In this episode of Talking Under Water, we discuss industry news, including the recent floods in Texas, North Carolina and New Mexico, President Trump’s spending and tax bill, known as the Big Beautiful Bill and PFAS settlement payouts.

• What to know about the Texas and North Carolina floods
• [USA Today] Who's to blame for Texas flooding tragedy? There is a lot of finger pointing.
• [The Washington Post] Chantal floods North Carolina, now moving into Mid-Atlantic
• [NBC News] 3 dead after historic flash flooding hits New Mexico town ravaged by wildfires
• [Raleigh News & Observer] 6 lives lost to Chantal in central NC. Here’s what we know about them.
• Every Mention of ‘water’ in Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill
• More than $900 million awarded to clients from PFAS water contamination settlement

• Episode intro | 0:47 Hosts introduce themselves and today's main topics.
• Texas flooding overview | 01:18 Co-host Katie Johns covers devastating flash floods across multiple states.
• Camp Mystic tragedy | 01:45 Flooding near Guadalupe River causes more than 100 deaths, including campers and counselors from Camp Mystic.
• Flood volume perspective | 02:36
• Historical flood context | 03:23 Guadalupe River has flooded over a dozen times since 1978.
• North Carolina flooding | 03:35 Tropical Storm Chantal drops two months' worth of rain in some areas.
• New Mexico flooding | 04:26 Monsoons over wildfire burn scars cause deadly flash floods.
• Big, Beautiful Bill | 05:32 Co-host Mandy Crispin discusses Trump's new spending and tax bill.
• Water industry funding | 06:04 Details on source water and watershed funding.
• Reclamation project funds | 07:11 $1B for expanding water storage and conveyance systems.
• Indirect industry impacts | 07:44 Cuts to green energy; no water infrastructure funds.
• PFAS settlement | 08:31 Co-host Bob Crossen covers 3M, DuPont PFAS legal settlement funds.
• Future PFAS claims | 09:54 Legal options remain for more water/wastewater systems.
• Housekeeping | 10:10 Call for nominations for Wastewater Digest’s Top Project awards; WaterWorld July/August issue available in print and online' StormCon 2025 promo and exclusive code

* Timestamps were written with the assistance of artificial intelligence.

• WWD Top Projects
• WaterWorld July/August Issue
• Use code WWD15 to get 15% off your StormCon attendee pass when you register at 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.  

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

In 2025, a significant portion of the global population faces water scarcity. The UN World Water Development Report in 2024 estimated that 2.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water. How does the water industry not only address this challenge, but how does it do so without affecting future generations, and what is the future of the water energy nexus?

• Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 Best Innovation in Sustainability & Energy/Power Award
• VVater

• Intro and summary | 00:00
• How many people are without safe drinking water | 0:25
• Gasts's Background | 1:48
• What is the Faraday Reactor? How does it work? | 2:40
• How are you scaling to meet the needs of industrial manufacturing and is it scalable to drinking water treatment plants? | 5:14
• Does this work on PFAS? | 8:56
• How is VVater positioned to compete with long established companies? | 9:46
• What partnerships can be fostered between the water and energy sectors | 12:53

• SWS Top Projects Nominations
• WaterWorld Top Projects Nominations
• Wastewater Digest Top Projects Nominations

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

Bob Crossen, vice president of content strategy for water and energy, recaps the American Water Works Associations' ACE show, which took place from June 8-11, 2025, in Denver, Colorado. Crossen was joined at the show by WaterWorld editor-in-chief Mandy Crispin and Water Group associate editor Alex Cossin, so he shares insights the three of them gained from the show. First, Crossen discusses new products that Mueller and Neptune showcased then moves on to two interviews. The first is with AWWA CEO David LaFrance. LaFrance discussed funding, financing, rates, and public communications. The second is with Gigi Karmous-Edwards who spoke about the different kinds of artificial intelligence, and some innovative uses for generative AI in the water sector.

• PFAS treatment and litigation strategies for water systems
• Mueller teases hydrant retrofit kits at AWWA ACE25
• Neptune Technology Group highlights newest meter and cellular endpoint offerings
• Deconstructing the conundrum of rising rates and water affordability

• Introduction & summary | 0:11
• Mueller teases new product | 0:56
• Neptune showcasese new products | 1:24
• Article read: PFAS treatment & litigation strategies for water systems | 2:18
• Interview with David LaFrance begins | 4:42
• Top challenges for water industry | 5:10
• Rate-setting tools and recommendations | 5:59
• Pressure on improving water quality | 8:15
• Factoring in communication with the public | 9:05
• Water 2050 | 11:12
• Interview with David LaFrance ends | 12:15
• Interview with Gigi Karmous-Edwards begins | 12:22
• Breaking down what AI means | 13:06
• Karmous- Edward's WRF AI project | 14:11
• Where is AI falling short? | 15:07
• Differences between Chatbots, AI and machine learning | 16:47
• What does the future hold for these technologies in water? | 17:53
• Interview with Gigi Karmous-Edwards ends | 22: 55
• Housekeeping | 23:18

• SWS Top Projects Nominations
• WaterWorld Top Projects Nominations
• Wastewater Digest Top Projects Nominations  

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.