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Water Smarts Podcast

News & Politics Podcasts

From the banks of the Colorado River and Lake Mead to the homes and businesses of Southern Nevada, the Water Smarts podcast covers how we treat, deliver, use, protect and conserve water in the Las Vegas Valley. Hosts Bronson Mack and Crystal Zuelke – along with experts from the Southern Nevada Water Authority who keep the water flowing – hope to make you a little smarter about the one thing that keeps us all connected – water.

From the banks of the Colorado River and Lake Mead to the homes and businesses of Southern Nevada, the Water Smarts podcast covers how we treat, deliver, use, protect and conserve water in the Las Vegas Valley. Hosts Bronson Mack and Crystal Zuelke – along with experts from the Southern Nevada Water Authority who keep the water flowing – hope to make you a little smarter about the one thing that keeps us all connected – water.

Location:

Las Vegas, NV

Description:

From the banks of the Colorado River and Lake Mead to the homes and businesses of Southern Nevada, the Water Smarts podcast covers how we treat, deliver, use, protect and conserve water in the Las Vegas Valley. Hosts Bronson Mack and Crystal Zuelke – along with experts from the Southern Nevada Water Authority who keep the water flowing – hope to make you a little smarter about the one thing that keeps us all connected – water.

Twitter:

@SNWA_H2O

Language:

English

Contact:

7023786527

Episodes

Yes, you can drink the tap water!

5/17/2022
How do you know your tap water is safe to drink? Carolyn Faircloth, the Water Quality Laboratory Manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), shares how she and her team test and monitor our drinking water to ensure high-quality water is delivered to your home or business every day. Hosts Crystal Zuelke and Bronson Mack talk water quality and how you can find out what’s in our water on episode 25 of Water Smarts Podcast, “Yes, you can drink the tap water.” https://www.snwa.com/

Duration:00:29:00

AH HA! How the pandemic led to new insights for wastewater surveillance

4/26/2022
Scientists have been using sewage to track COVID-19 in the community throughout the pandemic and even now as the virus enters the endemic stage. Using wastewater surveillance helps scientists determine the prevalence of the virus and what variants are present in the Las Vegas Valley. We talk with Dr. Dan Gerrity, Principal Research Laboratory Scientist for the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), and Dr. Edwin Oh, UNLV Associate Professor of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine Lab, about...

Duration:00:35:13

SPRING ALIVE! Garden and landscape tips from Star Nursery's Dr. Q and Joey Lynn Watt

3/31/2022
Spring is the season for renewal the time when many of us get our hands dirty and spruce up our yards. We talk with Star Nursery experts Dr. Q and Joey Lynn Watt about how to irrigate, prune, fertilize and get rid of garden pests on episode 23 of the Water Smarts Podcast, “SPRING ALIVE! Garden and landscape tips from Star Nursery’s Dr. Q and Joey Lynn Watt.” Hosts: Bronson Mack and Crystal Zuelke https://www.snwa.com/

Duration:00:36:19

Southern Nevada is planning for a warmer, drier future

3/9/2022
The permanent aridification of the Colorado River—the source of 90 percent of Southern Nevada’s water supply—means much less water will flow into Lake Mead in the future. The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) recently updated its Water Resource Plan to address aridification and other major impacts to the Las Vegas Valley water supply. We talk with Zane Marshall, SNWA Director of Water Resources, about what this means for Southern Nevada and how everyone in the community can help protect...

Duration:00:35:47

HERBA NON GRATA: Groundbreaking law requires businesses replace decorative grass

2/10/2022
Shortage conditions on the Colorado River have reduced Southern Nevada’s water supply by about 7 billion gallons. While homeowners have worked hard to conserve water and remove water-thirsty grass, the business community is lagging behind in this effort. We talk with JC Davis, Enterprise Conservation Manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, about a new law requiring businesses, HOAs and multifamily properties to stop irrigating nonfunctional turf with Colorado River water by the end...

Duration:00:28:29

FROM LAKE TO TAP: Delivering Water Through a World-Class System

1/27/2022
Southern Nevada’s water system operates 24 hours a day, every day treating and delivering water that is pumped through nearly 4,000 feet of elevation changes in order to serve more than 2 million people in the Las Vegas Valley. The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) pulls water from deep below Lake Mead, treats it, and pumps it to the member agencies, which then deliver it to homes and businesses. Join our hosts Bronson Mack and Crystal Zuelke as they talk with Ken Albright, Director of...

Duration:00:25:35

DOWN THE DRAIN AND BACK AGAIN: Wastewater plays important role in Southern Nevada’s water cycle

11/17/2021
Southern Nevada recycles 100% of the water it uses indoors—extending our limited water supply. For every gallon treated and returned to Lake Mead, we can pull another gallon out of the lake. Kim Adler, Assistant Manager at the Clark County Water Reclamation District, talks about how the “unseen utility” plays a high-profile role in treating and reusing Colorado River water in the valley and provides tips for holiday cooking cleanup on episode 19 of the Water Smarts Podcast, “Down the drain...

Duration:00:25:57

TREES FOR TOMORROW: Protecting Las Vegas' urban forest

11/3/2021
Las Vegas is the fastest warming city in the United States and as temperatures rise, the city’s urban forest of plants and trees will need to weather hotter, drier conditions. Doug Bennett, Conservation Manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), discusses how we can protect our tree canopy and plan for tree succession to help protect the valley’s urban forest, which is essential to helping reduce urban heat island impacts. Hear more on the Water Smarts Podcast, “Trees for...

Duration:00:33:47

Clark County is ALL IN on building a resilient, sustainable community

10/7/2021
Clark County is developing its first sustainability and climate action plan. The All-In Clark County plan focuses on enhancing quality of life, protecting our natural resources and diversifying our economy. Las Vegas is the fastest warming city in the nation, and the impacts of climate change are threatening our water and energy resources and creating other challenges for Southern Nevada. Marci Henson, Clark County’s Director of Environment and Sustainability, discusses the challenges posed...

Duration:00:34:46

Warm Springs Natural Area: Playing a role in our water resource story and history

9/21/2021
Located an hour north of Las Vegas, the Warm Springs Natural Area (WSNA) is an oasis in the Mojave Desert that has provided shelter to people and wildlife for centuries. The site has more than two dozen springs that feed into the Muddy River, which flows into Lake Mead. The WSNA is home to 28 endangered, threatened and sensitive species, including the Moapa dace which are found nowhere else in the world but in the WSNA’s warm, spring-fed waters. Zane Marshall, the director of Water Resources...

Duration:00:32:04

BUSINESS FACELIFT: Older properties get a refresh through the Water Smart Landscapes rebate

9/7/2021
Replacing old, splotchy grass at mature properties can provide a facelift and improve customers’ first impression of a business, according to Katherine Harper, a property manager for Gatski Commercial Real Estate. Harper talks about how grass wastes water and money in addition to making a property look old and tired. She has helped several of her clients refresh their properties by upgrading their landscapes to an attractive water-smart alternative. Not only have her clients improved the...

Duration:00:31:13

Nevada responds to first ever federally-declared shortage on the Colorado River

8/16/2021
Climate change-fueled drought conditions have led the federal government to issue a water shortage declaration on the Colorado River, a move that will reduce the amount of water Southern Nevada will be allowed to withdraw from Lake Mead beginning in January 2022. Combined with existing water reductions outlined in the Drought Contingency Plan, the declared shortage will cut Southern Nevada’s annual water allocation by nearly 7 billion gallons of water next year – enough to serve more than...

Duration:00:38:37

From trees to housing -- City of Las Vegas plans for a sustainable future

8/9/2021
The City of Las Vegas is world renowned as the Entertainment Capital of the World, but did you know it also is leading the way in creating a sustainable future through its Master Plan 2050? Las Vegas planning expert Marco Velotta joins hosts Bronson Mack and Crystal Zuelke to talk about how Las Vegas is addressing water, energy and climate change issues and ensuring that the city continues to thrive well into the future on episode 13 of the Water Smarts Podcast, “From trees to housing – City...

Duration:00:31:34

GET OFF YOUR GRASS! New law aims to replace decorative grass in Southern Nevada by 2026

7/22/2021
The Nevada Governor recently signed into law Assembly Bill 356 (AB356), which prohibits the use of Colorado River water to irrigate decorative, useless grass in streetscapes, medians, parking lots and other areas where it is used for nonrecreational purposes by the end of 2026. The law helps the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) advance its conservation goals by essentially requiring this grass to be replaced with water-smart landscapes. SNWA Deputy General Manager of Resources Colby...

Duration:00:42:52

WaterStart -- Finding innovative solutions to water industry challenges

6/8/2021
WaterStart serves as an innovation hub that brings water utilities and innovators together to test new technologies. From measuring arsenic in groundwater in real-time to finding leaks in the Las Vegas Valley Water District’s 6,500 miles of buried pipes, WaterStart innovators are helping the water industry use technology to solve the nagging challenges that keep utility staff up at night. SNWA Deputy General Manager of Operations Dave Johnson and WaterStart Executive Director Nate Allen...

Duration:00:38:54

On the Horizon Lateral – Pipeline project increases water system reliability, creates jobs

5/19/2021
Currently, 40 percent of the Las Vegas Valley gets its water through the South Valley Lateral (SVL) transmission system. While the rest of Southern Nevada’s water transmission laterals have redundant facilities to ensure water delivery in the event of an emergency, the SVL is a single-feed system. In 2017, a leak in the pipeline required the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) to coordinate major repairs with the City of Henderson and Las Vegas Valley Water District to keep water flowing...

Duration:00:33:03

Making conservation easy - for businesses

4/19/2021
Show Summary: There are more than 5,000 acres of useless grass in Southern Nevada that only gets used when someone runs a lawn mower over it. And while residential property owners have stepped up and removed grass from their yards through the Water Smarts Landscapes rebate, the majority of remaining non-functional turf is on commercial and HOA properties, medians, and streetscapes. Patrick Watson, Conservation Programs Administrator with the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), discusses...

Duration:00:37:59

Making conservation easy - for residents

3/31/2021
Conservation is one of the most important actions Southern Nevadans can take to protect our limited water supply – particularly as we continue to weather a severe drought in the Colorado River basin. Toby Bickmore, Conservation Programs Administrator with the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), shares watering tips and how to get cash incentives for saving water in the Las Vegas Valley. Recommended resources: Water Smart Landscapefind a leakReport water wasteWater Smart Car Wash...

Duration:00:37:10

Poops don't lie - tracking a pandemic using wastewater

3/15/2021
Every time Southern Nevadans flush the toilet, they’re helping scientists at the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWSA) and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas study the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community. SNWA researchers Dan Gerrity and Katerina Papp talk about how they ensure the coronavirus is not in our drinking water supply, and how they can track a pandemic using raw sewage samples and wastewater surveillance on episode 7 of the Water Smarts podcast: “Poops don’t lie – Tracking...

Duration:00:31:08

Don't go with the flow - STOP water waste

3/1/2021
Protecting Southern Nevada’s water resources by preventing and stopping water waste is all in a day’s work for Summer Ortiz and Perry Kaye from the Las Vegas Valley Water District’s water waste team. Summer and Perry share tips on how to prevent water waste, and how to help stop it around your neighborhood on this episode of the Water Smarts podcast. You can help protect our limited water supply by keeping water on your property, letting your neighbors know if they have an irrigation...

Duration:00:27:26

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