Damian Georgino: Rethinking Water | Make Water Work 032

Water is the one infrastructure you cannot live without — and it got a D-minus rating from the American Society of Civil Engineers. In this episode, we sit down with Damian Georgino, Partner at global law firm Dentons and a 30-year veteran of the water industry, to talk about why everything you think you know about water is wrong — starting with the tap.

Damian shares his journey from selling water businesses for Alcoa under Paul O'Neill to joining the early days of US Filter, and how water captured him for good. We explore the trillion-dollar global water market, the shift from centralized to decentralized water systems (and what that means for your business), the massive water demands of AI data centers and chip plants, and why private capital may be the only path forward for America's crumbling water infrastructure.

Whether you're an investor, a water professional, or just someone who turns on a faucet every day — this conversation will change how you see water forever.

Topics covered:

Why any business is a water business

The energy-water nexus (75% of water costs are energy)

Decentralized water: learning from energy deregulation

AI, data centers & the looming water crisis

The $800B infrastructure gap — and why $55B isn't enough

Private capital, infrastructure investing, and mid-teens IRRs

Why municipalities resist innovation — and what might change that

What water looks like if we rethink it from scratch

📋 Show Notes

Guest: Damian Georgino, Partner, Dentons LLP

Host: Isaac Pellerin

Co-Host: Megan Glover, Founder, 120 Water

About Damian Georgino

Damian Georgino is a Partner at Dentons, one of the world's largest law firms, where he focuses on water infrastructure, capital transactions, and economic development. His water career began at Alcoa, where he led the sale of five water businesses to the then-upstart US Filter, founded by Dick Heckman. He has served on the President's National Infrastructure Advisory Council and is a frequent speaker on water finance, infrastructure policy, and the energy-water nexus. Dentons sponsors the Rethinking Water Conference and runs an infrastructure think tank focused on reimagining water systems.