In this episode of Talking Under Water, the hosts discuss relevant industry news, including the approval given to the National Weather Service to hire 450 new employees; Wyoming Department of Transportation projects that intersect roads, bridgese and stormwater; updates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the Tijuana sewage crisis and a sediment control project; and finally, the importance of workplace safety in light of recent sombering events.

• National Weather Service to hire 450 workers following cuts
• Wyoming Transportation Commission awards $33.1 million in contracts for DOT projects
• South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant completes 10 MGD expansion
• EPA, Ohio and Partners Highlight Sediment Cleanup Project Start in Cuyahoga Falls
• Authorities identify 3 workers who died due to toxic sewer gas in Trinity County
• Three Houston-area men die from toxic gas exposure in Trinity County manhole incident
• Two Workers Killed by Suspected Gas Exposure in Sewer Line Accident Near Mobile, Alabama
• OSHA’s confined space regulations

Wastewater Digest YouTube

WaterWorld September/October issue

SWS Stormwater Awareness Week Webinar

Stormwater Solutions September/October issue

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, a production of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B, 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. 

In this episode of Talking Under Water, co-Host Katie Johns is talks with Professor John Colbourne, director of the University of Birmingham’s Centre for Environmental Research and Justice and Dr. Xiaojing Li, post- doctorate research fellow in precision and environmental health at University of Birmingham, to discuss their research using AI and water fleas to identify harmful substances in waterways. The two touch on their research results and how they can inform future regulations but also share how AI can be used elsewhere in the water industry.

• Daphnia as a Sentinel Species for Environmental Health Protection: A Perspective on Biomonitoring and Bioremediation of Chemical PollutionClick to copy article link
• Bioactivity Profiling of Chemical Mixtures for Hazard Characterization
• The Centre for Environmental Research and Justice (CERJ)

• Episode introduction | 00:00:09
• How AI helps analyze water quality |00:01:28
• Using AI with chemical and biological datasets | 00:05:02
• River selection for case study research | 00:06:58
• Why water fleas (Daphnia) were chosen | 00:08:49
• Unique biology and ecological role of Daphnia | 00:13:08
• Research results: five patterns, 43 key chemicals | 00:15:36
• Implications for regulation and toxicity testing | 00:19:13
• AI, accountability, and environmental justice | 00:22:06
• Other uses of AI in the water industry | 00:24:01
• Collaboration between academia and industry | 00:25:37
• Housekeeping and listener resources | 00:28:04

• WWD YouTube
• WaterWorld subscriptions
• SWS State of the Industry Survey

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, a production of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B, 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 generative AI.

In this episode of Talking Under Water, co-hosts Katie Johns, Mandy Crispin, and Alex Cossin discuss recent industry news, including the Waterkeeper Alliance’s latest PFAS analysis, revealing that 98% of sampled U.S. waterways tested positive for PFAS contamination; recent business acquisitions; infrastructure upgrades by San Jose Water, including water main replacements and the use of AI in asset management, and Indiana American Water’s groundbreaking of a new $50 million treatment plant in Seymour, Indiana. Finally, the hosts dive into updates on State Revolving Funds (SRFs). The U.S. House of Representatives has proposed significant cuts to SRF programs, while the Senate favors maintaining current funding levels. With the September 30 budget deadline looming, the future of water infrastructure funding remains uncertain.

• 98% of waterways found to have PFAS contamination
• Waterkeeper Alliance PFAS Report Phase II
• StormTrap CEO discusses Faircloth Skimmer acquisition
• San Jose Water
• Indiana American Water breaks ground on $50 million water treatment facility
• National Association of Counties appropriations tracker

• Hosts introduce the episode | 00:00:50
• PFAS found in 98% of tested waterways |00:01:14
• StormTrap acquires Faircloth Skimmer |00:02:32
• San Jose Water’s infrastructure upgrades |00:03:19
• Seymour, Indiana’s new water treatment plant |00:05:41
• Overview of the SRF program | 00:08:15
• How appropriations and SRF funding are decided | 00:09:51
• Budget cuts proposed by the House |00:11:10
• Senate supports level SRF funding |00:11:54
• Final funding outcome still uncertain |00:12:00
• Housekeeping and industry updates |00:12:20

• Register for StormCon and use code WWD15 to get 15% off your attendee pass.
• WWD YouTube
• WaterWorld subscriptions

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.