21st Century Water Podcast
Leadership Voices Driving the Future of Utility
Brought to you by Aquasight, 21st Century Water is a podcast featuring candid conversations with utility CEOs. Hear their personal growth stories and learn how their organizations are investing in modernization, embracing technology, navigating workforce changes, and protecting public health.
Latest Conversations from the Frontlines of Water Innovation
From breakthroughs to resilience, these recent episodes feature the voices shaping the future of water in real time.
Tune in as utility leaders share how they’re navigating infrastructure challenges, accelerating digital transformation, and building smarter, more sustainable water systems.
Ep 47: Leading a 1.2 Million-Person Water System: Vision, Culture, and Strategic Planning with Jeffrey Szabo
Jeffrey Szabo, CEO of Suffolk County Water Authority and former AMWA president, explains how strategic planning, culture change, and innovation have strengthened one of the nation’s largest groundwater utilities. He highlights proactive PFAS treatment, major infrastructure management, and empowering staff to drive performance and resilience.
Ep 46: From Stopwatches to Innovation: Rebuilding Two Utilities from the Brink
Pieter Van Ry shares how he transformed two struggling utilities, one running on stopwatches and eBay parts, into innovation leaders. From removing 3,000 lead service lines to creating PARC, an open platform for testing treatment solutions, Pieter proves that empowered teams and systems-thinking can rebuild even the most challenged utilities.
Ep 45: Leading Through Crisis and Building for the Future
From nuclear engineer to water utility leader, Ken Waldroup shares how Cape Fear Public Utility Authority invested $43 million to proactively tackle PFAS contamination years ahead of federal regulations—and why servant leadership and business-minded governance are transforming coastal utility management.
Ep 44: Leading 19 Million People’s Water Supply
Heather Collins, President of AWWA and operations leader at Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, shares how she’s building public trust, mentoring the next generation, and driving cross-sector collaboration to secure water’s future.
Ep 43: From Rural Co-op to Regional Powerhouse
Glenn Marzluf shares how Del-Co Water grew from a rural cooperative into one of Ohio’s fastest-growing utilities, with innovative rate design, major infrastructure investments, and a focus on leadership development.
Ep 42: Leading Oregon’s Wastewater Resilience
Matt Stouder explains how MWMC is building operational resilience and environmental stewardship through asset renewal, biosolids reuse, renewable energy, and watershed restoration.
