Audacious Water with John Sabo

Our rural communities feed and power the country, but our water infrastructure tells a different story.Olga Morales-Pate, head of the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) and a national leader in rural community development, joins John to discuss the challenges rural communities face when it comes to water infrastructure, why they are being left behind, and what it will take to change it. Drawing on more than 25 years of work in rural and colonia communities, Olga makes the case that rural water is not a niche issue. Instead, it is a foundation of national economic resilience, even though the country has not been building it that way.“I don’t care what size community it is -- the biggest resources are the people. Those are the biggest assets, and we’re not investing enough in rural communities to retain those assets.”- Olga Morales, Episode 9 of Season 5, Audacious WaterWhat You’ll Hear Discussed in This Episode:* The Rural-Urban Disconnect* Water as an Economic Foundation* The Funding Crisis Since the Pandemic* Annexation vs. Regionalization* Colonias and Water Insecurity in the U.S.* A Reactive System with No DataListen to the conversation with Olga to hear what it will take to build water infrastructure that works for the communities the country depends on. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

How can we use nature-based solutions alongside traditional infrastructure to meet our needs?Melissa Ho joins John Sabo to explore how conservation is shifting from protecting nature in isolation to designing systems where people and ecosystems work together. Drawing on her experience in conservation and development, Melissa explains how nature-based solutions are being integrated with built infrastructure to improve water management and restore ecosystems.The conversation also explores groundwater, agriculture, corporate engagement, and why better stewardship and management of water may matter more than creating new supply.“Nature-based solutions … it’s not just conservation with better branding, it’s actually re-engineering our mindset to think about engineering better with biological systems.”— Melissa Ho, Season 5 of Audacious WaterDiscussed in This Episode:* The Shift Away from “Fortress Conservation”* How Nature-Based Solutions Work With Infrastructure* Groundwater, Data, and Better Water Management* Agriculture, Runoff, and Watershed Health* Corporate Incentives, Disclosure, and Water Risk* Scaling Nature-Based Solutions Beyond Pilot Projects This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

If water is critical for economic growth, then why don’t we prioritize it in our planning?Albert Cho, Vice President and Chief Strategy and External Affairs Officer at Xylem, joins John to explore why water security is foundational to economic growth, but we don't plan for it that way. From AI and infrastructure to basin-scale governance and disaster resilience, Albert explains how rising demand and system constraints are reshaping water challenges across the U.S. He also discusses why the biggest barrier isn’t innovation, but adoption, and how better planning and coordination could unlock significant amounts of water already within existing systems." Trying to approach the problem the same way and planning for infrastructure in the same way is literally the definition of insanity. It is going to condemn us to a future of water insecurity."- Albert Cho on Audacious WaterWhat We Discuss in This Episode:* Water Security and Human Security* What’s Missing in AI Infrastructure Planning* “Potential Water” in Existing Systems* Fragmentation and Basin-Level Coordination* Rural Systems and Regionalization* Innovation vs. AdoptionListen to the conversation with Albert Cho to hear how new demands are reshaping water systems, and what it will take to create more water security. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

How do you insure a future where extreme weather is the new normal?Raghuveer Vinukollu, a hydrologist and reinsurance professional, joins John to explore how the insurance industry is responding to the growing risks of extreme weather. Reinsurance is insurance for insurance companies, and it helps make it possible to cover catastrophic events like hurricanes and flooding. Raghuveer explains how data is used to understand and price risk, why the industry balances accuracy with adequacy, and how natural infrastructure and system-scale thinking could help reduce risk and lower insurance costs.“There is always going to be a certain amount of uncertainty which can be priced for, but if we can get the right amount of adequacy, then only we can move forward.”- Raghuveer Vinukollu, Audacious WaterWhat You’ll Hear in This Episode:* Accuracy, Adequacy, and Uncertainty in Reinsurance* How Reinsurance Works: A Probabilistic Approach to Risk* Extreme Weather and the Changing Risk Landscape* From Risk Assessment to Risk Reduction* Nature-Based Infrastructure and System-Scale Solutions* Financing Resilience and the Future of Adaptation This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

What are the challenges communities face when it comes to taking action against flooding?On this episode of Audacious Water, Melissa Roberts joins John to talk about fragmentation, systemic challenges, and how water really flows. Melissa is the Founder and Executive Director of the American Flood Coalition, where she works with leaders across the country to create local solutions to flood management and pass legislation that helps further flood resilience.Melissa and John talk about the importance of managing flood risk at scale, what that looks like for communities, and why fragmented water governance makes taking effective action so difficult, even when we know the risks. They also discuss how a new national water strategy could help bring these pieces together and move us toward more coordinated, forward-looking solutions.What you’ll hear in this episode:* The challenges local leaders face when trying to act on flood risk* Why managing water at the watershed level matters more than political boundaries* How a systems approach helps scale solutions and creates co-benefits* Why preparedness is far less expensive than disaster response* What needs to change at the state and federal level to reduce fragmentation* Why innovation is critical to managing future flood risk This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

John Take, executive Vice President and Chief Growth and Innovation officer at the environmental consulting firm Stantec joins John Sabo on the latest episode of Audacious Water to talk about how water infrastructure is evolving as climate change intensifies. He draws on more than 30 years of experience as an engineer working on complex water challenges, including post-Katrina New Orleans and long-term planning in the Colorado River Basin.John Take explains how modern water projects are planned, who needs to be involved, and how the most successful projects now also depend on governance, financing, data, and meaningful community engagement.“ When we start to put together teams now, there’s still a client, there’s still a contractor, there’s still an operator. Who’s been added into the mix? It’s finance, it’s academia, it’s nonprofits, it’s philanthropy. We’re getting to better solutions because our team is so much more diverse.”- John Take, Season 5, Episode 4 of Audacious WaterWhat you’ll hear in this episode:* What water infrastructure really means in an era of climate risk* Why engineering is necessary but no longer sufficient on its own* How water projects are designed and delivered today* The role of community engagement in successful climate adaptation* Why water security is critical to the economy and public health This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Globally recognized water strategist Will Sarni joins host John Sabo to continue the conversation on why the U.S. needs a new National Water Strategy and to discuss what innovation in the water sector actually means.Drawing on decades of experience working across the private sector, finance, and public policy, Will explains why water must be treated as a strategic resource and how industries from agriculture to data centers depend on reliable water supplies. They explore the role of finance in scaling solutions, the difference between incremental and disruptive innovation, and why the future of water management depends not just on more data, but on turning data into actionable information, especially as climate change intensifies water-related risks."We need to really think about water as a strategic resource, and how do we manage it accordingly - not just have regulations, but we need a rudder on the ship considering how incredibly important water is."- Will Sarni, Season 5, Episode 3 of Audacious WaterWhat you’ll hear in this episode:* Why the U.S. needs a new National Water Strategy* How water risk affects industries across the economy* Why innovation in water goes beyond technology* The role of finance in scaling water solutions* Turning water data into information people can actually use This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

In the second half of John Sabo’s conversation with Dr. Newsha Ajami and Dr. Martin Doyle, the discussion shifts from the 1951 national water plan to what a modern national water strategy needs to address. Together, they explore the economic value of water, the scale and structure of governance, rural water challenges, and why innovation in governance and finance, and not just technology, is essential for the decades ahead. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

It’s been 75 years since the United States released its first and only national water strategy. In this episode, John talks with Dr. Newsha Ajami of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Dr. Martin Doyle of Duke University about why that original plan mattered, what it accomplished, and why today’s challenges call for a new approach. They explore the historical context of the 1951 plan, the issues it identified that remain relevant today, and how political boundaries, fragmented agencies, and modern pressures like groundwater depletion and climate change make a new national strategy essential. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

In Season 5 of Audacious Water, host John Sabo asks: Why doesn’t the United States have a modern national water strategy? What would a new one look like?It’s been 75 years since we last had a written plan for managing water. Since then, the planet has warmed, our infrastructure has aged, and the challenges of flood, drought, and equity have grown.Join John and guest experts as they explore what it will take to build a strategy for the next 75 years – one that connects water and climate and supports every community, from cities to rural towns.A new season of Audacious Water begins soon. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

In this special bonus episode, John Sabo looks back at the conversations with leading experts in Season 4. Each guest joined him to explore one of the five transformations reshaping the Mississippi River Basin, making it hotter, drier, stormier, saltier, and sicker.He revisits what gave them hope, from grassroots innovation to bold new infrastructure ideas, and highlights how adaptation is already happening in cities across the country. These conversations and the ideas within them offer even more hope for the future of the heartland. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Dr. Mary Hayden, a medical anthropologist and Research Professor with the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, joins John to explore how human behavior and water insecurity are reshaping the spread of mosquito-borne disease. With fieldwork spanning the U.S. and Latin America, Mary shares how climate change is expanding disease risk into new regions – and why public health strategies must go beyond spraying to include education, trust, and community action. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Dr. Dawn Wesson, Associate Professor at Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, joins John to explore how climate change is expanding the range of vector-borne diseases. With decades of experience studying mosquito-borne viruses like West Nile and Zika, Dawn explains how rising temperatures and human movement are accelerating the northward expansion of tropical diseases. She also discusses innovative control strategies, including biological methods and emerging technologies that could help reduce disease transmission in a warming world. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Charles Allen, Engagement Director for the Audubon Delta unit of the National Audubon Society and co-founder of the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development, joins John to reflect on nearly 20 years since Hurricane Katrina and what it means for New Orleans today. They discuss his experience with post-Katrina recovery, the importance of community-led rebuilding, and how neighborhoods have navigated uneven redevelopment. Charles also explores how communities can stay engaged on the impacts of climate change and why public participation is key to building long-term resilience. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Dr. Marshall Shepherd, Director of the Atmospheric Sciences Program at the University of Georgia, joins John to discuss the fourth transformation: how tropical storms and extreme weather are intensifying in frequency and power. From hurricanes moving further inland to the compounding effects of heatwaves and heavy rainfall, Marshall explains the science behind these shifts and the growing challenges they pose for communities across the U.S. Together, they explore the critical steps needed to adapt, rethink infrastructure, and address inequities in how extreme weather impacts vulnerable populations. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Tyler Antrup, an urban planner focused on climate adaptation and water management, a professor at Tulane School of Architecture, and a member of the Sewerage and Water Board, joins John to discuss the complex water challenges facing New Orleans. From green infrastructure to mitigate flooding to the creeping threat of saltwater intrusion into drinking water systems, Tyler shares insights on adapting urban environments to the realities of climate change. They explore the evolving dynamics between stormwater management, subsidence, and sea level rise, as well as the critical role of community-based organizations in driving innovation. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Dr. Allison Lassiter, Assistant Professor in City and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania, joins John to discuss one of the hidden dangers of sea level rise—saltwater intrusion. With expertise in climate adaptation and urban water management, Dr. Lassiter explains how rising salinity threatens drinking water systems, agriculture, and infrastructure. Together, they explore the costly solutions, like desalination, and why small communities face unique challenges. They also discuss the role of state-level strategies and innovative financing in building resilient water systems for the future. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Meredith McInturff, manager of the Public Health Emergencies and Environmental Health Unit at the New Orleans Health Department, joins John to discuss how the New Orleans Health Department is evolving to meet the growing threats of extreme heat. She and John explore the public health challenges faced by vulnerable populations, from unsheltered individuals to transit riders and outdoor workers, and how these challenges are shaping new city policies and cross-sector partnerships aimed at heat resilience. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Jesse Keenan, the Favrot II Associate Professor of Sustainable Real Estate and Urban Planning and the Founding Director of the Center for Climate Change and Urbanism at Tulane University, joins John to talk about the second transformation: How extreme heat is moving north due to climate change. Jesse’s work focuses on climate change adaptation and the built environment, including design, engineering, and planning. He and John discuss what this heat transformation means for communities in the sunbelt and across the U.S. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

In this episode of Audacious Water, host John Sabo continues the conversation on the first transformation —the deserts of the west moving eastward—with Brian Smoliak, an entrepreneur and climate scientist at Two Degrees Adapt. Brian shares insights on how climate change is affecting agriculture, and discusses innovative solutions helping farmers adapt. From cutting-edge technologies to evolving farming practices, Brian explains the vital role entrepreneurship and innovation play in addressing the challenges posed by climate change. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

In this episode, John Sabo speaks with Jonathan Overpeck, a renowned climate scientist and Dean for the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan. Peck discusses his role in defining critical climate change terms such as “tipping point” and “mega-drought, how climate change is exacerbating drought conditions in the Western U.S. and spreading aridification across the Midwest, and strategies for adaptation, including changes in agricultural practices and the management of water resources. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

In Season 4 of Audacious Water, host John Sabo dives into how climate change is reshaping the Mississippi River Basin. He'll explore five different transformations over ten episodes with experts and people on the front lines to find out what's happening and how we can take action. Join us as we explore a future shaped by climate change. The new season starts next month. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

In this special bonus episode, John and his daughter Lilly take a road trip from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the headwaters to get to know this great river, along with some of the people who live along its waters. From a fisherman in Plaquemines to visitors at the headwaters, each person they meet along the journey paints a picture of how they experience life by the Mississippi. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Tulane professors Torbjörn (Tor) Törnqvist, a geologist, and Sönke Dangendorf, a coastal engineer and physical oceanographer, join John to talk about sea level rise and coastal restoration, and what could happen to coastal communities if we pass the Paris Agreement global temperature threshold of 1.5-degree Celsius. Sönke has more than 15 years of experience researching mean and extreme sea levels, ocean tides and storm surges and the impact on coastal flooding, and is a member of the NASA Sea-Level Change Team. Tor has been researching the evolution of rivers, deltas, coasts, and shallow oceans in response to climate and sea-level change for more than 20 years. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Richard Seager, a climate scientist and the Palisades Geophysical Institute/Lamont Research Professor at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, joins John to talk about changes in aridity in North America around the 100th Meridian, and how climate change is going to affect the heartland of the U.S. and the Mississippi river basin. Richard’s current work is focused on how global hydroclimate will change in the near-term future as a result of rising greenhouse gases, and how that will affect people and food systems. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Jay Famiglietti, a hydrologist and a Global Futures Professor in the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University, joins John to talk about groundwater management and the state of water in the American west. Jay has extensive experience measuring and tracking groundwater and water security issues, including using satellites to help develop advanced computer models to track how freshwater availability changes around the globe. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Cash Daniels is a 13-year-old from Chattanooga, Tennessee, who has been cleaning up rivers since he was just seven years old and cofounded the kid-run nonprofit, The Clean Up Kids. He and John talk about plastic waste in waterways and what can be done about it, how it affects human and wildlife health, and his upcoming documentary, The Conservation Kid. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Nancy Rabalais, Professor and Shell Endowed Chair in Oceanography and Wetland Studies at Louisiana State University and the lead scientist on the recent 2023 dead zone cruise, talks with John about the current state of the Gulf of Mexico dead zone, why it matters to the Gulf economy, what it might take to reverse it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Ed Clark, Director of NOAA’s National Water Center and the Deputy Director of the National Weather Service’s Office of Water Prediction, talks with John about how data science plays a role in water forecasting, how new tools and technologies can provide better services to all communities, and how the National Water Center might help prepare the nation for the implications of climate change on human health. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Can New Orleans thrive with water? Jessica Dandridge, Executive Director of The Water Collaborative in New Orleans, talks with John about what water justice means, how to engage communities in creating solutions, and why we should think about thriving versus resilience. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Phosphorus and nitrogen are critical for growing food but can be dangerous when they enter our waterways as runoff. Lisa Schulte Moore, a landscape ecologist, Iowa state university professor, and a 2021 MacArthur Fellow, talks with John about how Iowa agriculture practices impact the Mississippi River and how her work integrating prairie vegetation into crop fields led to real results in reducing soil erosion and nitrogen and phosphorus runoff. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

The Mississippi river is basically the aorta of the United States, pumping out globally crucial agriculture and commerce to the world. In this new season of Audacious Water, we're exploring the challenges facing the Mississippi and the hundreds of millions of people who depend on it. Hear from experts about everything from how we can reduce the Gulf Dead Zone to how we can stop New Orleans from sinking. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Thomas LaVeist, public health expert and Dean of the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University, talks with John about how climate change will impact health, especially for more vulnerable communities, and the role water will play. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

John Sabo continues his conversation on the future of water with Morgan Snyder of the Walton Family Foundation, covering aquifers for storage, California vs. Arizona groundwater and whether farmland is natural infrastructure. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

In the first of a two-part conversation, John Sabo talks with Morgan Snyder, senior program officer in the Walton Family Foundation's Environment Program, about the future of the Colorado River and how to fix the culture of water use in the US West. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

What should a US natural infrastructure strategy look like? John talks with Todd Bridges, the US Army Corps of Engineers' senior research scientist for environmental science and the national lead for the Corps' Engineering with Nature Initiative. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

In the final part of our corporate water stewardship series, Glen Low of The Earth Genome talks with John about science-based targets, metrics and the next frontiers for business and water. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

John talks with The Nature Conservancy's Kari Vigerstol about the role NGOs have made in changing how corporations think about water stewardship & how that engagement has transformed NGOs. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Todd Reeve, CEO of the Bonneville Water Foundation, tells John about how corporations collaborate (and don't) on water stewardship beyond their own fence lines. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

In the first in a four-part series on corporate water stewardship, Nick Martin of the Antea Group and the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable talks with John about how corporations have approached water stewardship inside their own four walls. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Melody Wright, owner and principal of Say/Do Strategies and a former Philadelphia city official, tells John what lack of affordable access looks like in cities, why we don't understand the full extent of the problem, and how a Philadelphia program is providing a model solution for the rest of the nation. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

The chief of the US EPA's Clean Water State Revolving Fund talks with John about wildfires and watersheds, why we need to think about forests as water infrastructure and how to address agricultural pollution at a basin scale. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

The Dillard and Tulane University professor talks about her work with BIPOC communities along the Louisiana Gulf Coast, their vulnerabilities to hurricanes and how she manages the traditional tensions between researcher objectivity and being part of a community. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

The longtime Albuquerque Journal columnist and now University of New Mexico professor talks with John about the top water myths, why journalism about water is so gloomy, and what the Colorado River needs now. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

Becker, a citizen of the Navajo Nation and an associate attorney for the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, tells John about the four buckets of water access for the Navajo Nation, why COVID-19 might present an opportunity to improve water equity for Native Americans, and why she takes a values vs. a solutions focus to water issues. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com

The 2020 MacArthur Award winner talks with John about the lack of access to drinking water and sanitation in the United States, a problem that impacts millions and that Catherine argues demands a new solution that works in rural contexts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit audaciouswater.substack.com