Brad Coffey: COVID-19 and Water is the Best Defense

In this episode, Group Manager of the Water Resource Management at Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Brad Coffey talks with students from the UC Riverside School of Public Policy about the safety, reliability, and affordability of water during this pandemic. About Brad Coffey: Brad Coffey serves as Group Manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. He leads the Water Resource Management Group and is responsible for planning and managing metropolitan's imported and local water resource programs, advancing water-use efficiency, and providing supply and demand forecasts for the region. Recently, Mr. Coffey has served as an Assistant Manager for the System Operations Group. As Assistant Manager, he helped manage more than 900 employees who import, treat, and deliver water throughout Southern California. Learn more about Brad Coffey via http://www.mwdh2o.com/WhoWeAre/Management/Executive-Staff Podcast Highlights: “Your drinking water is heavily protected against many things, including the virus which causes COVID-19.” -       Brad Coffey on the topic of concerns regarding the quality of water during COVID-19. “Hand washing is one of the main things we can do to fight this virus so it would be unconscionable for us to turn off the tap, shut someone off, and they couldn't have water to wash their hands. That just won’t happen.” -       Brad Coffey on the topic of water industries maintaining services for customers. “Almost all the clogs in sewer systems these days, it’s not by fats or greases, its by these sanitary wipes...it's really not good for the sewage collection systems.” -       Brad Coffey on the topic of flushing down sanitary wipes and showing up in sewages. Guest: Brad Coffey (Group Manager of the Water Resource Management at Metropolitan Water District of Southern California) Interviewer: Kurt Schwabe (Associate Dean, Chair and Professor of Environmental Economics and Policy, UCR School of Public Policy) Music by: Samuel Roberts (UCR Public Policy ‘20) This is a production of the UCR School of Public Policy: https://spp.ucr.edu/ Subscribe to this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Learn more about the series and other episodes via https://spp.ucr.edu/podcast.