While many big utilities have largely implemented and installed advanced metering infrastructure for their distribution systems, medium and small systems are still making their way into that digital future.

The technology of today offers a lot of benefits for utilities as well as their customers. Custom alerts for when a leak is detected so a costly water bill can be avoided. Data on water usage throughout the year to better understand habits and improve conservation. Temperature readings to track water quality.

But each of those also results in a lot more data for the utility to process and analyze. So how have these AMI transformations impacted utilities around the U.S.? What are some of the pitfalls to avoid when planning an upgrade, and how does a water utility director identify what data points matter to them?

The sponsor for this episode is Kamstrup, which offers these AMI solutions and more to water utilities around the world. Dive into the details of AMI integration with Travis Smith, VP of North American Sales from Kamstrup.

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

• Introduction and episode summary | 0:00
• How metering technologies have shifted water utility operations for decades | 1:55
• Critical operational aspects to review for digital metering transformations | 5:13
• How to turn common pitfalls into future benefits | 7:07
• How much metering data has changed with AMI systems | 8:14
• Stepping stones and priorities for graduating to AMI | 9:45
• Examples of data creating successful operational outcomes | 12:00
• How Kamstrup's Histogram provides use patter insights | 14:52
• What do utilities do when data is inaccurate or missing? | 16:39
• What are the causes of inaccurate or lost data? | 18:43
• What does the utility of tomorrow look like? | 21:39
• How do we make that utility of the future possible? | 24:48

• 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.

In this episode of Talking Under Water, the hosts discuss recent industry news, including construction and discharge updates at the international boundary; the completion of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) work in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene, the EPA announcing a public hearing for an updated draft of the MS4 general permit in Massachusetts, what to expect for PFAS regulations under the new administration; and a ban on fluoride in drinking water.

• Mexico temporarily discharges wastewater into Tijuana River
• USIBWC investigates transboundary wastewater flow into U.S.
• EPA completes Hurricane Helene response in North Carolina
• EPA announces public hearing for updated draft of MS4 general permit in Massachusetts
• How PFAS regulations have changed in the Trump administration, so far
• The Guardian:Trump officials quietly move to reverse bans on toxic ‘forever chemicals’
• What do the new PFAS MCLs mean for the water industry?
• Utah becomes first U.S. state to ban fluoride in drinking water
• EPA to review scientific information on fluoride in drinking water

• Cold open | 0:00
• Host introduction and episode summary | 0:20
• Updates on the International Boundary and Water Commission discharges and construction | 1:05
• U.S. EPA copmletes its FEMA support work for Hurricane Helene recovery effort | 4:40
• How PFAS regulations could change during President Trump's term | 6:59
• Housekeeping | 14:36

• Wastewater Digest YouTube
• SWS webinar: Commercial Industrial and Institutional (CII) NPDES Permit in two watersheds in the Los Angeles area

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.

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

In this episode of Talking Under Water, the hosts dive into the results from the American Society of Civil Engineers 2025 Infrastructure Report Card. Overall, the country received a “C,” which is its highest grade ever. The hosts zoom in on the drinking water, stormwater and wastewater grades, all of which received the same grades as 2021, and discuss the overlap in goals from ASCE on raising the grades in the future, including asset management, resiliency and funding.

• Drinking water earns "C-" on ASCE 2025 Infrastructure Report Card
• Wastewater earns "D+" on ASCE 2025 Infrastructure Report Card
• Stormwater earns 'D' on ASCE 2025 Infrastructure Report Card
• Water industry reacts to ASCE's 2025 Infrastructure Report Card

• Introduction and summary | 0:50
• Wastewater earns a D+ | 1:26
• Stormwater earns a D | 4:12
• Drinking water earnes a C- | 7:09
• Raising the grade with better asset management | 9:49
• How to improve resilience for water infrastructure improvements | 12:07
• ASCE recommends right-sizing ratepayer funding | 14:23
• Housekeeping | 17:10

•  WaterWorld March/April issue
• StormCon 2025

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.  

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

In this episode of Talking Under Water, Karen Dettmer, Americas director of Water Resources for Ramboll, discusses water industry trends, her former work with both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the public sector in Milwaukee, where she was the first woman public works commissioner. Dettmer also discusses her work with policy, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

• Dropping By #87: What the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Means for the Water Industry | Part 1
• Dropping By #88: What the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Means for the Water Industry | Part 2

• WaterWorld poll for President Trump's performance
• Wastewater Digest poll for President Trump's performance
• SWS March 27th webinar

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 on-site 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 Twitter @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media. 

In this episode of Talking Under Water, Co-host Mandy Crispin chats with Kaitlin Spiridellis, a Vanderbilt University Michael B. Keegan traveling fellow. Spiridellis has worked for over three years within Vanderbilt’s Drinking Water Justice Lab and focuses on the disparities in how people experience drinking water in different communities. In the summer of 2024, she began touring various continents to gain a better understanding of the disparities in how people experience drinking water. In this episode, Crispin and Spiridellis start by discussing her trip to Latin America, and Spiridellis will be writing articles for WaterWorld on her experiences, called World of Water.

World of Water

• Introduction & episode summary | 0:09
• What motivated Kaitlin to conduct her globetrotting water study? | 0:49
• The experience of locals in Mexico City | 2:25
• How stormwater capture for drinking water supply becomes a critical resource | 4:33
• Exploring how virtual water impacts water management in Argentina | 7:08
• Chile's approach to One Water | 10:24
• Governance barriers between rural and urban areas | 13:26
• The cultural and gender burdens surrounding water supply and management | 17:12
• Summarizing the European leg of Kaitlin's World of Water trip | 20:28
• Housekeeping | 21:57

• Wastewater Digest Emerging Leaders Nomination Form
• WaterWorld Emerging Leaders Nomination Form
• StormCon

   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 on-site 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 Twitter @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media. 

In this episode of Talking Under Water, the hosts summarize several actions of President Trump during his first month after reassuming the presidency and what those might mean for the industry, and they touch on the nomination of Jessica Kramer to the office of water at EPA as its assistant administrator. Finally, the episode ends with an update on the California Wildfires.

• EPA places DEI and Environmental Justice employees on administrative leave
• Jessica Kramer nominated as EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Water
• EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announces "Powering the Great American Comeback" initiative
• EPA renames its Gulf Division

• Host intro & episode summary | 0:09
• News round-up begins; President Trump's administration one month in | 0:50
• Jessica Kramer nominated to lead EPA Office of Water | 7:15
• California wildfires recap | 10:58
• Housekeeping | 18:38

• Nominate a Wastewater Digest Emerging leader
• Nominate a WaterWorld Emerging Leader
• Nominate a Stormwater Solutions Emerging Leader

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 on-site 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 Twitter @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media. 

In April of 2022, Maine banned land application of biosolids due to concerns of PFAS. It has become a point of contention in the state, causing wastewater systems to scramble for alternatives with much of it going over the border to Canadian landfills as Maine landfills refuse to accept the waste or run into capacity issues.

Nearly two years later, U.S. EPA released a long-awaited risk assessment of two PFAS chemicals — PFOA and PFOS — in sewage sludge and land-applied biosolids on January 14, 2025. While this assessment is not a regulation, it suggests a degree of risk that could one day include a regulation.

So what do wastewater leaders need to do now and what does this assessment mean for them? Endeavor Business Media Water Group Editor Alex Cossin caught up with Kyle Thompson, the PFAS national practice lead for Carollo Engineers, to get the details.

• Watch: EPA draft sludge risk assessment for PFAS: What it means for utilities
• Read: Five takeaways from the EPA's draft sewage sludge risk assessment for PFOA and PFOS

• Introduction and episode summary | 00:09
• Interview begins | 1:24
• Findings and takeaways from the PFAS sewage sludge risk assessment | 1:37
• How can utilities use this information to plan around PFAS? | 5:54
• What are the best treatment options for PFAS in sludge and biosolids? | 10:19
• What's the best way to communicate with customers on this? | 13:39
• Housekeeping | 17:38

• Nominate a Wastewater Digest Emerging leader
• Nominate a WaterWorld Emerging Leader
• Nominate a Stormwater Solutions Emerging Leader

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.  

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

In this episode of Talking Under Water the hosts discuss recent industry news including the nomination hearing for Lee Zeldin, whom President Trump is seeking to lead the U.S. EPA; the California wildfires, including the Palisades and Eaton fires along with others that began between January 22 and January 23; and the release of EPA’s risk assessment of PFAS in sewage sludge. This draft risk assessment, which is now available for public comment, hones in specifically on two PFAS chemicals: Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS).

• PFAS & funding dominate EPA admin nomination hearing
• How Southern California transformed into a ‘tinderbox’
• Mike McNutt of Las Virgenes Municipal Water District discusses California wildfires
• From ABC 7 Eye Witness News: With rain on the way, crews race to protect Eaton Fire areas from threat of mudslides
• From The Guardian: These are the hazards Californians face after fires – and what homeowners can do to protect themselves
• Fire recovery efforts from the office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom
• Five takeaways from the EPA's draft sewage sludge risk assessment for PFOA and PFOS
• White House clarifies funding freeze

• Introduction and summary | 1:03
• EPA Administrator Nominee Led Zeldin's career and political history | 2:40
• Key takeaways from Lee Zeldin's EPA nomination hearing | 4:56
• Impact of California wildfires on drinking water systems | 6:33
• California wildfire recovery efforts | 8:57
• U.S. EPA releases risk assessment for PFOA and PFOS in sewage sludge | 12:55
• Housekeeping | 16:14

• WWD YouTube
• WaterWorld Videos
• StormCon Registration
• Stormwater Solutions videos

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 on-site 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 Twitter @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.