The Weekly Dive #4

Nov 24

Check out HydroDAO's first post on Medium. How well do you know groundwater? Take the quiz to find out and celebrate World Toilet Day. The world's largest floating wind farm is now up and running in Norway. A diamond-coated electrolysis smart bottle amplifies water's health benefits. Microsoft and Meta are facing rising drought risk to their data centers. 116 scientists reject WHO's draft PFAS guidelines. Meet Kevin Fisher who leads the HydroDAO water treatment team. Learn about his esteemed expericence in the water industry and why he has decided to devote his life work to water.

Your weekly Bonus - UN puts water at heart of key climate project list

This week's quote:

O traveller, stay thy weary feet;
Drink of this fountain, pure and sweet;
It flows for rich and poor the same.
Then go thy way, remembering still
The wayside well beneath the hill,
The cup of water in his name.

What's New on Medium?

Introducing HydroDAO — A Community Collaborating to Accelerate Water Innovations, Investment, and Education

HydroDAO brings together the brightest and boldest leaders from all sectors of the water industry to collaboratively support the most promising solutions for global water issues.

Test Your Knowledge for World Toilet Day!

How well do you know groundwater? - Take the quiz!

Groundwater, by definition, lays in the soil – out of sight. It is the world’s most abundant freshwater resource. But pollution and over-consumption threaten this hidden treasure. To understand it better is the first step to protect it.

WORLD TOILET DAY 2022 - MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE

We are seriously off track to ensure safe toilets for all by 2030. That is the promise of Sustainable Development Goal 6.2. With only eight years left, the world needs to work four times faster to meet this target.

We Will Wash You (Water Emissaries Remix) - Watch it Again!

Celebrate with us World Toilet Day by remembering the creative and fun work our Water Emissaries youth leaders produced last year: not We Will Rock You, but We Will Wash You!

What's New with Water?

World's largest floating wind farm is now powering gas and oil production

Hywind Tampen, the world's largest floating wind farm, located off the coast of Norway, has become operational, a company press release said.

Smart Bottle that Amplifies Water's Health Benefits via Electrolysis

Weo's science-backed, diamond-coated technology enhances H2O's properties, which may help with immunity, energy, and more.

EU Collaboration Links Membranes & AI To Target Emerging Pollutants

A European collaboration linking utilities and solution providers sets out to eliminate emerging contaminants in the integral water cycle.

This unmanned underwater vehicle has a battery life of 110 hours

The REMUS 300 was most notably recently selected by the U.S. Navy as the program of record for the Lionfish Small UUV.

What's New in the Industry?

Microsoft, Meta and others face rising drought risk to their data centers

Drought conditions are worsening in the U.S., and that is having an outsized impact on the real estate that houses the internet.

The Water Tower, Arcadis host water innovation workshop

The Water Tower (TWT), in partnership with global consulting firm Arcadis, hosted a group of international water and wastewater utilities.

From Droughts to Floods, Water Risk Is an Urgent Business Issue

As climate change advances, floods and droughts have caught major corporations unprepared.

Youth Innovators Step Up to Help Communities Around the World Solve Water Challenges

Solutions-Based Thinking from Young Leaders Drives Action on Water Accessibility & Security.

What's New in the Science?

Groundbreaking hydrogen separation technique to recover clean energy from unrecyclable waste

Technology such as this will have a flagship spotlight at the ongoing COP27, climate summit.

116 scientists reject WHO's draft PFAS guidelines

The letter details how WHO's draft eschews calculating health-based standards, disregarding evidence for the harms of PFOS and PFOA.

HOOKED ON EAST TEXAS: Wearable sensors on fish

A lot of us wear smart watches. A University of Texas at Tyler professor is taking that technology, making it really small and putting it on fish.

Smart, cheap 'Joey' robot could soon help clear blockages in critical pipes

Joey is the first to be able to navigate all by itself through mazes of pipes as narrow as 7.5 cm across.

The HydroDAO Team: Kevin Fisher

Kevin served as the Chief Technology Advisor for WaterStart (A Water Technology Accelerator). He has over 35 years of experience in the water industry, including five years in the geothermal and nuclear industries. During his tenure at the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), Kevin served as the Director of Water Quality and Treatment, Director of the Las Vegas Valley Water District’s Operations and Facilities groups.

Kevin was instrumental in the development of the Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) Emergency Response initiatives and innovative SCADA control strategy which balances improvements in water quality with energy management. During his service at LVVWD, maintenance and asset management practices were documented as being leading edge for the water utility industry. Kevin also directed the filter improvements contracts for the Southern Nevada Water Agency’s two regional water treatment facilities.

Why Water?

"When looking back, it seems that my best memories occurred around water. Whether it's water skiing, fishing, family baptisms or hiking in the mountains; water has been the backdrop for many of my most joyous times. I recall exploring Lake Powell within its narrow canyons and marveling at the light beams shooting though the blue depths of the clear water. I remember hiking in the Sierra Nevada’s and pulling fresh clean water from a snowmelt fed stream! It is pretty obvious to me that water has played a SUBSTANTIAL role in my physical, mental and spiritual well-being!

Our WATER, something that we have all taken for granted at one time or another, is in jeopardy. Due to climate change, over use, waste and contamination, our fresh water is becoming scarce and our oceans are being assaulted. The one thing on this earth that brings so much joy and wellbeing is quickly being changed or even leaving our grasp.

I’m serving within the HydroDAO group to make a difference. Essentially, to be part of a larger machine, which will effectively address many of the issues our precious water is facing and to stem the tide of bad news. It is no secret that I want my children’s children to experience the same joys through water that I recall."