Audacious Water with John Sabo

How does a National Water Strategy get created?Over the past season, Audacious Water explored the six pillars of the new National Water Strategy — the first strategy of its kind in 75 years. In this season finale, host John Sabo pulls back the curtain on the process itself: the eighteen months of closed-door meetings, the debates at the table, and even the tension between federal and state control that shaped every pillar.Along the way, he revisits the season’s best moments with Al Cho, Olga Morales-Pate, Martin Doyle, Newsha Ajami, Melissa Roberts, Raghuveer Vinukollu, Melissa Ho, Will Sarni, and John Take, reflecting on what each conversation revealed about building a water strategy for a country as large and divided as the United States.“The economy had to be the lead... That part wasn’t a negotiation. The other pillars, those definitely were.”— John Sabo, Season 5 Bonus Episode of Audacious WaterWhat You’ll Hear in This Episode:* How the National Water Strategy Was Actually Written* The Negotiation Behind the Six Pillars* Why Water Security Is Ultimately About Freedom* Why Rural Communities Can’t Grow Without Water Infrastructure First* Why the U.S. Keeps Paying More by Waiting to Act* Four Kinds of Infrastructure the Strategy Calls For* Why More Data Isn’t the Goal, Actionable Data Is* Why Diverse Project Teams Are Producing Better Water Solutions* What’s Next: Ranking America’s Critical Water SystemsHear clips from every guest this season as we take a look behind the scenes at how a water strategy was actually developed. 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

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