What exactly is “One Water”?

In episode three of Water & Wastes Digest’s “Talking Under Water: One Water, One Podcast,” Brown and Caldwell’s National Water Reuse Leader Melanie Holmer discusses this integrated planning and implementation approach and highlights the “Blueprint for One Water,” a joint initiative with the Water Research Foundation on practical One Water application.

As Melanie explains, successful alternative water source strategies are already in use today across the country. Early adopters include Sustaining Scioto in Ohio, which covers extreme drought and flooding, and toxic algal blooms, and the Bay Area Regional Reliability project, an example of regional collaboration to develop a drought contingency plan in Northern California.

No matter the agency or challenge, it all starts with a simple concept: targeted public education to build trust and engagement.

“Opening up a conversation, raising awareness, and increased targeted education about water helps build trust with communities. When that happens, when there’s trust with the community, the public will respond,” Melanie says.

Click here to listen to the podcast (interview starts at 12 minutes, 20 seconds)