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In this conversation recorded on February 6, 2025, Brian Richter, President of Sustainable Waters, trades places with Talk+Water host, Dr. Todd H. Votteler, to interview him about "Water Markets for Texas." In 2025, Texas 2036 published "Water Markets for Texas" a major multi-year report analyzing how voluntary, well-structured water markets have operated in two regions of the state and what lessons they offer for any Texas communities preparing for its long-term water needs.

The report, authored by Votteler with contributions from Gabriel Collins, J.D., and Dr. Matthew Berg, draws on five decades of hydrologic data, regulatory analysis and interviews with Texas water managers, groundwater leaders, and Western water experts to understand the conditions that enable regional markets to function and why those conditions exist in only a few parts of Texas today. The report goes beyond Texas with lessons for establishing of new water markets that are applicable in other states.

Votteler is a former federal special master and river authority executive with expertise in conflict resolution, stakeholder engagement, and policy development. Votteler is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Texas Water Journal and Texas+Water, and the host of the Talk+Water podcast. He is a Fellow of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University, a Visiting Scholar at The Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin, and a Board Member for the Whitefish Lake Institute.

Brian Richter has been a global leader in water science and conservation for more than 30 years. He is the President of Sustainable Waters, a global organization focused on water scarcity challenges, where he promotes sustainable water use and management with governments, corporations, universities, and local communities. He previously served as Director of the Global Water Program of The Nature Conservancy, an international conservation organization. Brian has consulted on more than 170 water projects worldwide. He serves as a water advisor to some of the world’s largest corporations, investment banks, and the United Nations, and has testified before the U.S. Congress on multiple occasions. He teaches Water Sustainability at the University of Virginia.

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Also, just a note that Talk+Water has been ranked as one of the top water podcasts in the world by FeedSpot and MillionPodcasts!