439 Innovating Water for Smart Cities: Christine McHugh’s Vision
What happens when cities become “networked”—and water systems start telling us what they need in real time? In this episode, Trace Blackmore speaks with Christine McHugh (CEO, White Strand Development) about practical smart-city strategies for water: real-time monitoring, digital twins, and IoT/AI approaches that turn Legionella control from periodic testing into continuous risk management. Christine frames smart water not as gadgets, but as a disciplined, data-driven process that improves human health, operational efficiency, and insurability. Building the “Networked” City: A Practical Definition Christine defines a smart city as a networked one—linking health, energy, waste, and water through technology that measures and correlates across systems. The aim isn’t novelty; it’s safer drinking water and safer water environments via better data and faster decisions. Digital twins, decentralized treatment, and AI-enabled pattern recognition help teams move from “single point-in-time readings” to persistent trends they can act on. Legionella Risk, Reframed as Strategy Most water programs still sample periodically, waiting days for results. Christine argues the future is pattern-based, proactive control: track temperature, stagnation/flow, and disinfectant continuously; intervene when pattern thresholds indicate elevated risk. This lens aligns water quality, human wellness, and insurance risk reduction, encouraging property insurers and building owners to incentivize water science as part of smart-building operations. From Sensors to Sense-Making: Hierarchy, Data Lakes, and Reporting Adding devices isn’t enough. Christine stresses a hierarchy of sensors and data governance so operations, engineering, and ESG teams aren’t running conflicting reports from siloed sources (BMS vs. cloud dashboards). Her model: create a data lake with agreed-upon sources of truth and standardized outputs so every stakeholder “sees the same movie.” Case Studies & What “Good” Looks Like Christine highlights programs that combined water management plans, continuous disinfectant monitoring, and campus-scale digital twins—reducing manual tests, achieving compliance, and cutting consumption. European hospitals using IoT on hot-water systems report faster compliance and fewer manual interventions. The pattern: real-time insight + trained people + maintenance and reporting contracts = measurable risk reduction. Cybersecurity: Close the Back Doors Smart water raises legitimate cyber concerns. Christine’s guidance: encrypt all sensor communications, hire experts to penetration-test your own systems, and watch for unexpected bridges (e.g., HVAC or even “non-critical” devices) into critical networks. OT/IT segmentation, alert transparency, and a culture of continuous testing matter as much as the sensors themselves. Public–Private Partnerships (with Academia) The fastest path to adoption pairs public oversight and access to infrastructure with private-sector technology and capital—and an academic partner for research and validation. Clear performance metrics and maintained as-builts keep pilots honest and scalable. Resilience: Droughts, Floods, and Stormwater Smart networks matter beyond Legionella. Real-time consumption, leak detection, and pressure management minimize waste during droughts; stormwater and wastewater sensors prevent overflows that contaminate receiving waters during floods. Long-running sensor programs abroad show how a single resort area eliminated contamination events by instrumenting the system and responding to alerts. Emerging Tech to Watch From self-healing pipes and biosensors to drone inspections and AI-orchestrated networks, Christine sees water systems becoming more like natural ecosystems—self-regulating, adaptive, and resilient—while humans supervise exceptions and validate performance. For industrial water professionals, the takeaway is clear: treat smart water as an integrated risk-management system, not a pile of devices. Invest in sensor hierarchy, unified data, and team training, and align the work with safety and insurance outcomes. That’s how you protect people, performance, and the balance sheet. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:37 - Trace Blackmore kicks off the episode by reminiscing about the TV show Leave It to Beaver and how families used to watch together in the 1950s. 08:40 - Water You Know with James McDonald 09:48 - Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals 12:20 - Interview with Christine McHugh, CEO of White Strand Development 13:03 - What Is a Smart City? 15:13 - Risk Reduction as Strategy 16:23 – Real-Time Monitoring: Core Controls 17:06 - Smart Fixtures & “Only When Needed” Flushing 19:28 — Duplication, BMS vs Cloud, Data Governance 25:03 — Case Studies: VT & Copenhagen University Hospital 31:59— Cybersecurity: Water Systems at Risk 40:21— City Resilience: Drought & Flooding 41:59 — Emerging Tech to Watch Quotes “Technology will give us real-time patterns, and… by just having that pattern recognition, we have power to be more proactive.” “We really should be trying to break into our own system or hiring people to break into our own system… the bad guys will find it as well.” “Creating a water system that's more like a natural ecosystem… self-regulating, adaptive, and maximizes both efficiency and resiliency.” Connect with Christine McHugh Phone: 9179409383 Email: christine.mchugh@whitestrand.com Website: White Strand Development LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-a-mchugh/ Guest Resources Mentioned Practitioners’ Perspective on the Prevalent Water Quality Management Practices for Legionella Control in Large Buildings in the United States Tenets of a holistic approach to drinking water-associated pathogen research, management, and communication Smart Cities, Copenhagen and the Power of Data Chlorine Disinfection of Legionella spp., L. pneumophila, and Acanthamoeba under Warm Water Premise Plumbing Conditions NLM’s Water heater temperature set point and water use patterns influence Legionella pneumophila and associated microorganisms at the tap Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned AWT (Association of Water Technologies) Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses Submit a Show Idea The Rising Tide Mastermind Industrial Water Week Water You Know with James McDonald Question: What type of resin is primarily used in a sodium zeolite water softener? 2025 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.
438 Innovative Water Treatment Chemistry with Matheus Paschoalino
Can a carbon-negative, bio-based molecule replace legacy phosphonates and help you use less azole—without sacrificing corrosion performance? In this episode, host Trace Blackmore, CWT, welcomes Matheus Paschoalino, PhD Senior Business Development Manager and Microbial Control SME of Solugen, to unpack polyhydroxycarboxylic acids (PHCs) and how they’re changing cooling-water programs from the field up. We cover HEDP replacement in light-duty systems, azole enhancement in copper-challenged waters, a second-generation cut for heavy-duty heat flux, and PHC behavior with oxidizers and non-oxidizer biocides. From Bioforge to Basin: How PHCs Are Made and Why It Matters Paschoalino explains Solugen’s chemo-enzymatic “Bioforge” approach that oxidizes sugars (corn-syrup feedstock) into PHCs with very high yield and no practical byproducts—a pathway validated as carbon-negative. He outlines how different “cuts” (monoacid-rich vs. diacid-rich) map to different use cases, and notes current manufacturing capacity and adoption across hundreds of towers. Replacing HEDP in Light-Duty Programs For hospitals, HVAC, and other light-duty systems, PHCs have fully replaced HEDP as the anodic corrosion inhibitor while keeping PBTC for scale, enabling lower total phosphorus formulations with equal or better performance compared to status-quo organics. Azole Enhancement, Free Copper, and Real-World Cost Field work showed PHCs chelate metals quickly, protecting azole demand when free copper is present (e.g., after oxidizer flushing) and reducing expensive azole overdosing. One university case dropped an adjunct 8-ppm azole feed by pairing the base 3–4 ppm azole with PHC, yielding both corrosion control and lower discharge costs. Second-Generation PHCs for Heavy-Duty Heat Flux (Toward “Neutral Phosphorus”) At higher heat flux and stabilized-phosphate conditions, a diacid-rich second-generation PHC proved more stable, enabling orthophosphate reduction and opening a path toward “neutral phosphorus” programs that leverage background phosphate in municipal make-up. Bench data also show synergy with trace metals (e.g., zinc). Biocide Potentiation and Where It Works Best PHCs remain stable with oxidizers like chlorine dioxide and bleach. Their most compelling synergy shows up with non-oxidizers and peracetic acid (PAA): as a biocide potentiator, PHCs can reduce the need to overdose actives such as THPS, glutaraldehyde, quats, and DBNPA by first complexing interfering metals (e.g., Fe/FeS), letting the biocide perform as intended. Not “Bug Food”: Pilot Cooling Towers and Oxidizer Demand To address the industry’s biggest concern with bio-based chemistries, Solugen ran side-by-side outdoor pilot cooling towers under identical bleach control. Result: comparable oxidizer usage and consistently low counts versus HEDP—evidence that PHCs don’t fuel biofilm. Chelation Mechanics, Polymer Savings, and White Rust PHCs chelate beyond acid-group stoichiometry thanks to multiple hydroxyls and conformational effects—critical for controlling dissolved metals and protecting films. In stressed heat-flux/chlorine conditions, PHCs reduced calcium-phosphate fouling versus HEDP, often allowing polymer dosage cuts. Early data also show promise for white-rust mitigation on galvanized systems, with the diacid-rich cut delivering the strongest reductions. For practitioners, the message is pragmatic: PHCs aren’t “lab curiosities.” They’re fielded at scale, enabling lower-phosphorus programs, protecting costly azole inventories, widening the operational window under oxidizer stress, and potentiating select biocides—while staying compatible with common metals. If you manage cooling assets under cost, compliance, and performance pressure, this episode gives you a clear technical playbook to evaluate. Listen now, review the papers in the show notes, and test a pilot where it counts—on your heat exchangers. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:15 - Trace Blackmore shares a quick personal open: spotting the Goodyear Blimp (100th anniversary), using memories as fuel rather than limits, and a mindset reset around the word “can’t.” 06:42 - Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals 09:23 - Water You Know with James McDonald 11:41 - Interview with Matheus Paschoalino, Senior Business Development Manager and Microbial Control SME of Solugen 12:02 - HEDP replacement in light-duty programs; lower total phosphorus without losing performance 19:13 - Heavy-duty heat flux: second-generation (diacid-rich) PHCs and reducing orthophosphate 20:39 - “Neutral phosphorus” approach 27:42 - Biocide potentiation: synergy with PAA; strongest effects with non-oxidizers (e.g., THPS) 33:03 - “Bug food?” Pilot side-by-side cooling towers (Houston) 37:39 - HEDP systems fouled with calcium phosphate while PHC system showed only minor patching (CTI paper) 41:44 - Early evidence: white-rust mitigation on galvanized systems (seeking field partners) Quotes “Use your past as history, not as a limiter.” - Trace Blackmore “Plan where you’ll be; you never know what you’ll learn or who you’ll meet.” - Trace Blackmore “First-gen PHCs let us replace HEDP in light-duty programs and keep performance with lower total phosphorus.” - Matheus Paschoalino “Non-oxidizing biocides work best with PHCs—we target the metals first so you stop over-dosing the biocide.” - Matheus Paschoalino “We like to be very conservative… we start with the laboratory; we start with light duty. Now we are going to heavy duty.” Connect with Matheus Paschoalino, PhD Phone: 14847193979 Email: matheus.paschoalino@solugen.com Website: Home - New - Solugen | Solugen LinkedIn: Matheus P. Paschoalino, PhD | LinkedIn Solugen: Overview | LinkedIn Guest Resources Mentioned I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys Blog entitled “Achieving Phosphorus-Neutral Cooling Treatment Using Carbon-Negative Additives” by Solugen Verza360® Enables Cost Savings with Effective Biocide Potentiation in Produced Water - Oil & Gas Solutions Case Study by Solugen 2025 Winter Issue of CTI Journal paper TP24-16, “Toward Phosphorus-Neutral Cooling Tower Treatment Using Carbon-Negative Environmentally Friendly Additive” Presentation at AMPP entitled "Novel Biobased Carbon-Negative Corrosion Inhibitors Enabling Environmentally Friendliness" Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned AWT (Association of Water Technologies) Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses Submit a Show Idea The Rising Tide Mastermind Water You Know with James McDonald Question: Back in the day, what was the treatment used for corrosion inhibition in cooling water systems that was banned around 1985 in the United States from widespread use due to its toxicological impact? 2025 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.
437 Redefining HR: The Key to Talent & Culture in Water Treatment
What if HR wasn’t the department you dreaded — but the partner that helped your team thrive? In this episode of Scaling UP! H2O, host Trace Blackmore welcomes Tia Amundson, HR Director at HOH Water Technology, to explore how human resources can be a strategic driver of talent, culture, and profitability in the water treatment industry. Redefining HR’s Role Tia shares her journey into water treatment and how she built HOH’s HR department from the ground up. Instead of treating HR as a compliance function, she reframed it as a leadership partner—focused on employee connections, transparent communication, and culture building. From structured check-ins at 30, 60, and 90 days to coaching managers and bridging communication gaps, her approach ensures employees feel supported, heard, and connected. Culture as Competitive Advantage HOH’s success story demonstrates how culture directly shapes business outcomes. Tia explains how open-book management, employee engagement surveys, and intentional recognition programs have increased retention, profitability, and trust across the organization. By aligning HR strategies with EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), HOH has cultivated an environment where employees thrive and deliver exceptional service. Talent, Retention, and the Future of HR Finding and retaining the right people remains one of the industry’s biggest challenges. Tia outlines the importance of a clear employee value proposition, authentic recruiting practices, and a commitment to work-life balance. She also discusses how HR will evolve over the next decade, balancing automation with the irreplaceable human element of caring for people. Dream Management and Employee Growth As a Certified Dream Manager, Tia integrates personal growth with professional development. By helping employees pursue their own dreams, HOH has fostered deeper engagement, loyalty, and breakthroughs that extend far beyond the workplace. Conclusion For leaders in the water treatment industry, this episode challenges you to view HR not as a cost center, but as a powerful lever for long-term success. Strategic HR practices can reduce turnover, build culture, and give your organization a competitive edge. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:28 - Trace Blackmore welcomes listeners, shares personal “sharpen the saw” growth theme 04:53 - Sharpen-the-saw story 08:10 - Water You Know with James McDonald 10:05 - Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals 13:15 - Interview with a friend and Rising Tide Mastermind member Tia Amundson, HR Director, HOH Water Technology 13:30 - HR as employee connection + leadership alignment, not a “principal’s office” 16:32 - From hiring to long-term care 19:14 - Coaching managers 23:49 - Turnover → P&L 33:12 – Recruitment Realities 44:03 – Dream Manager Program 48:11 – Overcoming Skepticism 50:02 – The Future of HR 51:13 – Start/Stop for HR 52:50 – Foundational operating system (EOS) first Quotes “HR isn’t about punishment—it’s about building trust, culture, and strategic advantage.” “Pour into your employees, and they will pour into their work. That discretionary effort is what differentiates great companies.” “Open communication and transparency aren’t soft skills—they’re the foundation of an intentional culture.” “We started this interview saying we’d shatter how people think about HR—and I think we’ve shattered about a dozen things already.” “When you engage employees in their personal dreams, you directly impact workplace engagement.” Connect with Tia Amundson Phone: +12247721377 Email: tamundson@hohwatertechnology.com Website: www.hohwatertechnology.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tia-amundson-shrm-cp/ Guest Resources Mentioned HOH Water Technology EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) Gallup Q12 Engagement Survey The Dream Manager by Matthew Kelly How to Be a Great Boss: Gino Wickman, René Boer Traction by Gino Wickman Three Signs of a Miserable Job by Patrick Lencioni Wellbeing at Work: How to Build Resilient and Thriving Teams by Jim Clifton (Author) & Jim Harter People: Dare to Build an Intentional Culture (The EOS Mastery Series) by Mark O'Donnell (Author), Kelly Knight (Author), CJ DuBe' (Author) Beyond High Performance by Jason Jaggard Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned AWT (Association of Water Technologies) Industrial Water Week Scaling UP! H2O's Industrial Water Week Resources Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses Submit a Show Idea The Rising Tide Mastermind Water You Know with James McDonald Question: What are some reasons for softener resin beads to crack? 2025 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.
436 Raising the Bar: Legionella Management & Industry Standards
With those words, Jemma Tennant highlights one of the most profound differences between Legionella management in Europe and the United States. In this episode of Scaling UP! H2O, host Trace Blackmore welcomes Jemma Tennant, Chair of the Water Management Society (WMSoc), to explore how legislation, enforcement, and professional training shape the fight against Legionella. Proactive Regulation and Duty of Care The UK treats Legionella as a foreseeable and preventable risk. Jemma explains how laws like the Health and Safety at Work Act and COSHH Regulations require mandatory Legionella risk assessments, temperature monitoring, and written control schemes—even when no cases have occurred. This contrasts with the U.S., where ASHRAE 188 serves as guidance rather than enforceable law, often triggering enforcement only after outbreaks. Jemma shares a case study where a housing association was fined £1.2 million despite no recorded illness, underscoring the UK’s proactive stance on protecting public health. Hospitals, Design, and Emerging Challenges From hospital plumbing layouts to new “waterless” intensive care units, Jemma details how design choices can either mitigate or magnify waterborne risk. Scotland’s model of involving water safety groups at the design stage provides a proactive example for healthcare worldwide. She also outlines how climate change, net-zero initiatives, and rising ambient temperatures are complicating control strategies across Europe. Raising Standards Through Collaboration As Chair of WMSoc, Jemma is leading efforts to raise industry standards and reverse what she calls a “race to the bottom.” She describes partnerships with AWT in the U.S. and LMAG in Australia to share expertise across borders. The episode also explores her pursuit of the Certified Water Technologist (CWT) credential and her vision for adapting the certification for UK professionals. Conclusion This conversation is a call to action for water treatment professionals everywhere: regulations, standards, and collaboration matter. Whether in cooling towers, hospitals, or housing estates, Legionella management requires vigilance, shared knowledge, and a commitment to raising the bar. Listen to the full episode and discover how global collaboration can shape safer water management practices. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 01:55 - Trace Blackmore introduces the final installment of Legionella Awareness Month 2025 05:30 - Water You Know with James McDonald 07:30 - Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals 14:50 - Interview with Jemma Tennant, SMS Environmental, Chair of the Water Management Society (WMSoc) 15:24 - Jemma’s background: growing up in the U.S. and UK, science upbringing, rotifers, and wastewater treatment career. 32:25 - The Water Management Society: structure, training, collaboration with AWT and LMAG 43:00 - Raising industry standards: combating the “race to the bottom” in UK water treatment. Quotes “In the UK, we’re prosecuted for the potential for harm, not just actual harm. Legionella is treated as a foreseeable and preventable risk.” “It’s the transition between just doing the task to understanding the why behind the task.” “We’re seeing a serious drop in industry standards—a race to the bottom—and that’s why raising the bar is so important.” “At the end of it, the CWT covers everything. You end up being a complete water treater.” “Always be honest when you don’t know the answer, then go and learn. That’s how you grow.” Connect with Jemma Tennant Phone: 447828315336 Email: j.tennant@sms-environmental.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jemma-tennant-mwmsoc-2636985b/ Guest Resources Mentioned Water Management Society (WMSoc) LMAG - Legionella Management Advisory Group - LMAG The Women by Kristin Hannah (Author) HTM 04-01 – UK healthcare water safety standards The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH Regulations 2002) Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 UKAS Accreditation ANAB (US Laboratory Accreditation) Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned AWT (Association of Water Technologies) ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188-2021 for Legionnaires’ Disease Risk Management ASHRAE Standard-188-2021, Building Water Management Plans – Summary Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses Submit a Show Idea The Rising Tide Mastermind Ep 101 The One with Colin Frayne, CWT Ep 203 The One With Our Across The Pond Legionella Expert, John Sandford Ep 370 Unlocking Legionella Solutions: Perspectives on Regulations and Best Practices Water You Know with James McDonald Question: Does Hydroxide Alkalinity in a steam boiler water ALWAYS equal 2P-M? 2025 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.
435 Optimizing Legionella Control Strategies with Dr. Vincenzo Romano Spica
Legionella remains one of the most complex challenges for water professionals worldwide. How do we balance effective monitoring with realistic costs—and which strategies deliver true public health impact? In this episode, Trace Blackmore welcomes Dr. Vincenzo Romano Spica, Head Public Health University of Rome "Foro Italico to explore new insights from his comparative research on Legionella control. Reframing Legionella Risk Dr. Spica explains why public health data increasingly points to Legionella pneumophila—not all Legionella species—as the primary concern for human health. He shares how pan-European data modeling and peer-reviewed studies demonstrate that broad-spectrum monitoring may overburden systems without delivering proportional safety gains. Cost-Benefit Models and Sustainability Water professionals know that testing and compliance require resources. Dr. Spica discusses cost-benefit analysis frameworks that help decision-makers evaluate where investments deliver the greatest reduction in risk. He also highlights the sustainability implications of over-testing, from lab resources to environmental waste streams. European Regulations and Legal Liability The conversation also explores the European Drinking Water Directive 2020/2184, national approaches to Legionella, and how liability shifts when contamination is detected. Dr. Spica’s insights illuminate what building owners, operators, and regulators must weigh as they update management plans. Conclusion For engineers, operators, and technical managers, this episode provides a clear framework for thinking about Legionella beyond routine testing. It’s about focusing on the pathogen that truly drives disease outcomes, aligning regulatory strategy with science, and applying resources where they matter most. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps 02:24 - Trace opens the episode, welcoming listeners to Legionella Awareness Month and framing the call to action 05:37 - Water You Know with James McDonald 10:04 - Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals 14:06 - Trace introduces Dr. Vincenzo Romano Spica, Head of Public Health at the University of Rome Foro Italico 17:22 - Dr. Spica outlines why Legionella pneumophila is the main pathogen of concern in Europe 35:04 - Dr. Spica explains Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) as a measure of public health burden 44:08 - Monitoring strategies and how different culture methods affect outcomes 46:16 - The role of water temperature in Legionella proliferation Quotes “Not all Legionella are equal—public health data shows us it’s Legionella pneumophila that drives the real risk.” “Testing everything may look safer on paper, but in practice, it diverts resources from where they can have the greatest impact.” “Risk management should not be a checklist; it should be a strategic allocation of resources aligned with outcomes.” “European data models show that a targeted approach can deliver both better safety and greater sustainability.” Connect with Dr. Vincenzo Romano Spica Phone: +39.338.935.1976 Email: vincenzo.romanospica@uniroma4.it LinkedIn: vincenzo romano spica | LinkedIn Guest Resources Mentioned Legionnaires’ Disease Surveillance and Public Health Policies in Italy: A Mathematical Model for Assessing Prevention Strategies by Dr. Spica et. al Alessando Cassini’s Burden of Infectious Diseases in Europe methodological challenges and opportunities for public health policy NLM’s Impact of infectious diseases on population health using incidence-based disability-adjusted life years (DALYs): results from the Burden of Communicable Diseases in Europe study, European Union and European Economic Area countries, 2009 to 2013 Supplemental information: Impact of UAT Diagnostic Methods on Estimates of Legionnaires’ disease Caused by non-pneumophila Legionella Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned AWT (Association of Water Technologies) Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses Submit a Show Idea Scaling UP! H2O’s Legionella Resources Library 434 Encore Interview with Patsy Root Water You Know with James McDonald Question: What is it called when a valve is closed at the end of a pipeline system causing a pressure wave to propagate in the pipe and a loud banging sound? 2025 Events for Water Professionals Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.