Make Water Work Podcast

Isaac Pellerin
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Technology

Make Water Work is a podcast dedicated to the people shaping the future of our most precious resource.

  1. 1d ago

    WEFTEC, Innovation, & Imagine H2O | Make Water Work 053

    Meet the 2026 Imagine H2O accelerator cohort, live from the WEFTEC innovation hub in New Orleans. At WEFTEC, thousands of exhibitors compete for attention, but the Innovation Hub is where you see what small teams can do with a good idea and the right support. In this episode, Isaac Pellerin walks the floor with the Imagine H2O portfolio companies and asks each founder how they got into water, what they’re building, and what the accelerator has meant for them. In this episode: → Noah McCall of Imagine H2O on the accelerator, the Asia program, and the pilot fund → Molendotech with Bactiquick: a handheld test that detects bacterial contamination in about 15 minutes instead of 1 to 2 days → FloNergia: using air instead of mechanical parts to move and aerate water, with 600 units deployed in aquaculture → AquaPoro: pulling water directly from the air with a molecular sponge → Biota: a $10, 15-minute rapid PFAS test → Active Membranes: electrically conductive RO membranes that fight fouling and scaling and cut desalination costs by up to 50% → AlgaFilm Technologies: algae-based nutrient removal for smaller wastewater systems → Brightwater Tools: freeze concentration for high-strength liquid waste streams → AxNano: on-site capture and destruction of PFAS and other hard-to-treat contaminants → Earth Focus (Imagine H2O Asia cohort): EcoVapor, a cooling tower retrofit that recovers 30 to 45% of evaporative loss → Delta Bravo AI: PermitPro and Aquaspec, AI tools for environmental permitting and water utility operations Why this matters: Selling anything new in water comes down to moving at the speed of trust. Imagine H2O selects a small cohort from hundreds of applicants, then surrounds them with the mentors, connections, and customers to close that trust gap faster. Applications for the next Imagine H2O cohort are open now. WEFTEC 2027 is the 100th anniversary of the conference, in Chicago. Apply: https://www.imagineh2o.org/apply/ Meet the full 2026 cohort: https://www.imagineh2o.org/2026imagineh2oacceleratorcohort/ Connect with Make Water Work: Subscribe for more conversations with the people innovating and serving in the water industry. Follow Isaac on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaacpellerin/ #MakeWaterWork #ImagineH2O #WEFTEC #WaterInnovation #WaterTech #Accelerator #PFAS #Desalination #WaterUtilities

  2. Oct 22

    Catalyst Collab: Jennifer Tabanico | Make Water Work 052

    On this Catalyst Collab episode, Isaac Pellerin and Chelsea Boozer (Rogue Water Lab) sit down with Jennifer Tabanico, President of Action Research and a Catalyst 2026 guide, who has spent more than 20 years using behavioral science to help water and environmental organizations change what people actually do. From a childhood in Arizona where water felt invisible, to wanting to train Shamu, to a career in conservation psychology, Jennifer shares how water found her and why education and awareness alone rarely move the needle. In this episode: • How did water find Jennifer? From SeaWorld dreams to conservation psychology • Where education and awareness campaigns fall short, and what community-based social marketing does differently • Why every behavior has its own barriers and motivators, and why one message can’t fit all • “Check After You Mow”: how nighttime observations and a lawnmower hang tag cut sprinkler runoff • Where low-budget, low-capacity utilities can start: get out of the boardroom and talk to people • Reaching “the middle” instead of only hearing from your biggest fans and loudest critics • What to do when one angry call or social post threatens to derail a good program • Using social norms and community data to drive participation • A preview of Jennifer’s hands-on session at Catalyst 2026, where guests became behavioral scientists for an afternoon Learn more about Jennifer and her work: Action Research: https://actionresearch-inc.com/ Spark Behavior Change: https://sparkbehaviorchange.com Fostering Sustainable Behavior (4th edition, 2025), co-authored by Jennifer Learn more about Catalyst: https://roguewaterlab.org/events/catalyst-2026/ Make Water Work is a 120Water podcast celebrating the people innovating and serving in the water industry. Subscribe for more conversations with the leaders, communicators, and innovators shaping the future of water. #MakeWaterWork #CatalystCollab #BehavioralScience #WaterCommunications #CommunityBasedSocialMarketing #WaterUtilities #WaterConservation #120Water

    Catalyst Collab: Jennifer Tabanico | Make Water Work 052

  3. Oct 8

    Manny Patel: From Regulator to Bridge Builder | Make Water Work 051

    When Manny Patel's boss called to move him from the air program to drinking water, his answer was honest: "I don't know anything about water except that it comes from a tap and I drink it." A decade later, he calls those years the most fun of his nearly 40-year career. In this episode of Make Water Work, Isaac Pellerin sits down with Manny Patel, Senior Director of Water Administration at 120Water and former Drinking Water Program Manager at Georgia EPD. Manny walks through what a state drinking water program actually does, why five new rules landing on flat budgets forced states to rethink their tools, and what he'd modernize next if he had the time and money. In this episode: - How a chemical engineer from petroleum refining and air permitting ended up running a state drinking water program - The four core buckets of a state program: compliance, sanitary surveys, engineering review, and source water protection - Monthly operating reports, CCRs, and the case for a single state dashboard - Using data to prioritize SRF dollars before a crisis instead of after one - Asset management: why pipe age isn't the only indicator of failure - Why a 20-year regulator chose to join a solution provider   Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:16 How did water find you? 02:49 From refining to air pollution control 05:07 What a state drinking water program actually does 12:08 Five new rules, flat budgets, and the LCRR inventory challenge 18:24 Beyond lead: modernizing MORs and CCRs 24:47 Data-driven funding and prioritizing SRF dollars 27:24 Asset management: age isn't the only indicator 32:26 Telling the water sector's story better 35:16 Why Manny joined 120Water   Connect with Manny Patel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manny-patel-871bb61b/ Learn more about 120Water: 120Water.com   #MakeWaterWork #DrinkingWater #WaterIndustry #LCRI #AssetManagement #SafeDrinkingWaterAct #WaterUtilities

    Manny Patel: From Regulator to Bridge Builder | Make Water Work 051

  4. Oct 1

    LIVE from Catalyst — Kathy Bentz & Pal Hollywood on Making Water Local | Make Water Work 050

    For our 50th episode, we did something we've never done before — recorded in front of a live audience at Catalyst, inside a wine and culinary center in San Diego. Fitting, since this episode is all about terroir: how the best water communication doesn't copy-paste a playbook, it reflects the place it comes from. Joining us are Kathy Bentz (Prince William Water) and Pal Hollywood (San Jose Water) — two communicators who've built real, local trust with the communities they serve, using some of the most creative engagement strategies we've featured on this show.   In this episode:   • How water found Kathy and Pal — from flooding on the Ohio River to falling in love with water through a tech-industry client • Behind the Tap: how Prince William Water keeps messaging hyper-local, one hydrant flush at a time • San Jose Water's hard-water influencer campaign — and why skipping "water influencers" for local lifestyle voices made all the difference • H2Go Kids: how employees' own children became the voice of Prince William Water's public education videos • The data center question that went viral at a board meeting, and the leak-alert story an influencer brought back on her own • Why employees might be the most underused audience in water communications • Live audience Q&A — cost, influencer vetting, employee recruitment, and more   🔗 Learn more: Prince William Water: pwwater.org San Jose Water: sjwater.com Catalyst 2026: catalysth2o.org   👉 What's one story from your community that deserves to be told with more local flavor, not less? Drop it in the comments.   #MakeWaterWork #Catalyst2026 #WaterIndustry #WaterCommunications #PublicWaterSupply

    LIVE from Catalyst — Kathy Bentz & Pal Hollywood on Making Water Local | Make Water Work 050

  5. Sep 28

    Cristina Ahmadpour: Beyond Pilots & Scaling Innovation | Make Water Work 049

    "Disruptive" is the wrong word for water. So what's the right one? In this episode of Make Water Work, Isaac Pellerin sits down with Cristina Ahmadpour, President and Managing Director, Americas at Isle Utilities, who has spent over a decade helping water utilities identify and adopt emerging technology. After 11 years leading Isle's US business, Cristina shares a candid look at what leadership has taught her about innovation, and why so many good ideas never make it past the pilot stage. In this episode, we cover:   • How Cristina discovered, years into her career, that her grandfather helped build the dam infrastructure that brought water security to cities like Isfahan and Tehran • Why real innovation isn't just new technology, but a full cycle that only counts once it's actually adopted and scaled • The people and leadership gaps that make innovation harder in water than it needs to be • Cristina's take on the "pilot to scale" gap: why vendors need more discipline in choosing early adopters, and why chasing scale too fast can backfire • Why "performance guarantees" and skin-in-the-game deals could fix the industry's pilot-to-RFP problem • Why water utilities shouldn't want to hear the word "disruptive," and what language works instead • Lessons from 11 years in leadership: saying yes to opportunities, building the right team, and not compromising on culture • Where Isle Utilities fits into the water innovation landscape today, 21 years after its founding   If you work in water innovation, utility leadership, or technology adoption, this conversation offers a grounded, honest look at what it actually takes to move a good idea from pilot to practice.   Connect with Cristina and Isle Utilities: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinaahmadpour/?isSelfProfile=false   Like, subscribe, and drop a comment: what's one piece of "innovation" happening at your utility that never gets called that?   #MakeWaterWork #WaterIndustry #WaterInnovation #UtilityLeadership #WaterTechnology #IsleUtilities

    Cristina Ahmadpour: Beyond Pilots & Scaling Innovation | Make Water Work 049

  6. Sep 17

    Catalyst Collab: Britton Smith | Make Water Work 048

    In this episode of the Make Water Work Catalyst Collab, Isaac Pellerin sits down with Britton Smith, founder and lead artist of Britton & The Sting, who served as a guide at Catalyst 2025 and led one of the most talked-about sessions of the year. They dig into how a commission for a theater on the Hudson turned into Mama, a project built entirely around water as a living, relational force, and what happened when Britton brought that same energy into a room full of water professionals. In this episode, we cover: • How a commission from Little Island, an amphitheater on the Hudson River, turned into Mama, a 16-song project reframing water as alive rather than just a resource • Why Britton calls water "a map into how we should be living our lives more sustainably" • The connection between water justice, environmental racism, and who historically got to live upstream versus downstream • Inside Britton's Catalyst 2025 session: using water as a mirror to ask what parts of ourselves we leave at home, and why that question moved a room of water professionals to tears • Why the "curse of knowledge" is a bigger barrier to public trust than most technical experts realize • Britton's take on storytelling versus facts, and why "whoever tells the best story wins" • Where to catch Britton & The Sting on tour If you work in water communications, community engagement, or utility leadership, this conversation will change how you think about the parts of yourself you bring to the work. Connect with Britton & The Sting: https://www.brittonandthesting.com/ Read more about Britton's work with water: https://www.them.us/story/britton-smith-mama-one-of-them-interview   Learn more about Catalyst 2026: catalysth2o.org Like, subscribe, and drop a comment: what part of yourself do you leave at the door before you walk into work? #MakeWaterWork #Catalyst2026 #WaterCommunication #PublicTrust #WaterIndustry #ArtAndActivism #WaterJustice

    Catalyst Collab: Britton Smith | Make Water Work 048

  7. Sep 11

    Heather Collins: Leading AWWA, Trust, and the Human Side of Water | Make Water Work 047

    Heather Collins set out to work in aerospace. She ended up running water operations for 19 million people, and finishing a term as the 144th President of the American Water Works Association. In this episode, Isaac sits down with Heather Collins, Assistant Chief of Operations at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and immediate past president of AWWA, for a conversation that moves from how water found her to what it actually takes to keep a region's water flowing when everything from cyberattacks to earthquakes is on the table. In this episode, we cover: •How a canceled aerospace internship led Heather into water, and eventually to public health, water quality, and operations at one of the largest water wholesalers in the world •What AWWA actually is, how its 50,000 members and 43 sections work alongside its staff, and why the presidency is a one-year role built on decades of groundwork •Why Metropolitan's century-old, largely gravity-fed system is an engineering marvel and what "manual mode" means for resiliency during cyberattacks and natural disasters •The real relationship between data centers, power, and water demand, and what's misunderstood about it •Why AI and automation are freeing up the workforce for higher-value work, not replacing the human judgment operators bring •Rebuilding public trust in tap water across generations that get their information in completely different ways •What Heather is most proud of from her presidential year, and her advice for the next generation of water leaders Water is easy to take for granted right until it isn't. This conversation is a good reminder of everything standing behind the tap.

    Heather Collins: Leading AWWA, Trust, and the Human Side of Water | Make Water Work 047

  8. Sep 3

    Catalyst Collab: Shannon Kring | Make Water Work 046

    In this episode of the Make Water Work Catalyst Collab, Isaac Pellerin and Chelsea Boozer (Executive Director, Rogue Water Lab) sit down with Shannon Kring, Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker, director, and president of Red Queen Media. Shannon's work spans more than 70 countries and includes the feature documentary Nine Little Indians (executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and Tony Robbins) and End of the Line: The Women of Standing Rock, which follows Indigenous water protectors. She guided a session at Catalyst 2024 and joins us to go deeper into what she's learned filming water stories across rural, tribal, and urban communities nationwide. In this episode, we cover: • Shannon's own water story, from iron-stained well water in rural Wisconsin to unsafe tap water in Honduras to some of the best water in the world in Helsinki • How Indigenous communities across Turtle Island relate to water not as a resource, but as a living relative deserving of care • A hard lesson in cultural intelligence from the San Carlos Apache Reservation, and why "showing up" the right way changes everything • The story behind Lowndes County, Alabama, and how a well-intentioned government visit nearly shut a community's doors before a single conversation happened • Why underneath most customer anger over a water bill is shame, not hostility, and what that means for how utilities should respond • Why accepting a cup of coffee, a cookie, or a small kindness can matter more to trust than any talking point • Shannon's one piece of advice for the water sector: slow down, and just listen If you work in water communications, public engagement, or utility leadership, this conversation will change how you think about who you're serving and how you show up for them. Connect with Shannon Kring: https://www.redqueenmedia.com Connect with Chelsea Boozer / Rogue Water Lab: https://www.roguewaterlab.com Learn more about Catalyst 2026: catalysth2o.org Like, subscribe, and drop a comment: what's your water story? #MakeWaterWork #Catalyst2026 #WaterCommunications #PublicTrust #WaterIndustry #IndigenousWater #WaterIsLife

    Catalyst Collab: Shannon Kring | Make Water Work 046
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Make Water Work is a podcast dedicated to the people shaping the future of our most precious resource.

Information

  • Creator
    Isaac Pellerin
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    54
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Make Water Work Podcast

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