Talk+Water

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, talks with Brian Sheng, CEO and a Co-Founder of Aquaria, about atmospheric water generation and its potential role in Texas’ water future.

Aquaria is a corporation that builds air-water infrastructure to produce scalable water systems that create clean drinking water from the air. Brian headquartered Aquaria in Austin, Texas, in 2024 to focus the company on meeting the rising water crisis in Texas.

While attending Princeton University, Brian wrote hi...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses dam removals and river restoration with Beth Lambert, Director of the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration. 

The Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration is part of the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game. As Director, Beth oversees a 30-person agency whose mission is to restore and protect rivers, wetlands, and watersheds for the benefit of people and the environment. Division of Ecological Restoration staff work with communities, landowners, nonprofit organizations, a...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, talks with Josh Katz, attorney with Bickerstaff Heath, about a recent Texas Supreme Court decision on produced water ownership and its implications for water rights and policy.

Josh practices in the areas of municipal law, environmental law, administrative law, water law, electric utility regulation, and civil litigation. He represents municipalities, river authorities, water districts, and private entities in these and related matters before state agencies and in state and federal...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, talks with Dr. Margaret Cook, Vice President of Water & Community Resilience at the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), about water use of data centers in Texas.

Margaret leads a team of experts who build collaborative initiatives to enhance community resilience, sustainable development, and the availability and affordability of clean water. She is a seasoned sustainability leader with a proven record of innovative research and solution development. With a strong foundation...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, examines how failed P-13 wells, which are former oil and gas wells converted for water use, can fall outside regulatory oversight and create risks for Texas groundwater, with Sarah Stogner, District Attorney for the Texas 143rd Judicial District, and Dr. Ron Green, retired hydrologist.

Sarah Stogner is the elected District Attorney for the 143rd Judicial District in rural West Texas. A West Texas landowner herself, she has become one of...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses the role of journalism and storytelling in advancing water solutions with Travis Loop, founder of the waterloop, an award-winning nonprofit news outlet exploring water sustainability. 

Travis began his career as a newspaper reporter and returned to his passion for journalism to launch and operate the platform. He brings more than 20 years of experience, including serving as communications director at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Water Environment Federation, a...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses the National Water Availability Assessment project, with Dr. Ted Stets, a Research Ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), who is leading the assessment.  The assessment project is tasked with producing a comprehensive, integrated assessment of the nation’s water availability.

The first National Water Assessment was published in January 2025; a supplement will be published at the end of 2026, and updates to the report are scheduled every five year...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses how investors and companies are confronting water-related financial risks with Kristen James, Senior Water Program Director at Ceres. 

Kirsten directs Ceres' strategy supporting investors and companies in addressing challenges facing our freshwater systems. Her work includes leading the Valuing Water Finance Initiative, a global effort to support investors working with companies to reduce financial risks stemming from water scarcity, pollution, and damage to freshwater ecosystems. 

Previously, Kirsten se...

Send us Fan Mail

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 dec...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses water issues with Margot Molloy, Director of CK Blueshift, Cam Wobus, Principal at CK Blueshift, and Emily Lewis, Partner at Culp & Kelly.

Margot Molloy is the Director of CK Blueshift a strategist, a facilitator and an executive coach that works with Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, public agencies, and foundations. Her areas of expertise include launching complex new initiatives, orchestrating cross-sector collaboration to...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, moderates the 2025 Public Administration Symposium at Austin College in Sherman, Texas.

On October 29, 2025, at the invitation of Professor Frank Rohmer, I provided the keynote talk for the Public Administration Symposium at Austin College in Sherman, Texas. The symposium, which was titled “The Challenge of Water in Fast Growing Texas,” was sponsored by the Sumner Foundation and presented by the Austin College Pre-Law Society.  The symposium was held less than a week...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses the key water planning, finance, and regulatory institutions of Texas and some of the current issues and challenges facing the state with Brooke Paup, Chairwoman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Brooke Paup was appointed Chairwoman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) by Governor Greg Abbott in January of 2025.  Prior to her appointment to TCEQ, Paup served on the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) beginning in 2018.  In...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses Texas Proposition 4 with Sarah Kirkle, Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs at the Texas Water Association, and Perry Fowler Executive Director of the Texas Water Infrastructure Network.

Sarah Kirkle works with members of Texas Water Association to develop policy positions through TWA’s legislative committees and to subsequently advance those policy initiatives through education and advocacy at the Texas Legislature. Previously, Kirkle was at Texas 2036 and the Sunset Advisory Co...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses the homebuilding boom in Houston area flood zones following Hurricane Harvey with Caroline Ghisolfi, Deputy Data Editor at the Houston Chronicle.

Caroline Ghisolfi combines data analysis, visualization and investigative techniques to drive accountability reporting for Texas communities. She oversees a team journalist-coders and spearheads data literacy initiatives across Hearst Newspapers in Texas.

Caroline joined the Chronicle as a data reporter on the investigative team in 2023. Before coming...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses common western water needs and challenges with Tony Willardson, recently retired Executive Director of Western States Water Council.

Tony Willardson was named as Executive Director of the Western States Water Council in July 2009, and served the Council in various capacities since 1979. He is a member of the National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration and has been recognized by the American Water Resources Association (AWRA) with the Mary...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses recent developments in the Rio Grande with Martha Pskowski, a Texas reporter for Inside Climate News based in El Paso.

Martha reports on water, oil and gas, and the impacts of climate change. She was previously an environmental reporter at the El Paso Times and a freelance reporter in Mexico City.

Take a deep dive into the world of water with those making  waves!

Also, j...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses extreme weather with Texas State Climatologist, Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon. He is a Regents Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University and also serves as the Director of the Southern Regional Climate Center.

John Nielsen-Gammon has been on the faculty at Texas A&M University since 1991. He conducts research on various types of extreme weather from droughts and floods to air pollution and computer modeling. As Texas State...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses the 89th Texas Legislative session with Vanessa Puig-Williams, Senior Director of Climate Resilient Water Systems at the Environmental Defense Fund, Jeremy Mazur, Director of Infrastructure and Natural Resources Policy at Texas 2036, and Carlos Rubinstein, Principal at RSAH​2O, LLC.

The 89th Legislative Session was a historic, generational water infrastructure-focused session. From legislation geared toward water infrastructure funding, coalitions formed to investigate and address water challenges in Texas, and more, th...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses water challenges in the Rio Grande with Martha Pskowski, a Texas reporter for Inside Climate News based in El Paso.

Martha reports on water, oil and gas, and the impacts of climate change. She was previously an environmental reporter at the El Paso Times and a freelance reporter in Mexico City.

Take a deep dive into the world of water with those making  waves!

Also, j...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses Multidecadal drought impacts on the Lower Colorado Basin with implications for future management with author, Dr. Bridget Scanlon, Research Professor at the Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Scanlon's current research focuses on various aspects of water resources, including global assessments using satellites and modeling, management related to climate extremes, and water energy interdependence. She has authored or co-authored ~200 publications...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses El Paso water resources with El Paso Water's Gilbert Trejo, Vice President of Operations and Technical Services, and Christina Montoya-Halter, Communications and Marketing  Manager.

Gilbert Trejo oversees engineering, operations and technical services. Previously, he served as Chief Technical Officer. Before coming to El Paso Water in 2014, he was the Principal in charge of Arcadis' Water Division in the El Paso, Texas region. In that role, he led business development, d...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses Austin water resources and the 100-year water plan with Shay Ralls Roalson, Director of Austin Water, and Marisa Flores Gonzalez, Program Manager for Austin Water's Water Forward Plan.

Shay Ralls Roalson P.E. became the Director of Austin Water in January 2023, leading a team of 1,300 employees committed to providing high quality drinking water, wastewater, and reclaimed water services to more than one million people in the Austin metropolitan area.<...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, explores the importance of communication in addressing Western water issues with Daniel Rothberg, a writer who focuses on research regarding water, public land, mining, and energy.

Daniel writes a newsletter, Western Water Notes, focusing on water in the Western U.S. For six years, Daniel worked as an environmental reporter for The Nevada Independent, where his work was recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, Best of the West, and...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation (recorded on 12/09/2024), Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses Texas' statewide flood plan with L'Oreal Stepney, P.E., Chairwoman of the Texas Water Development Board. This plan provides a comprehensive assessment of flood risk and solutions to mitigate that risk.

L'Oreal Stepney was named Chairwoman of the Texas Water Development Board by Governor Greg Abbott on January 8, 2025. Governor Abbott appointed her to the Board in December 2022 for a term beginning January 1, 2023.

Stepney previously served...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, explores the complexities of Colorado River management and related water issues in Utah, with Emily E. Lewis, a Director, Shareholder, and Co-Chair of the Natural Resources and Water Law Practice Group at Clyde Snow and Sessions in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Emily assists clients in navigating and solving complex water problems. She regularly advises individual water right owners, water conservancy districts, municipalities, mining companies, investors, and mutual shareholder irrigation companies...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses water infrastructure funding and the Texas economy with Jeremy Mazur, Director of Natural Resources and Infrastructure Policy for Texas 2036, and Gabriel Collins, Baker Botts Fellow in Energy and Environmental Regulatory Affairs at Rice University’s James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy (Baker Institute).

Jeremy Mazur has over 25 years of working in and with the Legislature and state leaders on water and energy policy issues. Before joining Texas 2036 in...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, talks with Jace Tunnell, Director of Community Engagement at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, about his work using digital outreach to combat plastic pollution and promote conservation along the Texas Coast.

Jace is the founder of a citizen science project called Nurdle Patrol that tracks plastic pellet concentrations internationally to create awareness of plastics in the ocean and develop new...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution, and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, talks with Brigid Shea, Travis County Commissioner, about water conservation efforts in Travis County.

Brigid is a former award-winning reporter at National Public Radio who has been fighting climate change in Texas since 1988. Along the way, she worked to save Austin’s iconic Barton Springs, organizing a massive city-wide ballot initiative that resulted in the historic Save Our Springs (SOS) law to save Barton Springs. As a former Austin City Co...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, talks with Dr. Jill Williamson, NASA International Space Station (ISS) Water Subsystems Manager and Water Management Co-Task Lead for the Mars Campaign Office Systems Capabilities Leadership Team, about innovative recycling technologies that purify and reuse all water sources, including sweat and urine, to ensure a sustainable, clean water supply for the ISS and astronauts. 

Jill has 10 years of unique expertise in water recycling and management for microgravity applications, as found on the ISS. Jill has a B...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water, talks with Perry Fowler, Executive Director of the Texas Water Infrastructure Network (TXWIN), about the state of water infrastructure in Texas.

As Executive Director, Fowler leads the organization’s efforts to build a strong, sustainable, and competitive Texas water infrastructure construction market through policy development, education, and advocacy. He is also the Principal of Fowler Group Texas, LLC, providing lobbying, government affairs, business consulting, association, and coalition management services. A fifth-generation Texas native, Fowler grew up in the Texas construction industry an...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, discusses water reuse with Noelle George, Managing Director of WateReuse Texas.

WateReuse Texas represents over 70 organizations working to ensure all future Texans have access to clean, safe water. Before her role at WateReuse Texas, Noelle was Executive Director of an international nonprofit advocating for global change in the areas of women’s rights and disaster recovery through grant-making and volunteer organizing. She started her career as a pipeline engineer and capital project manager at Chevron, winning th...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water, talks with Dr. Maria-Elena Giner, P.E., United States Commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), about managing the water treaties between the U.S. and Mexico.

Appointed by President Joe Biden in August 2021, Dr. Giner is the second woman and first Latina to serve as the U.S. IBWC Commissioner. She previously served as General Manager of the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC), an institution that developed environmental infrastructure along the U.S.-Mexico border in association with...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water, talks with Aaron Wolf about managing and resolving water conflicts. Wolf is a Geography Professor at Oregon State University, a Professor of Water Diplomacy at the IHE-Delft Institute for Water Education, and a trained mediator/facilitator.

Wolf directs the Program in Water Conflict Management and Transformation at Oregon State University, through which he has offered workshops, facilitations, and mediations around the world. He is also a Professor of Water Diplomacy at the IHE-Delft Institute for Water Education. Wolf authored The Spirit...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water, talks with Sam Marie Hermitte, Assistant Deputy Executive Administrator of Water Science and Conservation for the Texas Water Development Board, about utilizing data to support water management and conservation.

Her responsibilities at the Texas Water Development Board include strategic planning, legislative analysis and implementation, water data, drought policy and project coordination, priority flood research projects, and special initiatives such as the development of the Texas Water Data Hub and TexasFlood.org. Additionally, Sam leads the Texas Water Data Initiative and serves...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, the Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water, talks with Chad Berginnis, Executive Director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), about the role of floodplain management in mitigating flood loss.

As Executive Director of ASFPM, Berginnis frequently collaborates with FEMA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other federal agencies to advocate for effective policies and programs related to mitigating flood risk, strengthening community resilience, protecting our water resources, and advancing equity and social justice. He has also testified...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, the Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water, talks with Brian Richter, president of Sustainable Waters, about the challenges posed by water scarcity.

Brian Richter has been a global leader in water science and conservation for more than 30 years. As president of Sustainable Waters, a global organization focused on water scarcity challenges, he promotes sustainable water use and management with governments, corporations, universities, and local communities. He previously served as Director of the Global Water Program for The Nature Conservancy, an international conservation organization. Brian has consulted on...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation during American Wetlands Month, Dr. Todd Votteler, the Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water, discusses wetland conservation and protection with Dr. Megan Lang, the Chief Scientist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory Program.

Dr. Lang leads the congressionally mandated national Wetlands Status and Trends study for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory Program, which provides estimates of U.S. wetland extent, type, and change specific to different time periods from the 1700s to 2019. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the...

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Texas+Water Editor-in-Chief Dr. Todd Votteler discusses dam removal movement with Katie Schmidt, Associate Director of the National Dam Removal Program at American Rivers.

Katie coordinates and implements the American Rivers' federal policy agenda for dam removal and works with our federal agency partners. She also supports the National Dam Removal Community of Practice and develops tools and resources for dam removal practitioners. She has focused much of her work on hydropower reform and hydropower dam removal. As a former Fellow with American Rivers, Katie researched and wrote...

Send us Fan Mail

Send us Fan Mail

In this conversation, Texas Water Journal & Texas+Water Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Todd Votteler, talks with Scott Wright, Principal Engineer for the River Design Group, about the impact of dam removals in river restoration efforts.

Scott Wright is the Principal Engineer for the River Design Group in Corvallis, Oregon. Scott grew up in Southern Oregon on the Rogue River, which was made famous by author Zane Grey. Wright’s dad was a logger who  instilled in Scott a love for the natural environment through endless days of fishing, hunting, and time in the out...