In this episode of Waterfall Rapids, Mike and Karen are joined by Natasha Wiseman, founder of Make Water Famous, to discuss how positive storytelling can help more people connect with water. Natasha shares the mission behind the growing platform, why people are more interested in water than many assume, and how raising awareness of water issues can inspire action, attract future talent to the sector, and support a more sustainable future. Plus, the team talk water-saving habits and the importance of celebrating the people working behind the scenes to keep our water services running.

The full length edition of this episode was originally released on 16/6/2023.

• 01:39 Introductions
• 02:21 The idea behind Make Water Famous
• 04:00 Getting more people interested in water
• 05:36 Growing a global water community
• 08:56 Natasha's water-saving habits
• 10:50 Why making water famous matters

In this episode of Waterfall, Mike and Karen chat with Andrew Tucker, Demand Reduction Manager at Thames Water, about one of the biggest hidden sources of household water waste: leaky toilets. They discuss how modern dual-flush toilets leak internally without people noticing, how a single leaky loo can double a household's daily water usage, and what smart meter data is revealing about continuous leaks across thousands of homes. Andrew also breaks down why internal mechanisms fail and how upcoming regulations, like Defra's mandatory water labeling, aim to fix the issue on a national scale.

The full length edition of this episode was originally released on 29/9/2023.

Timestamps

• 00:45 – Introductions

• 02:08 – What is a leaky loo and why modern toilets fail

• 03:49 – What smart meter data reveals about household leaks

• 05:20 – The national scale: 50 million litres lost daily

• 06:40 – Why dual-flush mechanisms fail and how to fix them

In this episode of Waterfall Rapids, Mike and Karen speak with Dr Claire Houlihan from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and Professor Alison Brown from the University of Manchester about their Ofwat-funded project, Enabling Water Smart Communities. They discuss what a "water smart community" really means, how new housing developments could better manage water, the challenges of water reuse, and why understanding why people use water matters more than just measuring how much.

The full length edition of this episode was originally released on 16/8/2024.

Timestamps:

• 01:52 – What is a water smart community?
• 03:48 – Interesting findings so far
• 04:33 – The challenge of water reuse
• 05:20 – Why social science research on water matters
• 06:59 – Why understanding people matters more than numbers

In this episode of Waterfall Rapids, Mike and Karen are joined by Lisa Craven, MD of Stormsaver, to talk about rainwater harvesting. She explains how the systems work, clears up common misconceptions about rainwater being dirty, and shares the impressive savings possible for both homes and businesses, plus practical tips for retrofitting older properties.

The full length edition of this episode was originally released on 2/8/2024.

Timestamps:

• 00:56 – What is rainwater harvesting?
• 02:25 – Is rainwater actually clean?
• 04:04 – Typical water savings at home
• 07:16 – Business appetite for reuse
• 10:21 – Retrofitting an older home

In this episode of Waterfall Rapids, Lia takes us on two walks with water in Wales to promote the Walking with Water campaign. She speaks with Tony Rees from South East Wales Rivers Trust about the Taff Trail, its industrial heritage and its links to local reservoirs, then with land artist Rebecca Wynne-Kelly in Aberarth about Welsh water folklore, slowing down in nature, and the fight for water justice.

The full length edition of this episode was originally released on 21/7/2023.

Timestamps:

• 00:39 – What is Walking with Water?
• 01:38 – Meeting Tony and the Taff Trail
• 04:21 – How reservoirs feed the river
• 07:42 – Meeting Rebecca in Aberarth
• 10:42 – The legend of the witch and the pool

In this episode of Waterfall Rapids, producer Tom and Karen report live from Gardeners' World Live. They speak with Malcolm Moody from the Solihull and District Orchid Society about why orchids are water efficient and how to water them properly, then talk to Josh Fenton about his award-winning show garden, designed to demonstrate water-saving solutions like drought-tolerant planting and a composting toilet.

The full length edition of this episode was originally released on 19/7/2024.

Timestamps:

• 01:43 – Are orchids water efficient?
• 02:54 – Rainwater vs tap water for plants
• 04:34 – Malcolm's top water-saving tips
• 06:59 – Josh's water-saving show garden
• 09:33 – The eco toilet, the "Cuddy"

In this episode of Waterfall Rapids, Mike is joined by author and environmental journalist Tim Smedley to talk about his book The Last Drop. They discuss the world's most shocking water crises, from Jordan's disappearing groundwater to the drying up of Lake Mead in the western US, the pros and cons of desalination, and why personal water use still matters. Tim shares how he cut his own household's water use by more than half through simple changes.

The full length edition of this episode was originally released on 14/7/2023.

Timestamps:

• 01:37 – The world's most shocking water crises
• 03:07 – The drying up of Lake Mead
• 05:57 – Desalination: pros and cons
• 08:16 – Cutting personal water use
• 11:26 – Should water cost more?

In this episode of Waterfall Rapids, Cath and Karen are joined by Nicole McNabb and Nick Mills from Southern Water to talk about a trial using water butts and planters to cut storm overflows. They explain the difference between standard, slow-drain and smart water butts, share strong results from a trial on the Isle of Wight, and talk about the bigger picture: too much hard, non-permeable surface (like driveways) sending rainwater straight into the sewers.

The full length edition of this episode was originally released on 7/7/2023.

Timestamps:

• 01:11 – The problem: storm overflows and runoff
• 02:37 – Isle of Wight trial results
• 03:23 – Types of water butts explained
• 07:04 – Bigger roofs and planters
• 08:05 – Driveways and permeable surfaces