Rogue Water Lab

In our final episode of the #RuralRipplesPodcast, we talk with R.Brent Locke about how the de-valuing of water causes infrastructure, safety, and affordability problems. 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐍: https://lnkd.in/g763d5nG 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫: 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 Brent runs Bistone Municipal Water Supply, a small system in Texas, and has worked in the industry for almost 50 years! He talks about the challenge of attracting and keeping a rural workforce, his solution, and the need to raise public awareness about the true value of water services, plus how he goes about that even with limited time on his hands. Listen to Episode 10, to interact with Brent's insights on: 🔹 How partnering with high schools can ensure the future of small systems 🔹 The importance of building trust and transparency in water utilities to solve infrastructure challenges 🔹 Why rural systems engaging with communities about water’s value is essential

𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 ... 🥁🥁🥁 ... 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ... Don't be caught with FOMO 😱 Make sure to include #Catalyst2025 in your budget and travel plans! Dates Coming Soon.

𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 ... 🥁🥁🥁 ... 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ... Don't be caught with FOMO 😱 Make sure to include #Catalyst2025 in your budget and travel plans! Dates Coming Soon.

We love this blog from Charli K. Matthews because it says something we all know, yet don't often bring into our work or professional development: 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫. At Rogue, all of our "trainings," "workshops," and events are curated practicing the science and research that shows humans are more impacted and learn better when we engage and have meaningful surroundings. Check out this article from Yale University on #ecopsychology -- How Immersion in Nature Benefits Your Health https://lnkd.in/ekqrmER

No more river fires due to pollutants. Better protected drinking water sources. We’ve made progress with the #SafeDrinkingWaterAct over the last 50 years. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝟓𝟎? ❓❔❓❔ That was the basis of conversation at the SDWA Symposium hosted by the Water & Health Advisory Council at the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison this week. 💡 A select group of national researchers, policy leaders, journalists, utility leaders, and drinking water professionals tackled the question. As for me and Rogue Water Lab, we’re working to eliminate #distrust in water. 🚫 Thanks Manny Teodoro, Chad Seidel and the other Council members for the invite and deliberation. 🙏🏻 And particular shoutout to the U.S. Conference of Mayors and their Mayors Water Council Chair, Mayor Danene Sorace of Lancaster, PA for showing up with purpose, demonstrating the water sector can successfully engage and design effective and sustainable solutions along with elected leaders. 👏🏻 Appreciated discussions with these and others: Caroleana Kvaterchuk Allison, Kathryn Sorensen, David LaFrance, Robert Renner, Nancy Quirk, P.E., Michelle Stockness, Ted Henifin, Bill Teichmiller, Tad Bohannon, JD, LLM, MBA, Michael Phillis, Denise Schmidt, Patrick Pauly, Joseph Cotruvo, Lyn Van Swol, Samantha Zuhlke, Olga Morales-Pate, Brett Walton , David Rankin, Laura Fay, Jennifer Hodgkins, Manny Teodoro, Tracy Mehan, Chad Seidel.

If you’re a utility and don’t think you’ll be answering lots of questions about chlorine, fluoride and other treatment chemicals in 2025, you’re wrong. Lucky for you, there is research indicating the best ways to communicate when your audience may be misinformed or alarmed. Follow Rogue Water Lab for tips and to join the conversation. Together, we can all bolster public trust in water.

Rogue Water's work is possible through support from people like you. With your help, together we can keep moving the needle on equipping the water sector to better engage and build trust in water services. 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://lnkd.in/gxkrFxb7

𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞: 𝙄 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 "𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨." I know, I know. Shocking, right? Blasphemy coming from the leader of a nonprofit that exists to help the water sector better engage and communicate. I don't hate the word because it's not 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 and 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. -- I hate it because the term is 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗱. See the difference? The role of #communication and #engagement in water is ALL of our jobs. And yet, we as a society consider communications a #softskill. There's nothing soft about it. It's hard. That's why I like to call it a #powertool. Most of us don't profess to be communicators and those of us who do are sometimes written off as having no expertise. Until the water sector embraces up-skilling with the #powertools of proper engagement and communication, we'll never solve the water challenges before us. What do you think?

How do you maintain #trust between communities and retain/respect a community's culture and history when circumstances have driven them to consider consolidating water services? Check out this example from Arkansas. 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://lnkd.in/g763d5nG Tad Bohannon, JD, LLM, MBA

We realize we can’t dive into #ruralwater without also exploring the critical role large systems play in shaping the future of rural water systems. We do that in Episode 9 of the #RuralRipplesPodcast with Tad Bohannon, JD, LLM, MBA, CEO of Central Arkansas Water. 𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗡: https://lnkd.in/g763d5nG | 𝗡𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: 𝗧𝗮𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 As the leader of the largest drinking water utility in Arkansas — serving 500,000 people — Tad has a unique perspective on regional collaboration and innovation in the water sector. Under his leadership, CAW has increased its service territory through traditional consolidations and also has advanced rural water quality and service through non-traditional collaboration means such as peer guidance, court-ordered recievership, and business partnerships. 𝐈𝐧 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟗, 𝐓𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐨𝐧: 🔹 The #publicservice of water and wastewater work 🔹 Drivers behind #SuccessfulPartnerships with rural systems 🔹 What it takes to build #resilient and #sustainable water systems for the future and what’s standing in the way