Summary:

In this episode of the Make Water Work podcast, Isaac Pellerin and Megan Glover engage with Chad Seidel, president of Corona Environmental Consulting, to discuss the challenges and innovations in the water industry.

They explore the importance of accountability in water systems, the journey of Chad in the water quality field, and the founding of Corona to fill gaps in the industry. The conversation delves into the pressing issues facing water utilities, the need for prioritization of resources, and the impact of waterborne diseases compared to contaminants like PFAS. They also discuss the role of the Water Health Advisory Council in bridging policy and operational challenges, and the importance of community support for water initiatives.

Takeaways

• Water systems must ensure disinfectant residuals for public health.

• Chad Seidel's journey reflects the intersection of policy and technical expertise.

• Corona Environmental Consulting was founded to address niche needs in water quality.

• Water utilities face significant challenges due to resource constraints.

• There is a need to prioritize addressing water quality issues.

• Raising the floor for water quality standards is essential.

• Waterborne diseases pose immediate public health risks.

• The Water Health Advisory Council aims to provide unbiased technical information.

• Legislative measures often overlook the operational realities of water utilities.

• Community support is crucial for sustainable water initiatives.

In this episode of the Make Water Work podcast, hosts Isaac Pellerin and Megan Glover engage with Stacy Jones from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. They discuss the complexities of water regulations, the evolution of regulatory processes, and the challenges faced by water administrators. Stacy shares her journey in the water industry, the importance of effective communication in regulatory roles, and the future of water management. The conversation highlights the need for new talent in the field and the inspiration drawn from mentors in the industry.

Takeaways

• New federal regulations will require implementation in the next decade.

• Regulatory processes involve federal and state levels.

• Implementing new regulations can take years.

• Lead and copper regulations are particularly complex.

• Communication is key in regulatory roles.

• The future of water management is evolving rapidly.

• Mentorship plays a crucial role in professional development.

• New talent is needed in the water management field.

In this episode of Make Water Work, hosts Isaac Pellerin and Megan Glover sit down with Christy Harowski, founder of HCB Strategies and former Chief of Staff at the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans and Value of Water Campaign Director at US Water Alliance.

Christy shares how water professionals can move beyond pipes, pumps, and projects to clearly communicate why water matters, who it impacts, and how to make the case for investment. Drawing from her experience in utilities, policy, and national advocacy, she explains how authentic communication, coalition-building, and storytelling turn infrastructure spending into real community impact.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• Why water is a nonpartisan issue and how to communicate it that way

• How utilities can fund major projects without relying solely on rate increases

• The role of partnerships, tourism, and local economies in water investment

• Why authentic leadership and owning your voice matters in advocacy

• How better communication builds trust with policymakers and the public

Whether you work in a utility, policy, engineering, or water innovation, this episode offers practical insight on making the value of water visible.

Subscribe for more conversations with leaders shaping the future of water.

#MakeWaterWork #WaterLeadership #ValueOfWater #WaterInfrastructure #UtilityLeadership #WaterPolicy #PublicTrust #WaterInvestment

In this episode of the Make Water Work Podcast, Megan Glover and Isaac Pellerin sit down with the former GM of DC Water and current founder of Moonshot Missions, George Hawkins, for a fast-moving conversation about what it really takes to modernize utilities, especially the ones with the fewest resources.

George shares how a childhood moment in Cleveland, including seeing a polluted river that later caught fire, shaped his life in water and why he believes the “health of a place” is written in its water. From there, he dives into the hard, practical truth: we cannot fund our way out of the water crisis without changing how utilities operate.

You will hear George break down:

• Why innovation is a “how” problem, not a “what” problem

• How utilities can use the balance sheet to fund progress through savings, not just rate increases

• The shocking cost of “transaction friction” and what he cut at DC Water, including reducing the cost to collect a dollar

• Why procurement can stall progress for a year and what needs to change

• How to build internal systems that drive continuous improvement, including incentives that reward teams for saving money

• Why Moonshot Missions exists to help small and under-resourced utilities implement the same kinds of performance upgrades

This is a masterclass in leadership, storytelling, and systems thinking from someone who has lived the problem from the inside and is now building a path forward for the rest of the sector.

In this episode of Make Water Work, hosts Megan Glover and Isaac Pellerin sit down with Annyse Balkwill, founder of LuminUS Group and host of Meaningful Conversations with Annyse. Together, they explore what it means to “de-robotize” water organizations and create the conditions for real transformation.

Annyse shares her journey from chemical engineer at GE Water to global facilitator helping water leaders unlock creativity, trust, and collaboration. She explains why psychological safety matters, how silos form and dissolve, and why sitting in a circle might be more powerful than another leadership training.

This conversation covers:

• How water found Annyse and why she stayed for 20+ years

• Why most organizations are optimized, not transformed

• What “de-robotizing” work actually looks like in practice

• The role of psychological safety, creativity, and trust in innovation

• Why meaningful conversations are essential for the future of water

• How elevating women’s voices strengthens the entire industry

• If you care about leadership, culture, and making water work better for people and communities, this episode is for you.

In this episode of Make Water Work, Megan Glover and Isaac Pellerin sit down with Tom Ferguson, managing partner and founder of Burnt Island Ventures, for a fast-moving conversation on AI, founder market fit, and why water is one of the most overlooked opportunities in climate tech.

Tom shares how a pro bono project in London pulled him into water, how Imagine H2O shaped his view of startups, and what led him to launch a dedicated early stage fund focused on water. He explains why public data for water is often “crap,” why that matters for generalized AI, and why the real opportunity sits in small, vertical language models built on proprietary utility data.

From portfolio strategy to predictions for 2026, Tom talks about what makes a great water founder, why fundraising is also advocacy for water, and where he believes the next wave of value will be created.

• How water “found” Tom through the first water disclosure report for the Carbon Disclosure Project

• Why the gap between water’s importance and how much people care became his life’s work

• The path from Imagine H2O to founding Burnt Island Ventures and closing a first fund in a wild market

• Why water is a $1.6 trillion and growing market, and how entrepreneurs can “lift up legacy spend and put it somewhere new”

• How Burnt Island thinks about founder market fit and what separates ideas from real businesses

• Why water is not uniquely “hard,” and what founders must understand about building in any complex market

• How AI will change water: small language models, proprietary data, and why Google cannot build this without utility data

• Why utilities are finally building real data lakes and what that unlocks for AI tools

• How Burnt Island builds a diversified portfolio across geographies, sectors, and business models in water

• Tom’s predictions for “winners” by 2026, including data platforms, incumbents, and emerging blue bond financing

• Why fundraising is a form of evangelism for water and why every dollar into the sector matters

120Water Cofounder and former lab owner and operator Dave Kohl joins Megan Glover and Isaac Pellerin to go back to the early days of 120Water and look ahead at the future of water quality, regulation, and staffing.

Dave shares how a small coal industry lab grew into CWM Environmental, how he helped build 120Water’s national lab network, and why he believes overuse of chlorine is one of the biggest drinking water issues of his lifetime.

You will hear:

• How Dave “fell into” water and built CWM Environmental into a multi-location lab and operations business

• The origin story of 120Water and why shifting from consumer kits to utility partnerships changed everything

• Why operator retirements and a shallow talent pipeline are a major risk for water and wastewater systems

• How consolidation in labs and utilities is reshaping rural water access and compliance

• The tension between disinfection and disinfection byproducts like TTHMs and HAA5

• Dave’s take on PFAS, regulatory lag, and why automation will be essential, not optional

• Why utilities need partners to handle sampling, logistics, and data so staff can focus on high-value work

If you are a water utility leader, operator, lab professional, or just curious about what it really takes to keep drinking water safe, this conversation is for you.

In this episode of Make Water Work, Isaac Pellerin and Megan Glover sit down with Nicole Brown, Growth Lead for Water at GFT and co-founder of the Black Water Professionals Alliance. Nicole shares how water “found” her through a love of math, science, and problem solving, and how a high school hydrology class opened her eyes to water as the building block of life.

Nicole talks about the science of water, but also the social side she discovered later in her career: how water shapes cities, health, mental well-being, and community identity. She shares stories from public meetings, church pulpits, and neighborhood conversations that show why utilities cannot just “trust us, we’ve got it,” and must instead communicate openly about everything from boil advisories to PFAS and lead.

She also unpacks the vision behind the Black Water Professionals Alliance, the importance of representation in the sector, and why her word for the year is “abundance.” Nicole’s contagious optimism, honesty about her journey as a Black woman in water, and practical advice for mentoring and storytelling will leave you encouraged to see water, and your role in it, a little differently.

• Water is more than pipes and pumps. Nicole explains how water underpins life, science, mental health, cities, and economies, and why understanding its full impact changes how we care for it.

• Communication builds or breaks trust. From boil advisories to PFAS, if utilities do not manage the message, fear fills the gap. Clear, honest, human-centered communication is a core part of the job.

• Engineers cannot just say “trust us.” Technical expertise is not enough. Communities need explanations, empathy, and space to ask hard questions about their water.

• Representation changes the conversation. Nicole co-founded the Black Water Professionals Alliance to build community, create professional opportunities, and better engage communities that have historically been left out.

• Abundance is a mindset and a strategy. Nicole rejects scarcity thinking and focuses on connection, sharing resources, and seeing the “wave” created when people pool their energy and ideas.

• Positivity is powerful leadership. Her natural optimism is backed by intention and practice. She chooses to look for joy, learn from setbacks, and use negative experiences as fuel rather than limits.

• Stories open doors for new talent. By sharing honest career stories, water professionals can help young and emerging leaders see themselves in the sector and understand the many paths into it.

• Everyone has a role in stewardship. Whether you work at a utility, in tech, on a board, or in a neighborhood, you can help protect water, tell its story, and invite others into the work.