Tap Talk – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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 show notes for this episode.

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 disasters and other crises, the task of communicating with the public is harder than ever for utilities to avoid.

Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

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 Operations Challenge Community. Their passion for the event makes clear its singular value to the industry!

Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

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 of wipe — can make a huge difference in the health of a system, its users, and the surrounding environment!

Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode. Tap Talk Season 6 will resume in late September, following SepticSmart Week, which is September 15-19, 2025.

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, and we will be back again with Season 6 before you know it!

Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

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 show notes for this episode!

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.

Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!

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 pollutants, and more!

Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!

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!

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 to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode!