x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Tap Talk

Illinois State Water Survey

Everyone has a role to play in protecting public health. Tap Talk, the Drinking Water in Rural America Podcast, connects professionals across the drinking water community with ideas to extend and enhance our work.

science natural sciences

All Episodes

33:37

TT072 – Build Trust Before a Crisis: Communication...

Tap Talk ·

2025/12/04

Today, we finish Tap Talk Season 6 with the second part of our conversation with Mike McGill of WaterPIO! Jennifer, Steve, and Mike discuss the importance of reliable and updated websites for water utilities, the similarities and differences in communicating about lead versus PFAS contamination, how small utilities can best communicate on these subjects, and more. We hope you've enjoyed Season 6, and we'll see you back for Season 7 soon! Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full

en

36:02

TT071 – Build Trust Before a Crisis: Communication...

Tap Talk ·

2025/11/20

We're concluding Tap Talk Season 6 with another two-part series! Today, we release the first episode of the set: "Build Trust Before a Crisis: Communication Basics for Water Systems." Mike McGill, founder and president of water utility communications & PR firm WaterPIO, joins Jennifer and Steve to discuss the shifting landscape of communicating in the water sector. Between the longstanding issue of lead pipes, the evergrowing threat of PFAS contamination, and looming possibilities of natural

en

35:08

TT070 – Diving Into Biofilms With Water Quality...

Tap Talk ·

2025/11/13

In the second episode of our series featuring Andrew Jacque and Emily Hefty-Dieckhoff from Water Quality Investigations, we continue exploring the world of biofilms and other common water quality issues in household water systems. Make sure you've caught Part 1 first that covers a lot of biofilm basics, and then here in Part 2 hear Andrew, Emily, Steve, and Jennifer further discuss biofilm-induced water quality issues, water chemistry, microbial corrosion, the effectiveness of home treatment, and

en

36:31

TT069 – Diving Into Biofilms With Water Quality...

Tap Talk ·

2025/11/06

In the first episode of a two-part series, we explore the world of biofilms in drinking water systems with guests Andrew Jacque and Emily Hefty-Dieckhoff of Water Quality Investigations. Andrew and Emily explain to Jennifer and Steve the fundamentals of what biofilms are, where they can be found both in water systems and naturally, and the health issues they can cause. Be sure to return for Part 2, which will delve even further into the complexities of biofilms! Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to

en

34:01

TT068 – How the Be Well Informed Tool Educates Well...

Tap Talk ·

2025/10/30

In Tap Talk's 68th episode, Steve and Jennifer chat with Kurt Rakouskas — a project manager at the Environmental Council of the States — about the organization's cross-disciplinary work and its stewardship of the Be Well Informed tool. This free tool helps well users understand the results of water tests performed on their wells by translating the scientific and technical notation into plain language. This helps make clear if there is a problem indicated by the results, what the risks of any present

en

49:38

TT067 – The Value of Well Data in Serving Well Owners

Tap Talk ·

2025/10/23

This week on Tap Talk we are pleased to welcome guest Erin Ling, a senior extension specialist at Virginia Tech University who coordinates the Virginia Household Water Quality Program (VAHWQP). The unique program provides a wealth of services to well owners in Virginia, including affordable testing, educational programming & workshops, water quality data collection & publication, and youth outreach for high school students. In particular, Erin emphasizes the value of the program's data on Virginia's

en

40:51

TT066 - Understanding PFAS and Private Wells (Part 2)

Tap Talk ·

2025/10/16

In this episode we're concluding a two-part series exploring PFAS and their impact on private well users. Our conversation with Dr. Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson and Jennifer Hoponick Redmon dives further into their research efforts and potential applications. Together these episodes offer important foundational understanding as well as new insight on PFAS exposure via well water. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

en

32:21

TT065 - Understanding PFAS and Private Wells (Part 1)

Tap Talk ·

2025/10/09

In this episode we're kicking off a two-part series exploring PFAS—also known as “forever chemicals”—and their impact on private well users. Jennifer and Steve are joined by Dr. Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson and Jennifer Hoponick Redmon, two leading experts in environmental health and water quality. Together, they break down the science behind PFAS, discuss how these chemicals enter our water supplies, and share new research on exposure risks for private well users. Our conversation explores the

en

35:02

TT064 – Lessons from RCAP's Private Well Technical...

Tap Talk ·

2025/10/02

In TT064, we bring you another private well-focused episode. Our guest is Cindy Brookes, a seasoned technical assistance provider at the Great Lakes Community Action Partnership, a division of RCAP. In this role, Cindy has assessed over 300 private wells and counseled well owners on how to proceed with their well challenges, and made significant use the of the Private Well and Spring Assessment Tool that our team developed in conjunction with RCAP. Cindy tells Jennifer and Steve about the ins and

en

42:14

TT063 – Empowering Well Owners at the Private Well...

Tap Talk ·

2025/09/25

This week on Tap Talk, we are beyond pleased to welcome two of our colleagues on our Water & Public Health team at the Illinois State Water Survey to the show: Sallie Dolan and Erin Huggett, who are the main forces behind running our Private Well Class Help Center and phone hotline. Launched in the spring of 2024, these services have assisted over 65,000 well owners in finding answers to their well questions or solutions for well problems. As Sallie and Erin discuss, our team looks forward to

en

38:51

TT062 – The Olympics of Water Quality: WEFTEC's...

Tap Talk ·

2025/09/18

If you've ever been to WEFTEC, you know about Operations Challenge. The annual showcase of the top operations teams in the country is the Olympics of the industry, and it's impossible to miss in WEFTEC's exhibit hall. WEFTEC 2025 is just around the corner, and to mark the return of the world's largest water quality exhibition to Chicago, we welcomed Steve Harrison and Jeff Sober to the podcast. Steve, a WEF senior manager, and Jeff, Director of Water Services at Garver, are both members of the

en

49:06

TT061 – Exploring Septic System Best Practices for...

Tap Talk ·

2025/09/04

To kick off Tap Talk's sixth season, today we bring you a special early episode to mark the 13th annual celebration of SepticSmart Week! Jennifer and Steve welcomed Jim Starbard and Andrew Evans, technical assistance providers at RCAP Solutions, to the show to discuss some of stories of onsite wastewater and septic system challenges they have faced in Massachusetts and around New England. Sometimes, even the most basic septic system guidance — like regularly pumping tanks and not flushing any sort

en

30:06

TT060 – Understanding Water Audits for Small...

Tap Talk ·

2025/03/20

And now for the final episode of Season 5! To wrap up this great season, we have the second installment of our conversation with Glenn Barnes, the director of Water Finance Assistance — a consulting agency that provides finance-focused training and technical assistance to water systems. This episode focuses on the role of technical assistance providers in performing water audits and how to develop useful recommendations for water systems' stakeholders. Thank you for listening with us this season,

en

38:59

TT059 – Understanding Water Audits for Small...

Tap Talk ·

2025/03/13

For the penultimate episode of our fifth season, Glenn Barnes joins us for the first episode of a two-part series. Glenn is the director of Water Finance Assistance, a consulting agency that provides finance-focused training and technical assistance to water systems. Our discussion focused specifically on water auditing at utilities, or the process of identifying and minimizing the loss of non-revenue water — also known as water loss. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full

en

39:42

TT058 – Solutions for Safety in Buildings' Water Systems

Tap Talk ·

2025/03/06

In Tap Talk's 58th episode, Dr. Andrew Whelton of Purdue University visits to discuss plumbing and water system safety in buildings. Dr. Whelton is the lead of Purdue's Center for Plumbing Safety, and among many duties, he explores solutions at the intersection of water infrastructure and public health. Listen to learn about how plumbing affects water quality, how the COVID pandemic rocked the water systems of unpopulated buildings, how to keep your office's water system safe, and more

en

30:55

TT057 – Examining Well Water Standards, Sampling, and...

Tap Talk ·

2025/02/26

This week we are pleased to welcome another deeply knowledgeable guest from the state of Minnesota: Vanessa Demuth, a geologist and well inspector from Dakota County, Minnesota's Environmental Resources Department. Dakota County is one of a set of Minnesota counties that has stricter standards for well water pollutants than the state. Vanessa tells Steve and Jennifer how these stricter standards benefit the well owners of Dakota County, other well care tactics the county undertakes, unique

en

29:20

TT056 – Bridging the Gap with Technical Assistance

Tap Talk ·

2025/02/21

U.S. EPA's WaterTA program is an umbrella for a range of services that directly serve the regulated community. In this episode we're chatting about how the program is reducing barriers to capacity development, including funding accessibility, by matching water system requests with local technical assistance providers. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!

en

58:53

TT055 – A Look at Progress and Needs in the...

Tap Talk ·

2025/02/13

This is an exciting week for Tap Talk: Our newest episode is our first fully dedicated to decentralized wastewater and septic systems! Steve and Jennifer welcome Dr. Sara Heger, an industry expert, researcher, and trainer from the University of Minnesota's Onsite Sewage Treatment Program. Whether you're a water professional or a homeowner with a septic system, listen for an introduction to the recent progress, needs, and issues in the decentralized wastewater industry. Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org

en

33:51

TT054 – The Many Benefits of Iowa's Private Well...

Tap Talk ·

2025/02/06

We're officially halfway through Tap Talk's fifth season! This week, we welcome some guests from our state's neighbor to the West: Mindy Uhle, Bureau Chief of Environmental Health at the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, and Erik Day, a Senior Environmental Specialist at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Mindy and Erik work on Iowa's Private Well Grants Program, a cross-agency effort to provide Iowans with free or discounted well services. (See more from HHS and DNR). The program

en

38:07

TT053 – How Community Engineering Corps Serves...

Tap Talk ·

2025/01/30

In our latest episode of Tap Talk, our guest is Molly Sullivan, a Program Engineer at Community Engineering Corps (CECorps), a partnership that provides pro-bono engineering and consulting services for infrastructure projects to communities in the United States, the US Territories, and tribal lands. A significant portion of CECorps' projects center on water and wastewater infrastructure, and Molly chats with Jennifer and Steve about their approach to helping underserved communities find and

en

72 results

Similar Podcasts

Classic Radio Science Fiction

solgoodmedia.com

Mission to Mars

Inception Point Ai

The 365 Days of Astronomy

365DaysOfAstronomy.org

Creek Devil

william Jevning

UFO Chronicles Podcast

Nik Hunter