{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"501 Industrial Water Week 2026: Wastewater Thursday","description":"A wastewater inspection appeared to expose a failed treatment program\u2014until Trace checked where the sample had been collected. For Industrial Water Week 2026: Wastewater Thursday, Trace Blackmore, CWT, connects correct sampling, water reuse, and careful troubleshooting with the decisions water treaters make every day.  Check the sample location before drawing conclusions  In an early-career account, a plant operator faced a threatened shutdown after an inspector\u2019s sample produced out-of-spec results. Trace reviewed logs, spoke with the engineer, and tested two locations. The inspector had sampled before treatment rather than at the correct downstream location.  Trace then showed the customer both results and asked the inspector where he had sampled. That curious, factual approach corrected the misunderstanding without blame. The customer also recognized the need to escort unfamiliar inspectors so they could collect samples from the right place.    Recover water, nutrients, and energy  Returning guest Dr. Veronika Zhiteneva of Waterloop Solutions describes wastewater plants as future resource recovery plants, reclaiming water, nutrients, and energy. Kalpna Solanki, president and CEO of GAMECHANGERS Inc., shares reuse examples from British Columbia: treated effluent for snowmaking, biosolids composted with sawdust, and reclaimed water for toilet flushing and rooftop irrigation at the Vancouver Convention Center West.  Together, their greetings shift attention toward what treatment can recover and where reclaimed water can serve another purpose.    Investigate the disappearing hardness  In the fictional Detective H2O story, The Case of the Disappearing Act, an operator measures 2\u20133 ppm total hardness leaving a softener, yet the feedwater tests soft. After checking condensate return, repeating the analyses, and walking the process, the detective finds that the feedwater sample point sits downstream of EDTA injection.  The case explains how chelant can complex calcium and magnesium before the hardness test, leaving a blue indication even when hardness has passed the softener. The resolution is to investigate the softener\u2019s leakage and turn the operator\u2019s observations into training and procedures.    Share the work behind Wastewater Thursday  Trace invites listeners to photograph their favorite wastewater equipment safely, wear appropriate PPE, and share the photo with #IWW26. He also recommends Episode 444 for last year\u2019s Wastewater Thursday Detective H2O story and invites mystery-voice guesses on LinkedIn before Careers Friday\u2019s reveal.  Check the sample location, verify the data, and understand the process before drawing conclusions. Those habits support clearer decisions and more useful conversations with customers and colleagues.  Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!    Timestamps 02:20 \u2014 Trace explains how wastewater treatment gives used water another life through treatment and reuse. 03:50 \u2014 A threatened plant shutdown introduces a sampling story that shows why an out-of-spec result needs investigation. 06:10 \u2014 Trace discovers that the inspector sampled before treatment, changing the interpretation of the reported results. 08:50 \u2014 Trace explains how curiosity and questions helped resolve the dispute and build trust with the inspector. 09:50 \u2014 Veronika Zhiteneva describes recovering water, nutrients, and energy rather than using new resources for the same purposes. 10:30 \u2014 Kalpna Solanki reframes wastewater as a resource and shares examples of treated-effluent and biosolids reuse. 11:40 \u2014 Kalpna describes reclaimed water at the Vancouver Convention Center West and discusses the future of water reclamation. 13:00 \u2014 Trace introduces the fictional Detective H2O case, The Case of the Disappearing Act, involving a water softener. 23:50 \u2014 Trace invites mystery-voice guesses on LinkedIn and recommends Episode 444 for another Wastewater Thursday story. 24:40 \u2014 Trace asks listeners to share a wastewater-equipment photo with #IWW26 while wearing PPE and working safely. 27:40 \u2014 Trace previews Careers Friday celebrations and mentions a water cake recipe for teams interested in trying it.   Connect with Dr. Veronika Zhiteneva  Email: vzhiteneva@gowaterloop.com    Website: Home \u2013 Waterloop Solutions   LinkedIn: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/vzhiteneva\/       Connect with Kalpna Solanki   Email: ksolanki@gamechangerssolutions.com   Website: GAMECHANGERS Inc. | Strategy Development And Implementation   LinkedIn: Kalpna Solanki MBA | LinkedIn   GAMECHANGERS Inc.: Overview | LinkedIn      Links Mentioned AWT (Association of Water Technologies) Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses Submit a Show Idea The Rising Tide Mastermind Industrial Water Week  Industrial Water Week Scaling UP H2O Resource Page Water Cake Recipe     459 \u2014 From Wastewater to Resource: Water Reuse with Dr. Veronika Zhiteneva 355 \u2014 Backflow Prevention: Safeguarding Water Quality 481 \u2014 From Waterfalls to SOPs: Building Better Utilities with Kalpna Solanki 389 \u2014 Industrial Water Week 2024: Careers Friday 445 \u2014 Industrial Water Week 2025: Careers Friday   This episode made possible through our valued partners at ","author_name":"Scaling UP! H2O","author_url":"http:\/\/scalinguph2o.com","html":"