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

The Water Zone

The Toro Company

The award-winning Water Zone podcast brings together various perspectives from industry experts, government leaders, authors, environmentalists and others to discuss today’s water challenges and explore opportunities for sustaining one of our most vital resources. Sponsored and supported by The Toro Company.

All Episodes

60:09

HERS H2O: Building Smarter, Saving Water

The Water Zone ·

2025/11/03

Ryan Meres, Paulette McGhie, and Michael Matthews from RESNET explore the significance of the HERS H2O rating system, which evaluates a home's water efficiency alongside its energy performance. They explain the types of homes eligible for certification and share statistics on adoption in California and other states. The discussion highlights how the HERS H2O rating aligns with the EPA’s WaterSense label, offering builders and homeowners a pathway to formal recognition and incentives. The guests also

en

55:02

Fish, Fairness, and the Fifth Amendment: United...

The Water Zone ·

2025/10/28

In this episode, we speak with Mauricio Guardado, general manager of United Water Conservation District, about their fight for fairness in water policy. A recent federal court ruling allows the government to take most of a community’s water without compensation, citing species protection—even when the science doesn’t support it. United Water is pushing back, demanding that environmental decisions be based on credible science and the rule of law. Listen to learn how this landmark case could reshape

en

54:44

Alan’s Yard Adventure: Irrigation Tips for First-Time...

The Water Zone ·

2025/10/21

Homeowner and new listener Alan Lee, from Ohio joins he show seeking advice for his new home's irrigation system after years of apartment living. Hosts Rob and Chris guide him through landscape basics like design costs, DIY installation, and irrigation controller options. They also cover turf selection, watering schedules, winterization techniques, and troubleshooting common system issues like zone failures and drainage. This episode offers practical insights for homeowners navigating irrigation for

en

55:08

The Water Beneath: Dr. Kyle Murray on Brine,...

The Water Zone ·

2025/10/16

Dr. Kyle Murray of principal scientist at Murray GeoConsulting, discusses how brine—an oil and gas byproduct—contains nearly every element in the periodic table, including critical minerals like lithium, rubidium, and platinum. These elements are vital for industries such as energy, computing, and transportation. He explained that recovering and selling these minerals could help oil and gas companies offset drilling costs. Additionally, brine holds large quantities of sodium, potassium, magnesium,

en

55:03

The 3-in-1 Fix: AquaFlow’s Answer to Water Waste

The Water Zone ·

2025/10/06

Anthony Giudice introduces AquaFlow’s innovative valve technology designed to optimize water flow and reduce costs across residential, commercial, and industrial applications. The product uses a 3-in-1 system that compresses trapped air and gas in water lines before it reaches the meter—preventing users from being charged for air volume. He explains that air enters water systems through municipal pumps, repairs, temperature shifts, and micro-leaks, and since most meters read total volume, this leads

en

55:26

Award-Winning Innovation in Irrigation: Kendall...

The Water Zone ·

2025/09/30

Kendall DeJonge, a USDA Research Agricultural Engineer, discusses his team's award-winning work on standardizing evapotranspiration (ET) software for water resource management. While ET methods have long been documented, Kendall highlights the lack of unified, publicly available code—until now. His team overcame major challenges to create collaborative tools using Python, chosen for its readability, extensive libraries, and broad applicability.Podcast Recorded September 25. 2025

en

55:00

Educating the Future of Irrigation: A Conversation...

The Water Zone ·

2025/09/22

Derek Heeren, PhD, Professor and Irrigation Engineer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, shares insights into his award-winning work in irrigation education. Honored with the 2025 Irrigation Association’s Excellence in Education Award, Heeren discusses his leadership in developing coursework, certificate programs, and a graduate specialization in agricultural water management. He also highlights his role as general editor for Irrigation Systems Management procedures published with ASABE in 2021

en

55:11

Precision in Practice: Rethinking Landscape &...

The Water Zone ·

2025/09/16

Scott Bowmen, president of Precision-Rain Irrigation, shares his company’s unique business model focused on filling gaps in the landscape and irrigation industry. He emphasized the importance of selecting the right contractor and helping clients organize their project goals into actionable categories. His firm offers full project management or specialized services like irrigation system selection, water management, and arborist support. A key part of their approach is educating clients to understand

en

55:00

Mesa’s Water Victory: Mayor Freeman on Conservation...

The Water Zone ·

2025/09/09

Guest Mark Freeman, Mayor of Mesa, Arizona highlights the city's leadership in water conservation, including winning the 2025 Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge, with residents pledging to save over 22 million gallons of water. He discusses educational and rebate programs that support conservation and sustainability. Additional efforts—like reducing electronics use and switching to refillable bottles—are projected to cut 6.2 million kWh of electricity and eliminate 14,000 plastic bottles. He also

en

54:45

Private Equity Meets Public Need: Sciens Water’s...

The Water Zone ·

2025/08/26

In the latest episode of The Water Zone podcast, Quinten Dreesmann, principal & partner at Sciens Capital Management, discusses the firm’s investment focus on the water industry through its Sciens Water Opportunities Fund, launched in 2018 to acquire and grow private companies addressing U.S. water infrastructure challenges—particularly in utilities, transmission, distribution, and wastewater treatment—while delivering both income and long-term value for investors.Podcast Recorded on August 21,

en

55:04

From Roots to Results: Eric Santos on Landscape and...

The Water Zone ·

2025/08/11

Eric Santos, president of Epic Landscape and Water Management Services, shares how his grandfather sparked his interest in landscaping. He discusses key qualifications for success in the industry, what HOAs look for in service providers, and the top challenges they face. Eric also advocates for more rebate funding for water-efficient products and supports state licensing for irrigators to ensure better water management.Podcast Recorded on August 7, 2025.

en

54:41

Water, Wealth, and Innovation: A Conversation with...

The Water Zone ·

2025/08/04

Tom Lyons, Founder of Viridis Advisors, explores how resilient freshwater systems are central to global investment themes like energy, health, and technology. He highlights gaps in current water demand solutions and outlines opportunities across the water cycle—from supply and consumption to collection and treatment. Tom also shares how emerging water tech firms can build strong business strategies and secure long-term funding in this evolving landscape. Podcast Recorded July 31, 2025

en

54:54

Harvesting Hope: Clean Water for Kenya

The Water Zone ·

2025/07/28

Guest Greg Chick, an irrigation engineer, and Festus Langat, a teacher and project leader in Kenya, share how they partnered with Global Water Works to bring rain harvesting systems to rural Kenyan villages. These gravity-fed systems, now installed in five locations, provide clean water and save residents hours of travel each day. Festus leads local volunteers in maintaining the systems, while Greg discusses their next project—composting toilets—and offers listeners a free digital copy of his book

en

54:59

The Water Zone – 500th Episode Celebration

The Water Zone ·

2025/07/24

This special episode marks The Water Zone’s 10-year anniversary and 500th broadcast, featuring current and former co-hosts Rob Starr, Mike Baron, Chris Davey, Inge Bisconer, Paul McFadden, and Chris Austin. Surprise guest Rick Olson, Chairman and CEO of The Toro Company, joins to share his thoughts on the show’s impact.The team reflects on favorite guests, key topics like water efficiency, drought, and irrigation tech, and expresses gratitude for the award winning show's outstanding public

en

54:49

From Roots to Regulations: The CLCA’s Role in Shaping...

The Water Zone ·

2025/07/14

Sandra Giarde, executive director of the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA), shares the organization’s origins dating back to 1952 and its mission to support members in creating lasting, high-quality landscapes. She highlights CLCA’s code of ethics focused on professionalism and customer satisfaction, and details their advocacy work on water regulations, legislative issues, and equipment use such as lawn mowers and leaf blowers. Sandra also discusses CLCA’s specialized workshops,

en

55:02

Global Water Works: Reconnecting People and Water

The Water Zone ·

2025/06/30

In the latest episode of The Water Zone, Mary Conley-Eggert and Frank Slovenec, co-directors of Global Water Works (GWW), discuss how their nonprofit platform connects technology, case studies, and community expertise to accelerate smart water solutions worldwide. They highlight rainwater harvesting as an overlooked but powerful approach and share how GWW has helped implement major collection and purification systems across Africa. The conversation also explores “orphan lakes,” with GWW estimating

en

55:14

Freshwater from the Deep: Ocean Well’s Blueprint for...

The Water Zone ·

2025/06/16

In this episode, we welcome Tim Quinn, water policy strategist for Ocean Well, to discuss a revolutionary new approach to ocean desalination. Tim explains how Ocean Well’s innovative underwater “pod” system harnesses natural hydrostatic pressure at depths of 400 meters to power reverse osmosis—cutting energy use by up to 40% compared to traditional land-based systems. The process is entirely chemical-free and avoids harmful brine outfalls, using a specially designed circulation system to protect

en

54:54

From Fracking to Freshwater

The Water Zone ·

2025/06/09

Guests Mike Hightower, director of the New Mexico Produced Water Consortium, and Jonas Armstrong, director of New Mexico’s Environmental Water Protection Division, discuss the state’s innovative produced water project, which treats contaminated groundwater from oil fracking and converts it into clean, usable water. Jonas explains his team’s role in sampling, analysis, and updating Source Water Assessments to identify and mitigate contamination risks, while Mike outlines the fracking process and

en

55:26

The Dirt on Organic Gardening: Sustainability and...

The Water Zone ·

2025/06/02

Gisele Schoniger, organic gardening educator for Kellogg Garden Products shares fascinating insights into how organic soils and plant foods are manufactured, highlighting Kellogg’s commitment to sustainable and environmentally responsible practices. She discusses the company’s OMRI Listed products and explains how to select the right soil and amendments for various garden types—including small spaces, edibles, raised beds, and landscape gardens. Gisele emphasizes the importance of keeping soil alive

en

54:57

From Endurance to Impact: The Story Behind MAGI

The Water Zone ·

2025/05/28

This episode of The Water Zone features activist and endurance athlete Leo Gripari, David Finn (CEO of Globe House Streaming), and Nubia DuVall Wilson (President of Starfury Productions), who joined forces to create the award-winning documentary MAGI. The film follows Leo as he takes on five extreme physical challenges across four continents to raise nearly $1 million for clean water projects in Uganda, while spotlighting the global water crisis, political tensions in regions like Nepal and Jordan,

en

74 results