Idea LinkedIn: in/traceblackmore/ YouTube: @ScalingUpH2O Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned AWT (Association of Water Technologies) Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses Submit a Show Idea The Rising Tide Mastermind Audible Book - The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months 12 Week Year Plan Episode 100 The 100th One Episode 117 The One With Temperament Expert, Kathleen Edelman Episode 179 Another One that Teaches Us to Communicate Better with Others AWT – The Analyst - Library I Said This, You Heard That 2nd Edition by Kathleen Edelman HACH Water Analysis Handbook Words of Water with James McDonald Definition: Today's definition is the ratio of the dissolved solids in a system's circulating water to the dissolved solids in the makeup water. Can you guess the word or phrase? 2026 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we've listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.
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    1 h y 1 m
  • 456 The 12 Days of Scaling UP! H2O 2025

    456 The 12 Days of Scaling UP! H2O 2025
    Dec 26 2025
    A year-end recap is more than a highlight reel—it's a practical reset. In this New Year episode, Trace Blackmore walks through 2025 using a "12 Days of the Scaling Up Nation" format, tying together performance, community growth, listener engagement, and the sponsor support that keeps the podcast and its companion tools available at no cost. Year-end by the numbers Trace explains how he used to track every stat closely—and how that shifted into an unhealthy measure of self-worth—so the team now uses numbers as feedback, not validation. He notes the show released 56 brand-new episodes in 2025 (including the additional releases during Industrial Water Week) and explains why the data still matters: it helps confirm what the community is using, such as discussion guides and other tools, and what needs to be improved. Most-downloaded episodes and what listeners leaned into Trace shares the three most-downloaded episodes of 2025: Episode 405 — cooling water innovation using treated wastewater Episode 418 — maleic acid (with Mike Standish) Episode 424 — chlorine dioxide (the most downloaded episode of the year) Engagement that keeps learning moving The episode highlights growth in the Scaling Up Nation across newsletter subscriptions, discussion guide downloads, and an expanding LinkedIn community. Recognition, partners, and momentum into 2026 Trace acknowledges milestones including AWT naming Scaling Up H2O the official podcast of the Association of Water Technologies, and he thanks the sponsors who make the podcast's free content possible—19 sponsoring partners in 2025. The episode closes with a direct invitation for listeners to share what they want to learn next, who they want interviewed, and what stories could help the industry keep "raising the bar." Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:50 — Show open and New Year framing: a reset point for leaders and operators heading into 2026 03:10 — Why the retrospective exists: improve the next year and celebrate what the Scaling Up Nation achieved together 05:00 — The format revealed: "12 days" of highlights built from what happened in 2025 08:40 — The final 2025 "Water You Know" question: hydroxide ion formula—and the answer reveal 16:30 — The top three downloaded episodes of 2025 29:00 — Signature segments and field lessons: community participation, Detective H2O, and "quicker is not better Quotes "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast." "It's not going to take somebody's job away because of AI, but somebody who knows AI or is familiar with AI over somebody that is not familiar with it and refuses anything with AI, that person will probably take that other person's job." "Lift others as you rise." Connect with Scaling UP! H2O Submit a show idea: Submit a Show Idea LinkedIn: in/traceblackmore/ YouTube: @ScalingUpH2O Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned AWT (Association of Water Technologies) Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses Submit a Show Idea The Rising Tide Mastermind 405 Cooling Water Innovation: Harnessing Wastewater for Sustainability 418 Maleic Acid-Based Corrosion Inhibitors: Expanding the Water Treatment Toolbox with Mike Standish 424 Chlorine Dioxide Insights with Greg Simpson 420 Tapping Into Tech: How Ben Frieders Uses AI to Elevate Water Treatment Marketing 422 Inside the Association of Water Technologies with John Caloritis 423 Pushing the Boundaries: Jacob Deak on Innovating Water Treatment Systems 446 Leveraging the Culture Index for Business Success with Danielle Scimeca and Conor Parrish 447 Unlocking Team Potential with Culture Index with Randi Fargen 179 Another One that Teaches Us to Communicate Better with Others Water You Know with James McDonald Question: What is the molecular formula for hydroxide ion? 2025 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we've listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.
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    55 m
  • 455 Mentors, Mindset, and the CWT: Owning Your Water Career with Nella Fergusson

    455 Mentors, Mindset, and the CWT: Owning Your Water Career with Nella Fergusson
    Dec 19 2025
    "So one thing I never do is try to start giving remediation or advice before I truly have understood and diagnosed the problem." Mentorship and certifications don't replace experience—but they can accelerate it when paired with the right mindset and a disciplined approach to learning. Nella Fergusson, CWT (District Manager, Southern California, Garratt-Callahan), lays out what "growing up" in industrial water treatment actually looks like: repeated exposure to real problems, strong diagnostic habits, and a willingness to keep learning long after year one. Learning that keeps you employable Water treatment evolves. Nella contrasts today's challenges with what she faced 15 years ago and explains why complacency is the fastest path to getting left behind. She describes water treatment as industry-specific by nature—food processing cooling and commercial real estate operations don't behave the same, don't shut down the same way, and can't be serviced the same way. Diagnosing before prescribing Her troubleshooting process starts with questions: the system's history, what changed, when symptoms appeared, and how critical the impacted use is. She emphasizes water sampling across different times of day and refuses to offer remediation before a proper diagnosis—because misdiagnosis creates extra problems instead of solving the original one. Career decisions, culture, and the 80/20 risk Nella shares a candid career detour: leaving Garratt-Callahan for GE Water/Suez, then realizing quickly what she lost—support, resources, and "family"—before returning. She frames many job moves through an 80/20 lens: chasing a missing 20% can cost the 80% that already works, especially when recruiters' incentives don't align with yours. Credentials that signal competence—and protect end users Nella explains why she pursued the CWT: an industry-agreed benchmark that reflects years of varied problem-solving. She also discusses ASSE 12080 recertification and why correct sampling, shipping, labeling, and interpretation matter—particularly in Legionella and water safety work. Customers may fear testing; she argues the goal is to find risk where maintenance is weak, then build site-specific procedures that facilities can actually sustain with their staffing. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:22 - Trace message: CWT prep course + planning for 2026 09:17 - Water You Know with James McDonald 10:48 - Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals 14:49 - Interview with Nella Fergusson, CWT, (District Manager, Southern California, Garratt-Callahan) 16: 27- Ongoing education + how the industry has changed 21:06 - Nella's troubleshooting approach: history, what changed, sampling, impact, don't prescribe before diagnosing 31:00 - Nella's 80/20 rule for deciding whether to leave a company 34:22 - Why she pursued CWT + value of certifications in the industry 40:15 - Getting results immediately + confidence while testing Connect with Nella Fergusson Email: nfergusson@g-c.com Website: http://www.garrattcallahan.com/ LinkedIn: Nella Fergusson, CWT | LinkedIn Guest Resources Mentioned ASSE 12080 Certification – ASSE International Why ASSE Certifications Matter – Garratt‑Callahan Impact of Cooling Tower Downtime in Food & Beverage Operations – Aggreko Scheduling Off‑Peak HVAC Maintenance – Facility Response Group Parenting the Strong-Willed Child: The Clinically Proven Five-Week Program for Parents of Two- to Six-Year-Olds, Third Edition Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned AWT (Association of Water Technologies) AWT - Value of Certification Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses Submit a Show Idea The Rising Tide Mastermind Water You Know with James McDonald Question: What is the piece of equipment called that is a heat exchanger placed in the gas passage between the boiler and the stack designed to recover exhaust gas heat into the boiler feedwater? 2025 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we've listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.
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    1 h y 14 m
  • 454 Water Recycling, Innovation, and Industry Wisdom with Dr. Kelle Zeiher

    454 Water Recycling, Innovation, and Industry Wisdom with Dr. Kelle Zeiher
    Dec 12 2025
    Industrial cooling is one of the biggest levers industrial facilities can pull on water use—and it's getting harder to ignore as data centers and other high-heat operations grow. Returning guest Dr. Kelle Zeiher (Project Manager at Garratt Callahan) breaks down what water reuse looks like when you move past slogans and into the realities of pretreatment, concentrate management, footprint, and cost. Cooling water reuse: the scale of the opportunity Dr. Zeiher reframes "drought" beyond rainfall, emphasizing aquifer recharge and the limits of focusing only on household restrictions. She contrasts domestic use (~12%) with the much larger share tied to cooling (~50%), then connects that to why optimizing industrial cooling matters—especially when operations sit in arid, desert-like regions with limited water availability. She also shares a data-center statistic that puts "the cloud" into physical terms: ~53 gallons of purified water per gigabyte of data stored to keep environments cool enough for microchips. Higher cycles, RO blending, and the concentrate question The conversation moves into practical tower strategy: driving cycles up as far as the water and metallurgy allow. Dr. Zeiher describes a case moving from three cycles to six with RO blending and pretreatment, resulting in millions of gallons saved annually. From there, the engineering problem becomes unavoidable: higher cycles create a concentrated cooling-water stream, and RO adds its own waste stream. The key operational question is how to manage both streams without trading water savings for disposal and reliability issues. Minimal liquid discharge, and the AEROS approach "Zero liquid discharge" (ZLD) remains a theoretical target, but Dr. Zeiher is clear about the realities: ZLD can require large equipment and high energy demand. She shares a cost example where a 20 gpm ZLD concept came in at nearly $8 million in capital. Her team's approach focuses on minimal liquid discharge (MLD)—recovering roughly 80–90% of water rather than 98–99%, while reducing energy intensity and footprint. She introduces AEROS (Aqueous Recovery Optimization System): rapid precipitation/conditioning, followed by sequential mechanical and membrane filtration, then an RO polishing step to return purified water. Industry wisdom: proof-first projects, relationships, and AI You'll also hear Dr. Zeiher's "proof-first" pathway—bench-style testing, then a 5–10 gpm flow-through evaluation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (with BioLargo)—plus a process guarantee framework and how credits can apply toward a final system. She closes with leadership lessons on documentation, continuity of customer care, and practical guidance for working with AI: feed it strong technical inputs, then apply human critical thinking before recommendations reach customers. Listen to the full conversation above. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:40 — End-of-year reflection becomes a professional challenge: keep learning fast enough to keep systems stable and clients confident. 05:50 — "Dry December" as a discipline story—used to tee up Trace's broader point: habits beat calendar-based resolutions. 12:00 — Water You Know 13:10 — The events page pitch: planning early protects training time and reduces last-minute operational fire drills. 17:00 — Dr. Kelle Zeiher returns after Episode 351; AWT Louisville hallway energy turns into a deep dive on reuse. 18:40 — Mystery novels as technical storytelling: The Cupcake Caper, real lab practices, and a pen name built for a non-scientific audience. 20:50 — Data centers and water: 53 gallons per GB stored reframes "the cloud" as heat management with real resource costs. 23:40 — Macro water math: 50% of U.S. water use tied to cooling vs. 12% domestic—why industrial optimization moves the needle. 27:50 — "Pretreatment is everything": RO's tiny flow channels make debris control and scale prevention non-negotiable. 30:10 — Cycles example: 3 to 6 cycles with RO blending/pretreatment, plus the caution that RO-softened blends can increase corrosion risk. 31:30 — ZLD vs. MLD: energy-heavy evaporation/distillation compared to a lower-energy recovery target that still returns most water. 33:50 — AEROS explained: rapid precipitation + filtration + RO polish, with solids handling designed to keep water moving back to the front end. 37:00 — Customer pathway: bench demos → Oak Ridge pilot (5–10 gpm) → engineered system; upfront testing credits toward purchase. 43:20 — Performance accountability: process guarantee includes refund/take-back if promised performance can't be met. 47:40 — Trust and continuity: plant presence, documentation, and relationship handoffs prevent "solution drift" when people change roles. 54:40 — Working with AI: feed it strong data, then apply human critical thinking so ...
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    1 h y 12 m
  • 453 Water Risk, Governance, and Community Engagement with Dr. Annette Davison

    453 Water Risk, Governance, and Community Engagement with Dr. Annette Davison
    Dec 5 2025
    Industrial water professionals sit at the intersection of risk, regulation, and community trust. In this episode, Dr. Annette Davison ("the water risk doctor") joins Trace Blackmore to show how disciplined governance, clear supply chain thinking, and community engagement can turn fragmented water systems into coherent, defensible risk management frameworks. Water risk from source to customer Annette starts with a simple question most customers never ask: "Where's your water coming from?" She walks through a conceptual supply chain from source to end point—collection, transfer, treatment, distribution, and customers—then layers governance on top. Who holds custody at each handover point? Are water quality objectives clearly defined and documented? What happens when something "stuffs up," and how is that communicated downstream? For leaders, it's a practical reminder that risk isn't just about treatment performance; it's about clearly assigned responsibilities along the entire chain. Governance, ISO 31000, and the Water31K framework Drawing on her background in microbial ecology and environmental law, Annette explains why "you can't do a good risk assessment unless you've got the context right." She describes how ISO 31000 inspired the Water31K framework—an approach that is jurisdictionally agnostic and capable of spanning drinking water, recycled water, and recreational water guidelines. Using Water31K, her team walks into any jurisdiction and systematically maps stakeholders, legal and formal requirements, reporting lines, and internal obligations so utilities can see their governance landscape clearly before they start scoring risk. Critical control points, AI, and learning from incidents Critical control points may have started in the food industry, but Annette shows how they can be sharpened for water. Her test— "would a computer understand this?"—forces teams to close logical gaps and define thresholds and responses precisely enough to be automated. She also explores how AI and "agents as a service" could help analyze incident data, while warning that AI is useless if utilities haven't done the basics: monitoring the right things, at the right place, at the right time, with a firm grasp of supply chain risk. Her mantra: never waste a good incident; dissect it and make sure it doesn't happen again. Regulations, public–private contracts, and community projects Using Australia as an example, Annette unpacks the complexity of layered laws—Commonwealth, state, local—and the different regimes governing public, metro, and private utilities. She shares a five-part checklist for public–private contracts (quantity, quality, maintenance, ownership, operations) and explains how weak agreements can undermine water quality objectives and monitoring. In parallel, she talks about social initiatives like One Street and One Creek, community-led work on Rocky Creek, and bringing STEAM (not just STEM) into high schools so the next generation sees water as a diverse, creative career path. Strong water risk governance isn't just about compliance; it's about making better decisions for customers and communities over decades. This conversation gives leaders language, frameworks, and examples they can use to tighten their own systems and engage people beyond the plant fence. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:15 — Trace reflects on the end of 2025, recap planning, and how goal setting shapes a stronger 2026 for sales and learning. 11:12 — Introducing lab partner Dr. Annette Davison and her diverse day-to-day across mediation workshops, field work, and high school outreach. 12:10 — The Risk Edge Group mission: protecting people, processes, and the planet from contaminated water with documents, templates, tools, and audits. 13:14 — "Incidents Online" as a free learning resource and how sharing real events helps others protect themselves. 14:10 — Becoming Australian Water Association's Water Professional of the Year and launching the One Street and One Creek social initiatives. 15:29 — From microbial ecology and contaminated sites to environmental law and a career focused on water quality governance. 19:47 — Training as a core "case study": lighting up operators and directors by finally explaining the "why" behind procedures and funding. 22:00 — Walking the water supply chain from source to end point and identifying governance handover points and quality objectives. 24:22 — Strategy-to-operations workflow: from planning and design to commissioning and operations, and why design must serve operators. 24:45 — Critical control points, space diarrhoea origin-story, and the discipline of defining CCPs so clearly "a computer would understand." 30:30 — How Water31K creates a common language for teasing out complex legal and regulatory structures across jurisdictions. 33:03 — The ...
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    57 m
  • 452 UV Innovation and Whole-Building Water Safety with Ron Blutrich

    452 UV Innovation and Whole-Building Water Safety with Ron Blutrich
    Dec 1 2025
    Entamoeba histolytica nearly ended Ron Blutrich's scientific career. Instead, it pushed him to rethink how we protect people in multi-family buildings, senior facilities, and dense urban centers from invisible microbiological risks in their drinking water. In this episode, he joins host Trace Blackmore to unpack what whole-building UV can (and can't) do for Legionella, biofilm, and real-world water safety. When One Bad Cup of Water Redefines a Career In the middle of his PhD in molecular genetics, Ron drank from an under-sink reverse osmosis tap at an Airbnb and contracted Entamoeba histolytica. The infection triggered more than three years of severe gastrointestinal symptoms and a 100-pound weight loss, despite being "clinically cured." That experience—and the lack of clear answers—led him to dig into how governments, utilities, and buildings actually manage microbiological risk in water. He discovered that even in urban centers, there is "a lot left to be desired" in monitoring, guidelines, and the epidemiology of waterborne disease. UV at the Point of Entry: Why Medium Pressure Matters Ron explains why he chose UV as the primary disinfection tool for CLEAR's whole-building solutions. He contrasts conventional filters (carbon, RO, media) that remove contaminants but do not kill biology with UV systems that directly target DNA and other cellular structures. He walks through the differences between low-pressure and medium-pressure UV, including temperature independence for hot water recirculation and the broader wavelength spectrum that can damage DNA, proteins, membranes, and even DNA repair enzymes. That same technology is being used for multicellular control in marine environments, ballast water, and mollusk control, and Ron argues it is uniquely suited to domestic hot water systems facing Legionella and biofilm. Legionella, Biofilm, and the Limits of "Good Enough" Drawing from CLEAR's field work, Ron describes how often Legionella shows up in single homes, condos, and new buildings, and how standard practices typically focus on remediation and short-term clearance instead of long-term prevention. He highlights the gap between ASHRAE 188's recommendations for hot water temperatures and real constraints in senior housing, where anti-scalding concerns keep tanks too cool to reliably control Legionella. He also shares stories of property managers and public agencies reluctant to test because they lack cost-effective treatment options or don't want to confront what the data might show. Scaling UV from Towers to Single Homes Ron walks through why conventional media and RO systems don't scale well to large towers—footprint, cost, and pressure loss—and how CLEAR instead installs inline UV systems at the point of entry. These systems can handle up to roughly 2,000 gallons per minute, require minimal head loss, and are designed as a single point of installation and service. From there, he explains how his team layered on monitoring and a tenant-facing dashboard so that properties can see UV dose, transmittance, and flow in real time, and service can be triggered based on performance instead of fixed schedules. He also discusses emerging opportunities in UV LEDs and next-generation media that could make fully comprehensive point-of-entry treatment feasible in more buildings. For leaders responsible for building portfolios, senior living, or high-density residential properties, this conversation offers a rigorous look at what it really takes to move from "we hope the water is fine" to a defensible, data-backed stance on microbiological safety. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 04:59 - Trace talks about skipping turkey and ham this year and explains his usual turkey-stock "ice cube" tradition 13:59 - Trace introduces today's lab partner, Ron Blutrich of Clear Inc., and sets up the UV-in-buildings topic 13:03 – Events page shout out 10:57 - Water You Know with James McDonald 16:21 – Drinking from an under-sink RO line at an Airbnb, contracting Entamoeba Histolytica 19:15 - Why unmaintained RO and carbon filters can increase microbiological risk 23:27 - UV to keep post-UV systems cleaner 34:51 – Installation 40:23 – Cyanotoxins, Great Lakes algal blooms, and using medium-pressure UV to denature toxins, not just microbes 43:31 – Ron's current habits 48:08 – Future Opportunities: UV LEDs 49:04 – Multi-spectral UV LED arrays Quotes "And what I learned really changed my life, because what I understood is that even in urban settings, not just in remote communities, there's a lot left to be desired when it comes to water quality, water quality treatment, guidelines, monitoring" - Ron Blutrich "I think that in general, we need to understand with our eyes open exactly what it is that we do when we treat." - Ron Blutrich "So generally, there's a lot left to ...
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