Shows / Tap Talk
Tap Talk
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.
Episodes
- Tap Talk
TT092 – Advancing Well Water Safety in Wisconsin
For TT092, we're happy to welcome Marty Nessman, chief of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Private Water Section, to the show! Marty tells…
- Tap Talk
TT091 – Biofilms in Focus: Impacts on Private and Public Water Supplies (Part 2)
This week's episode of Tap Talk, #91, finishes the conversation we began last week with Dr. Andrew Jacque, the founder and chief scientist at Water Quality…
- Tap Talk
TT090 – Biofilms in Focus: Impacts on Private and Public Water Supplies
This week, we welcome a returning guest back to the show: Dr. Andrew Jacque, founder and chief scientist at Water Quality Investigations. Andrew previously…
- Tap Talk
TT089 – Outreach in Action: The Art of Making Septic Education Fun
For Tap Talk's 89th episode, we were pleased to welcome on Gary Hawkins, a water resource management specialist at University of Georgia Extension! In this…
- Tap Talk
TT088 - One in Three Wells: The Data Behind Massachusetts' Private Well Push
This episode welcomes back Dr. Amie Shei of The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, joined by Jenna Day of RCAP Solutions, to share what's happened…
- Tap Talk
TT087 – Growing Kentucky's Water Workforce Through Apprenticeship (Part 2)
This week we continue talking with Heather Stevenson, the Director of Workforce Development for the Kentucky Rural Water Association. Last week, we discussed…
- Tap Talk
TT086 – Growing Kentucky's Water Workforce Through Apprenticeship (Part 1)
This week for TT086, our guest is Heather Stevenson, the Director of Workforce Development for the Kentucky Rural Water Association. Kentucky is one of the 35…
- Tap Talk
TT085 – The Industry Needs You: The Water Tower's Workforce Vision
Welcome to Tap Talk Season 8! To kick off this new season, we welcome Courtney Lee to the show, who is the Director of Workforce Development at The Water…
- Tap Talk
TT084 – Leadership in Drinking Water Regulation: Adapting to Modern Needs (Part 2)
Today, we finish up Season 7 of Tap Talk with the final part of our conservation with Anthony DeRosa, the executive director of the Association of State…
- Tap Talk
TT083 – Leadership in Drinking Water Regulation: Adapting to Modern Needs (Part 1)
To conclude Season 7 of Tap Talk, we bring you a two-part conversation with Anthony DeRosa, the executive director of the Association of State Drinking Water…
- Tap Talk
TT082 – Understanding This Year's El Niño with the Illinois State Climatologist
This week on Tap Talk, we are pleased to welcome to the show a colleague from the Illinois State Water Survey: Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford. Trent…
- Tap Talk
TT081 – The Other Side of Vermont's Flash Drought: Stories from Public Water Systems
This week's episode of Tap Talk is a direct follow-up to last week's show, "What We Can Learn from Vermont's Flash Drought." In that episode, we primarily…
- Tap Talk
TT080 – What We Can Learn from Vermont's Flash Drought
For the 80th episode of Tap Talk, we are pleased to talk with Tom DeBell, an environmental health engineer at the Vermont Department of Health. Tom tells Steve…
- Tap Talk
TT079 - The Septage Catch-22: When Better Maintenance Creates Bigger Problems
The more people maintain their septic systems, the more septage gets generated. But, there's increasingly no where for it to go. Sara Heger, a decentralized…
- Tap Talk
TT078 – Building the Future Workforce with Rural Water Apprentices
Next up on Tap Talk, we are welcoming Shannan Walton, the National Rural Water Association's Director of Workforce Development, to the show. At NRWA, Shannan…
- Tap Talk
TT077 – Discussing the History and Impact of the National Ground Water Monitoring Network (Part 2)
This week on Tap Talk we finish our two-part series with Bob Schreiber! In this episode, Bob (a water resources engineer at CDM Smith and long-time National…
- Tap Talk
TT076 – Discussing the History and Impact of the National Ground Water Monitoring Network (Part 1)
Our newest Tap Talk episode is a two-parter! Today, we welcome Bob Schreiber, a water resources engineer at CDM Smith and long-time National Ground Water…
- Tap Talk
TT075 – Raising Your Hand: The Value of Industry Involvement
For Tap Talk's landmark 75th episode, we welcomed on Hunter Adams, the Water Source & Purification Superintendent for the City of Wichita Falls, Texas. With…
- Tap Talk
TT074 – Mitigating Legionella Risks in Water Systems: Lessons from a Microbiologist
Today, we welcome Katie Maegli of Water Quality Investigations to Tap Talk! WQI is a private water testing lab in southern Wisconsin, where Katie serves as the…
- Tap Talk
TT073 – Behind the Scenes of Water and Environment Reporting
Tap Talk Season 7 is here! Today, we bring you a conversation with Michael Phillis, a water & environment reporter for the Associated Press. Michael tells…
- Tap Talk
TT072 – Build Trust Before a Crisis: Communication Basics for Water Systems (Part 2)
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…
- Tap Talk
TT071 – Build Trust Before a Crisis: Communication Basics for Water Systems
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…
- Tap Talk
TT070 – Diving Into Biofilms With Water Quality Investigations (Part 2)
In the second episode of our series featuring Andrew Jacque and Emily Hefty-Dieckhoff from Water Quality Investigations, we continue exploring the world of…
- Tap Talk
TT069 – Diving Into Biofilms With Water Quality Investigations (Part 1)
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…
- Tap Talk
TT068 – How the Be Well Informed Tool Educates Well Owners
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…
- Tap Talk
TT067 – The Value of Well Data in Serving Well Owners
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…
- Tap Talk
TT066 - Understanding PFAS and Private Wells (Part 2)
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…
- Tap Talk
TT065 - Understanding PFAS and Private Wells (Part 1)
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…
- Tap Talk
TT064 – Lessons from RCAP's Private Well Technical Assistance Network
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…
- Tap Talk
TT063 – Empowering Well Owners at the Private Well Class Help Center
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…
- Tap Talk
TT062 – The Olympics of Water Quality: WEFTEC's Operations Challenge
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…
- Tap Talk
TT061 – Exploring Septic System Best Practices for SepticSmart Week 2025
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…
- Tap Talk
TT060 – Understanding Water Audits for Small Utilities (Part 2)
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…
- Tap Talk
TT059 – Understanding Water Audits for Small Utilities (Part 1)
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…
- Tap Talk
TT058 – Solutions for Safety in Buildings' Water Systems
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…
- Tap Talk
TT057 – Examining Well Water Standards, Sampling, and Research in Minnesota's Dakota County
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…
- Tap Talk
TT056 – Bridging the Gap with Technical Assistance
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…
- Tap Talk
TT055 – A Look at Progress and Needs in the Decentralized Wastewater Industry
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…
- Tap Talk
TT054 – The Many Benefits of Iowa's Private Well Grants Program
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…
- Tap Talk
TT053 – How Community Engineering Corps Serves Underserved America
In our latest episode of Tap Talk, our guest is Molly Sullivan, a Program Engineer at Community Engineering Corps (CECorps), a partnership that provides…
- Tap Talk
TT052 – Exploring Best Practices for Online Operator Training
Next up on Tap Talk, Steve and Jennifer welcome Dr. Sidney Innerebner of Colorado-based Indigo Water Group to the show. Sidney is certified as an engineer and…
- Tap Talk
TT051 – Resources for Well and Septic Owners to Face Florida's Changing Climate
This week on Tap Talk, Jennifer and Steve chatted with Dr. Andrea Albertin and Dr. Yilin Zhuang of the University of Florida Extension's Florida Well Owner…
- Tap Talk
TT050 — Solving the Challenges of a National CEU Program
Tap Talk hits 50 episodes! For this landmark episode, we welcome Matt Jones to the show. Matt is the manager of the Continuing Education Credit Program for the…
- Tap Talk
TT049 – Bringing Water to All With Water Well Wish
In the premiere episode of our fifth season, Steve and Jennifer welcome Terry Morse to Tap Talk. Terry is the CEO of the National Ground Water Association, as…
- Tap Talk
TT048 — Solutions-Focused Journalism: Creating Water Stories
In the final episode of our fourth season, Steve and Jennifer welcome Travis Loop to Tap Talk to discuss how to use solutions-focused journalism and…
- Tap Talk
TT047 — Hands-On Training: How to Develop the Water Workforce
The latest episode of Tap Talk delves back into the topic of how to develop and train the newest generation of the water workforce. Jennifer and Steve talk…
- Tap Talk
TT046 - Lead Service Line Replacements: Lessons from Cleveland (Part 2)
This week we are bringing you part two of our conversation with Brenda Culler and Joshua Pecek of Cleveland Water's lead service line replacement team! The…
- Tap Talk
TT045 - Lead Service Line Replacements: Lessons from Cleveland (Part 1)
The EPA estimates there are over nine million lead service lines to replace in the United States. During this week's Tap Talk, we learn about the efforts at…
- Tap Talk
TT044 - Cybersecurity: Helpful Resources for Small Systems
On this week's Tap Talk, we're talking about a topic that is becoming ever more important for water utilities: cybersecurity. Steve and Jennifer discuss how…
- Tap Talk
TT043 - Local Solutions: A Key to Growing the Water Workforce (Part 2)
This week, we continue our conversation with Mike Sullivan and Shannon Drosnock, utility directors from suburban Philadelphia. Mike and Shannon lead a…
- Tap Talk
TT042 - Local Solutions: A Key to Growing the Water Workforce (Part 1)
This week, we welcome two guests from Pennsylvania: Mike Sullivan, executive director of the Northampton Bucks County Municipal Authority; and Shannon…
- Tap Talk
TT041 - Data: The Key to Private Well Advocacy
This week, Jennifer and Steve are chatting with Amie Shei from the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, which for five years has been lobbying for the…
- Tap Talk
TT040 - Be the Champion: Building Knowledge with Informal Communities
Bob Dunlevy of U.S. EPA's Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska) has been hosting and facilitating an asset management stakeholder group and conference…
- Tap Talk
TT039 - RCAP at 50: Building Sustainable Rural Communities
The Rural Communities Assistance Partnership (RCAP), WaterOperator.org's principal collaborative partner, has been providing technical assistance to America's…
- Tap Talk
TT038 - Operator Training: It Takes Skill
The methods with which we teach and train water operators have evolved as the world changes around us, but one thing hasn't changed: It takes skill and effort…
- Tap Talk
TT037 - Partnership: The More You Give, The More You Get
In the time we've spent building and maintaining WaterOperator.org and its family of websites, the importance of building strong partnerships and teams has…
- Tap Talk
TT036 - Busting Myths about Regionalization
Regionalization is not just one thing, but a spectrum of partnership opportunities for efficiency and economies of scale. In this episode we're chatting with…
- Tap Talk
TT035 - The State of Drinking Water
As we approach 50 years of the Safe Drinking Water Act, public water systems and state regulators continue to face new and long-standing challenges. In our…
- Tap Talk
TT034 - Leveraging Passion to Protect Public Health
Pennsylvania has no statewide well construction code or other private well regulations, but this suburban Philadelphia county is one of a small number leading…
- Tap Talk
TT033 - Research for Water Equity (Part 2)
In the second half of our conversation with Dr. Kelsey Pieper, we discuss alternate perspectives on real private well problems. The conversation reiterates the…