Talk+water Podcast

Send us a textIn this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses Austin water resources and the 100-year water plan with Shay Ralls Roalson, Director of Austin Water, and Marisa Flores Gonzalez, Program Manager for Austin Water's Water Forward Forward Plan.Shay Ralls Roalson P.E. became the Director of Austin Water in January 2023, leading a team of 1,300 employees committed to providing high quality drinking water, wastewater, and reclaimed water services to more than one million people in the Austin metropolitan area.Shay has 29 years of experience working with water utilities on the planning, design, and construction of complex water and wastewater infrastructure projects. She joined Austin Water as Assistant Director in April 2020, where she led the engineering services team responsible for delivering the utility’s $1.4 billion five-year capital program. Prior to joining Austin Water, Shay was

Send us a textIn this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, explores the importance of communication in addressing Western water issues with Daniel Rothberg, a writer who focuses on research regarding water, public land, mining, and energy.Daniel writes a newsletter, Western Water Notes, focusing on water in the Western U.S. For six years, Daniel worked as an environmental reporter for The Nevada Independent, where his work was recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, Best of the West, and the Society of Environmental Journalists. During that time, he served as president of the Nevada Press Association, working to support and advocate on behalf of outlets across the state. Daniel’s environmental writing has been published in The Nevada Independent, The New York Times, Smithsonian, Inside Climate News, Sierra Magazine, Vox, and High Country News. He is currently based in Davis, California, where

Send us a textIn this conversation (recorded on 12/09/2024), Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses Texas' statewide flood plan with L'Oreal Stepney, P.E., Chairwoman of the Texas Water Development Board. This plan provides a comprehensive assessment of flood risk and solutions to mitigate that risk.L'Oreal Stepney was named Chairwoman of the Texas Water Development Board by Governor Greg Abbott on January 8, 2025. Governor Abbott appointed her to the Board in December 2022 for a term beginning January 1, 2023.Stepney previously served as the deputy executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). She began working for TCEQ in 1992, first in the Air Permitting Division for eight years, then as section manager for the Wastewater Permitting Section before being promoted to director of the Water Quality Division in 2003. She also served as deputy director of the Office of Wa

Send us a textIn this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, explores the complexities of Colorado River management and related water issues in Utah, with Emily E. Lewis, a Director, Shareholder, and Co-Chair of the Natural Resources and Water Law Practice Group at Clyde Snow and Sessions in Salt Lake City, Utah.Emily assists clients in navigating and solving complex water problems. She regularly advises individual water right owners, water conservancy districts, municipalities, mining companies, investors, and mutual shareholder irrigation companies. Her strategic projects practice extends to innovative policy work and specialty project management. For example, she recently oversaw the Utah Statewide Water Marketing Strategies Project, produced a comprehensive Water Law Policy Inventory and Assessment to inform the Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan, and hosts a weekly podcast, Ripple Effect – A Podcast P

Send us a textIn this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses water infrastructure funding and the Texas economy with Jeremy Mazur, Director of Natural Resources and Infrastructure Policy for Texas 2036, and Gabriel Collins, Baker Botts Fellow in Energy and Environmental Regulatory Affairs at Rice University’s James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy (Baker Institute).Jeremy Mazur has over 25 years of working in and with the Legislature and state leaders on water and energy policy issues. Before joining Texas 2036 in 2021, he served as Director of Government Relations for the Railroad Commission of Texas and worked on water policy in the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate. Gabriel Collins is a member of the Center for Energy Studies team member at the Baker Institute and a lead member of the Water-Energy Nexus Thrust at Rice University’s WaTER Institute. He is also an editor at

Send us a textIn this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, talks with Jace Tunnell, Director of Community Engagement at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, about his work using digital outreach to combat plastic pollution and promote conservation along the Texas Coast.Jace is the founder of a citizen science project called Nurdle Patrol that tracks plastic pellet concentrations internationally to create awareness of plastics in the ocean and develop new policies based on the data. He also directs and produces a video series called "Beachcombing" about items washing up along the Gulf of Mexico beaches to help promote awareness of Gulf processes and interesting creatures in the ocean. His conservation efforts include educating the public about plastic pollution, marine science, and the protection of our natural resources.Jace received a

Send us a textIn this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution, and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, talks with Brigid Shea, Travis County Commissioner, about water conservation efforts in Travis County.Brigid is a former award-winning reporter at National Public Radio who has been fighting climate change in Texas since 1988. Along the way, she worked to save Austin’s iconic Barton Springs, organizing a massive city-wide ballot initiative that resulted in the historic Save Our Springs (SOS) law to save Barton Springs. As a former Austin City Council member, she helped create the first wind project in Texas and championed consumer, electoral, and environmental reforms.Since being elected to the Travis County Commissioners Court in 2014, she has won a national award for critical water conservation efforts through the use of reclaimed treated wastewater for non-drinking purposes like air conditioning and plumbing in several county buildings.Brigid pr

Send us a textIn this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, talks with Dr. Jill Williamson, NASA International Space Station (ISS) Water Subsystems Manager and Water Management Co-Task Lead for the Mars Campaign Office Systems Capabilities Leadership Team, about innovative recycling technologies that purify and reuse all water sources, including sweat and urine, to ensure a sustainable, clean water supply for the ISS and astronauts. Jill has 10 years of unique expertise in water recycling and management for microgravity applications, as found on the ISS. Jill has a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Central Missouri and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from The University of Memphis, where she specialized in developing water quality analyzers for an ISS Water Recovery System (WRS) architecture. She now manages the ISS WRS to ensure pristine quality water is available to astronauts for food rehydration and drinks and ISS payloads and oxygen

Send us a textIn this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water, talks with Perry Fowler, Executive Director of the Texas Water Infrastructure Network (TXWIN), about the state of water infrastructure in Texas.As Executive Director, Fowler leads the organization’s efforts to build a strong, sustainable, and competitive Texas water infrastructure construction market through policy development, education, and advocacy. He is also the Principal of Fowler Group Texas, LLC, providing lobbying, government affairs, business consulting, association, and coalition management services. A fifth-generation Texas native, Fowler grew up in the Texas construction industry and has worked as an advocate for the construction industry at the international, national, state, and local levels.Click here to view the 2024 Texas Water Capital Needs Survey.Take a deep dive into the world of water with those making waves.

Send us a textIn this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses water reuse with Noelle George, Managing Director of WateReuse Texas.WateReuse Texas represents over 70 organizations working to ensure all future Texans have access to clean, safe water. Before her role at WateReuse Texas, Noelle was Executive Director of an international nonprofit advocating for global change in the areas of women’s rights and disaster recovery through grant-making and volunteer organizing. She started her career as a pipeline engineer and capital project manager at Chevron, winning the Memorial Award from the International School of Hydrocarbon Measurement for her 2006 paper “Hydrocarbon Dew Point Effects on Gas Flow Measurement.”Noelle has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington with an Environmental Focus and considers herself a Pacific Northwest transplant to Houston.Take a deep dive into the world of water with those making waves.

Send us a textIn this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water, talks with Dr. Maria-Elena Giner, P.E., United States Commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), about managing the water treaties between the U.S. and Mexico.Appointed by President Joe Biden in August 2021, Dr. Giner is the second woman and first Latina to serve as the U.S. IBWC Commissioner. She previously served as General Manager of the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC), an institution that developed environmental infrastructure along the U.S.-Mexico border in association with the North American Development Bank. During her tenure at the BECC, she focused on policies that addressed U.S.-Mexico cooperation on water, energy, and climate change. With the support of the BECC staff, she led the development and financing of $9 billion in environmental infrastructure, benefitting about 100 communities and over 10 million residents.  In addition, she has published extensively on water

Send us a textIn this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water, talks with Aaron Wolf about managing and resolving water conflicts. Wolf is a Geography Professor at Oregon State University, a Professor of Water Diplomacy at the IHE-Delft Institute for Water Education, and a trained mediator/facilitator.Wolf directs the Program in Water Conflict Management and Transformation at Oregon State University, through which he has offered workshops, facilitations, and mediations around the world. He is also a Professor of Water Diplomacy at the IHE-Delft Institute for Water Education. Wolf authored The Spirit of Dialogue: Lessons from Faith Traditions in Transforming Conflict (Island Press, 2017), which he uses to bring facilitation and capacity-building to a variety of conflict settings, notably between entities who share water resources, and also in faith and interfaith communities, and within and between government agencies.Wolf was awarded the 2016 American Association of Geographers Gilbert

Send us a textIn this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water, talks with Sam Marie Hermitte, Assistant Deputy Executive Administrator of Water Science and Conservation for the Texas Water Development Board, about utilizing data to support water management and conservation.Her responsibilities at the Texas Water Development Board include strategic planning, legislative analysis and implementation, water data, drought policy and project coordination, priority flood research projects, and special initiatives such as the development of the Texas Water Data Hub and TexasFlood.org. Additionally, Sam leads the Texas Water Data Initiative and serves as a member of the Internet of Water Coalition and the Texas Disaster Information System Advisory Committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy analysis from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in public affairs with a portfolio in integrated watershed studies from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at t

Send us a textIn this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, the Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water, talks with Chad Berginnis, Executive Director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), about the role of floodplain management in mitigating flood loss.As Executive Director of ASFPM, Berginnis frequently collaborates with FEMA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other federal agencies to advocate for effective policies and programs related to mitigating flood risk, strengthening community resilience, protecting our water resources, and advancing equity and social justice. He has also testified before U.S. House and Senate Committees and Subcommittees on a number of topics, including FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program, the Water Resources Development Act of 2020, and disaster response and recovery issues.In December 2022, Berginnis began a three-year appointment to FEMA's National Advisory Council, where he provides valuable perspecti

Send us a textIn this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, the Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water, talks with Brian Richter, president of Sustainable Waters, about the challenges posed by water scarcity.Brian Richter has been a global leader in water science and conservation for more than 30 years. As president of Sustainable Waters, a global organization focused on water scarcity challenges, he promotes sustainable water use and management with governments, corporations, universities, and local communities. He previously served as Director of the Global Water Program for The Nature Conservancy, an international conservation organization. Brian has consulted on more than 170 water projects worldwide. He serves as a water advisor to some of the world’s largest corporations, investment banks, and the United Nations and has testified before the U.S. Congress on multiple occasions. He teaches Water Sustainability at the University of Virginia.Brian has developed scientific tools and methods to support river protection an

Send us a textIn this conversation during American Wetlands Month, Dr. Todd Votteler, the Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water, discusses wetland conservation and protection with Dr. Megan Lang, the Chief Scientist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory Program.Dr. Lang leads the congressionally mandated national Wetlands Status and Trends study for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory Program, which provides estimates of U.S. wetland extent, type, and change specific to different time periods from the 1700s to 2019. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland and serves as an Associate Editor for the journal Wetlands. For over two decades, Dr. Lang has been working to improve the assessment of aquatic ecosystems through field and remote sensing studies.Take a deep dive into the world of water with those making waves.

Send us a textIn this conversation, Texas+Water Editor-in-Chief Dr. Todd Votteler discusses dam removal movement with Katie Schmidt, Associate Director of the National Dam Removal Program at American Rivers.Katie coordinates and implements the American Rivers' federal policy agenda for dam removal and works with our federal agency partners. She also supports the National Dam Removal Community of Practice and develops tools and resources for dam removal practitioners. She has focused much of her work on hydropower reform and hydropower dam removal. As a former Fellow with American Rivers, Katie researched and wrote a guide to removing federally regulated hydropower dams. She completed her Master's in Environmental Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University with an emphasis in hydrology and natural resources policy, aiming to remove dams to restore the rivers. Before joining American Rivers, she worked with organizations such as American Whitewater, the River Management Society, and Colorado Parks an

Send us a textIn this conversation, Texas+Water Editor-in-Chief Dr. Todd Votteler talks with Dr. Ralph Wurbs, professor in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University, about modeling river and reservoir systems to support water management.Dr. Wurbs worked in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' water development program for nine years before joining the Texas A&M University faculty in 1980. He has taught many courses at Texas A&M University, professional development courses in Texas and abroad, and a graduate water management course several times as a visiting professor at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. His responsibilities at Texas A&M University have included serving as head of the department's Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Division, associate director for the Texas Water Resources Institute, and member of the Executive Committee of the Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Water Management and Hydrologic Science. Various federal,

Send us a textIn this conversation, Texas Water Journal & Texas+Water Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Todd Votteler, talks with Scott Wright, Principal Engineer for the River Design Group, about the impact of dam removals in river restoration efforts.Scott Wright is the Principal Engineer for the River Design Group in Corvallis, Oregon. Scott grew up in Southern Oregon on the Rogue River, which was made famous by author Zane Grey. Wright’s dad was a logger who  instilled in Scott a love for the natural environment through endless days of fishing, hunting, and time in the outdoors. During his childhood, Scott witnessed a favorite fishing area on the Applegate River become inundated in a reservoir when the Applegate Dam was built. Later, he watched the Elk Creek Dam get partially built and then halted by environmental lawsuits.These childhood experiences and engineering degrees from Oregon State University became catalysts to bring about a lasting legacy to restore rivers for future generations to enjoy. Over the past

Send us a textIn this conversation, Texas+Water Editor-in-Chief Dr. Todd Votteler talks with the Owner and Editor of The Water Report, Shaina Shay. The Water Report is a monthly publication that provides detailed and timely coverage of the innovations and decisions shaping our water future.Shay has spent more than a decade developing expertise in water policy and management, conservation, and community outreach. Her passion for pragmatically sharing information has been a theme throughout her career. She has worked as a Water Resources and Conservation Specialist for two investor-owned utilities in Arizona, EPCOR Water and Global Water Resources. She also spent several years working in Victoria, Australia as a Water Market Specialist for the government and a Senior Consultant with Aither. Shaina has degrees in Environment and Water Resources Economics and International Relations and Affairs, both from the University of Arizona.Take a deep dive into the world of water with those making waves.