Why does a technology we think of as “modern” actually date back thousands of years?

In this episode of the Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel, we explore why desalination is one of humanity’s oldest technologies, and how turning seawater into fresh water has shaped civilizations, public health, and the modern world.

This podcast episode features author and engineer Emilio Gabbrielli, whose book traces more than 7,000 years of desalination history. From ancient distillation methods to Renaissance-era designs by Leonardo da Vinci, to Cold War investments championed by John F. Kennedy, this conversation reveals that desalination is not a new invention, but a rediscovered survival technology.

In this episode of the Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel, we connect ancient innovation with modern engineering, exploring how desalination supports public health, families, and communities. Access to clean water is foundational to hygiene, sleep quality, child development, disease prevention, and vaccine effectiveness. For parents and caregivers, reliable fresh water underpins health outcomes that are often taken for granted.

This podcast discussion goes beyond technology to examine geopolitics, environmental concerns, and the myths surrounding desalination. We talk honestly about brine, energy use, cost, and why many misconceptions persist, despite decades of real-world data.

The Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel is a podcast for decision-makers, engineers, utility leaders, policymakers, and anyone interested in water security, infrastructure, and the future of civilization.

00:00 Welcome to the Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel 02:10 Why desalination is far older than most people realize 05:30 Desalination in ancient civilizations and early survival 09:45 Roman ships, distillation, and life at sea 14:20 Cleopatra the Alchemist and early distillation science 19:10 Leonardo da Vinci’s desalination designs 25:30 Desalination during the Age of Discovery 31:40 World War II and ship-based desalination 36:50 The Middle East, oil, and land-based desalination 42:30 JFK, the Cold War, and desalination as a global priority 48:10 The birth of modern reverse osmosis membranes 53:40 Environmental myths, brine, and real impacts 59:30 Why clean water matters for health, sleep, and families 1:04:30 The future of desalination and water innovation 1:10:00 Final thoughts and where to find the book

• Desalination is one of humanity’s oldest survival technologies

• Ancient, Renaissance, and modern desalination methods are deeply connected

• Leonardo da Vinci designed early desalination systems

• JFK viewed desalination as a humanitarian and global priority

• Clean water is essential for health, hygiene, sleep, and disease prevention

• Reliable water access supports families, children, and vaccine effectiveness

• Environmental concerns around desalination are often misunderstood

• Modern reverse osmosis builds on decades of public research

Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel, desalination history, water technology podcast, fresh water from seawater, reverse osmosis, clean drinking water, public health and water, water and child health, water hygiene, water safety, parents and health, sleep and hydration, vaccines and clean water, disease prevention, global water security, desalination myths, water infrastructure podcast

🔔 Subscribe to the Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel on YouTube 🎧 Listen to this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Podbean 🌐 Visit https://SaltyWaterPodcast.com to explore episodes and resources 💬 Share this episode with anyone interested in water, health, and the future of civilization

Water is invisible, until it is not.

In this episode of the Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel, host Eric Jankel sits down with Harry Cohen, Hillsborough County Commissioner and Chairman of Tampa Bay Water, to uncover the hidden infrastructure that quietly supports daily life for more than 2.6 million people across the Tampa Bay region.

From hurricanes and drought cycles to rapid population growth and environmental protection, this conversation explains how groundwater, surface water, and desalination work together to keep water flowing under pressure. At the center of the system is the Tampa Bay seawater desalination plant, the first large-scale municipal seawater reverse osmosis plant in North America, and a critical safeguard against water shortages.

This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in desalination, water infrastructure, public policy, climate resilience, and podcasting about complex systems that directly affect families, public health, and everyday life. Reliable water underpins everything, from household health to regional economic stability.

The Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel goes beyond headlines to explore how long-term planning, investment, and regional cooperation protect future water supplies.

00:00 – Why water is a precious and finite resource 01:00 – Tampa Bay’s unique role in North American desalination 02:00 – How Tampa Bay Water serves over 2.6 million residents 03:15 – Regional planning successes, and where other systems fall short 04:30 – Groundwater, surface water, and desalination explained 05:45 – Environmental regulation and partnership with SWFWMD 06:45 – Why irrigation accounts for nearly half of water demand 08:15 – Drought cycles, conservation, and watering restrictions 09:00 – Why desalination is the only drought-proof supply 11:00 – Long-term water planning and future supply options 13:00 – Refurbishing and modernizing the desalination plant 15:00 – Pipelines, reservoirs, and system-wide expansion 16:30 – Lessons for California, Texas, and other growing regions 18:30 – Environmental monitoring, marine life, and water quality 20:00 – Regional cooperation as the real infrastructure success

• Why desalination functions as an insurance policy for water systems • How Tampa Bay balances cost, reliability, and environmental protection • The economics behind blending multiple water sources • Why conservation policies dramatically reduce demand • How water planning impacts families, public health, and resilience • What other regions can learn from Tampa Bay’s cooperative model

Salty Water Podcast, Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel, water infrastructure podcast, desalination podcast, reverse osmosis desalination, Tampa Bay Water, municipal water supply, drought proof water, climate resilience water, water conservation, water reuse, public infrastructure podcast, environmental water planning, podcasting about water

Subscribe to the Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel for in-depth conversations on desalination, water reuse, infrastructure, and the future of water.

New episodes drop every Friday.

Share this episode with engineers, policymakers, sustainability leaders, educators, and anyone who wants to understand how clean water supports healthy families and resilient communities.

Explore episodes and platforms at: 👉 https://SaltyWaterPodcast.com

This is podcasting for the people who keep the water running.

Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel is for decision-makers, innovators, and leaders shaping the future of water.

Each episode features in-depth conversations with experts across desalination, water reuse, water infrastructure, and water technology, offering practical insight into what is working, what is changing, and what is coming next, without hype, just real experience.

Hosted by Eric Jankel, a water industry executive with more than 40 years of global experience. Eric is the CEO of Aqualyng Holdings, founding director of the Middle East Desalination Research Center in Muscat, Oman, and former commercial lead for desalination technologies at global engineering firms including Hatch and Jacobs.

Over his career, Eric has worked alongside some of the most dedicated and innovative professionals in the water sector. This podcast is his opportunity to bring their stories, lessons, and insights directly to you.

In addition to deep dives on breakthrough technologies, policy shifts, and project development, the Salty Water Podcast features career spotlight episodes that explore how industry leaders entered the field, what they have learned along the way, and what guidance they want to pass on to the next generation. These conversations are especially valuable for professionals in government, utilities, engineering, project development, and environmental strategy.

The Salty Water Podcast helps you stay informed on the people and ideas making global water systems more efficient, sustainable, and resilient.

New episodes are released weekly on Fridays.

Season 1 is 10 episodes.

#SaltyWaterPodcast #EricJankel #FutureOfWater #WaterIndustry #Desalination #WaterReuse #WaterInfrastructure #WaterInnovation

Visit https://SaltyWaterPodcast.com to learn more, find us on social media, or listen on your favorite podcast platform.