In this episode of Talking Under Water, co-Host Katie Johns spoke with Ryan Barton, hydrologist for the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources Water Management Branch, and Jocelyn Lu Morinishi, principal engineer at Brown and Caldwell as both of them have been named the Outstanding Rising One Water Leaders for the 2025 US Water Prize awarded by the US Water alliance. The two share their career paths, what the One Water movement means to them, their career goals and much more.

• US Water Prize
• Navajo Nation Water Rights Commission

• Introduction | 0:00
• Early career journeys | 01:00
• Inspiration and shared roots | 05:45
• Becoming Rising One Water Leaders | 06:45
• Reflections on culture and community | 10:30
• Looking ahead: career goals | 13:10
• Mentorship and stewardship | 18:30
• Water sector challenges and solutions | 19:30
• Closing thoughts and resources | 27:00

• WWD State of the Industry Survey
• Wastewater Digest WEFTEC content
• WaterWorld State of the Industry Survey
• SWS webinar with the Center for Watershed Protection

Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, stormwater and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.  

Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing talkingunderwater@endeavorb2b.com engaging with them on X @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media. 

Editor's note: The timestamps were written with the assistance of AI.

In this episode of Talking Under Water, the co-hosts discuss recent industry news including two U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) PFAS legal actions. First, the agency motioned to partially vacate a court case in which American Water Works Association (AWWA) sued the agency for procedural missteps in how it developed the concentration limits that defined the Hazard Index. Second, EPA announced its intentions for the Comprehensive, Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, known as CERCLA or the Superfund. The hosts also cover Jessica Kramer’s confirmation as assistant administrator of the EPA’s Office of Water; the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s updates to its flood mapping tool; and post-Hurricane Helene recovery efforts a year after the storm.

• Legal challenges cloud future of PFAS regulation as EPA moves to vacate PFAS MCL
• EPA outlines next steps on PFOA and PFOS cleanup under CERCLA
• EPA funds water infrastructure resiliency in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene
• NOAA expands flood inundation mapping tool to cover 60% of the U.S. population
• Senate confirms Jessica Kramer to lead EPA Office of Water

• Cold open & intro | 00:00
• Episode overview | 00:22
• Government shutdown update | 00:45
• Jessica Kramer confirmed to EPA Office of Water | 01:42
• PFAS legal actions | 04:33
• EPA post-hurricane funding in North Carolina |08:09
• NOAA flood inundation mapping tool expansion | 09:06
• Housekeeping & announcements | 10:19
• Closing | 11:3

• Tunnels & Tech eBook
• WWD workplace culture webinar
• Renew your WaterWorld subscription
• SWS webinar with the Center for Watershed Protection

Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, stormwater and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.  

Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing talkingunderwater@endeavorb2b.com engaging with them on X @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media. 

As climate uncertainty and cybersecurity threats escalate, the utility industry is bracing for a future it can’t fully control. Over the past year alone, we’ve seen catastrophic events that exposed the vulnerabilities of water systems across the country. Talking Under Water Podcast host and VP of EB2B’s Water Group Bob Crossen spoke with Blake Michal, Manager of Solution Management at Kamstrup North America, about the difference between reliability and resilience, and learn why utilities must prioritize one over the over.

• Learn more about Kamstrup: https://www.kamstrup.com/en-us/water-solutions

• 00:00 – Introduction to episode and guest
• 00:27 – Utilities face growing operational threats
• 00:40 – Smart tech for reliability and resilience
• 01:15 – Preparing for inevitable disruptions
• 02:22 – Building flexible, resilient systems
• 03:02 – Graceful failure vs flawless performance
• 04:11 – Reliability vs resilience explained
• 06:22 – Why reliability must come first
• 07:18 – Reliable ultrasonic meters and networks
• 08:23 – Resilience during system failures
• 10:13 – Real-world hurricane response example
• 11:09 – Kamstrup’s failure-free performance mindset
• 12:19 – Less than 0.25% return rate
• 13:08 – Where utilities should begin
• 14:24 – Final message: invest in both
• 15:47 – Smart Water eHandbook promo
• 16:13 – Water reuse eHandbook promo
• 16:34 – Stormwater survey call-to-action
• 17:02 – Contact and social media info

• World of Water: www.waterworld.com/world-of-water
• Hot Innovations in Wastewater Treatment eHandbook: https://www.wwdmag.com/ehandbooks/wastewater-treatment/whitepaper/55281395/wastewater-treatment
• Register for StormCon: www.stormcon.com

Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, storm water and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.