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Today, we head to Baltimore to their famed inner harbor. We will visit a googly-eyed, water-wheel-powered, trash-eating machine like no other. This ingenious contraption has become an unsung hero, but it's more than just a machine. In fact, it's even garnered a cult-like following with its own social media account, a locally brewed beer bearing its name, an annual fan festival dedicated to its greatness, and a special society known only as the Order of the Wheel. From its humble beginnings to its rise as a local legend, we'll explore more about Mr. Trash Wheel. Learn More in the Show Notes here.

In this episode, join us on a journey from Greenville, SC, to Cleveland, GA, to a small town in Australia, and back again as we explore an innovative solution to tackle trash in our streams. Along the way, you'll discover how a trash-eating mechanism made its way across the globe to help clean up our favorite waterways. Show Notes and Pictures are here.

We have been working hard developing and collecting stories for the past few months, and next week we’re bringing you a brand new season of The Outfall. Season 5. Thank you for your continued support. The first episode drops Friday, May 5.

In addition, to producing all his YouTube videos, Grady Hillhouse is releasing his book today titled "Engineering in Plain Sight." This book is an illustrated field guide to every part of the constructed world around us.  We go behind the scenes to learn more about the book's creation. But, most importantly, Grady provides lessons in working through obstacles and reminding all of us of the power of communication. Click here for the show notes.

One of the critical pieces of our supply chain happens at our Ports. So today, we go down the rabbit hole to the water’s edge where commerce, engineering, logistics, and water meet. We talk with Walter Lagarenne, Vice President, Engineering and Facilities at the South Carolina Ports Authority. See some cool pictures here in our show notes.

For over three decades, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida have fought over the two shared river basins. Access to these basins is critical for the Atlanta metro area. Don’t worry this is not a story about water wars, water supply, or water litigation. This story is about the wonderful Katherine Zitsch, Managing Director of Natural Resources at Atlanta Regional Commission and Director of Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, and how water ultimately brings us together. Link to the show notes.

We are excited to announce our book club pick for this year. We wondered what a book club announcement would sound like if it were a movie trailer. Join the book club here.  Enter the raffle for a FREE book here.

Today we're going to Antarctica, one of the world's coldest and most pristine places. Specifically, we are going to The US McMurdo Station, the largest science station on the continent. It has over three hundred toilets. So, where does the wastewater go, and how is treated? In this episode, you'll find answers. See pictures and learn more in the show notes here.

What if you could measure water quality from pixels on an aerial image? This episode is about the emerging geospatial analytics field that combines data-hungry algorithms and AI with remote sensing data. This technology can change how we identify, measure, and solve challenging environmental problems. We talk with the Sean Donegan, President & Chief Executive Officer of Satelytics.    Learn more in our show notes here.

We were honored to have Cynthia Barnett, award-winning author of The Sound of the Sea, join us virtually as we discussed the book together this past fall. We did not know what to expect from our first Outfall Book Club, but not only was it a wonderful discussion of the book, Cynthia shared some life wisdom with us all. Her paperback is now available. To help celebrate, we are also giving away one FREE copy of her book, which you can enter to win on our website.

If you have been to a pool already this summer, you have seen a bright-colored pool noodle. Someone had to have invented these, right? Yes, someone did, and this invention was far from guaranteed success. Enjoy this fun summer water short.

You want to know right? Should Doc Brown drive an F-150 Lightning, Ford's new all-electric truck?  We have got the answer in this water short.  Visit the show notes here.

Building our infrastructure in regular times is hard. But, in this new volatile world, it's like the heat is on, stakes are higher, and conflicts are easier. Our guests include: Phillip Sexton, Capital Projects Director, with North Charleston Sewer District Mack Harmon is with Ferguson Waterworks Justin Jones is a Preconstruction Engineer with Harper General Construction Learn more in our show notes here.

As a quick update, we have been working hard on our new season of The Outfall. Season 4. Thank you for your continued support. The first episode drops on May 13. In the meantime, we thought we would share one of our first water shorts since it is blue ghost hunting season.  The Blue Ghost Firefly is found nowhere else in the world but in the Southern Appalachians, and the largest population is in Western North Carolina. While all other species of firefly blink on and off as a mating ritual, the Blue Ghost emits a steady glow lasting from 30 seconds to a whole minute with a glow intensity so bright that they illuminate a circular patch of light on the ground beneath them.    Learn more about Blue Ghosts here.     

This episode concludes our conversation with Tim Cash about his adventures operating a fire tower for the US Forest Service this past year. We shift gears from talking about the lookout itself to the elements- fire, smoke, and lightning. One of the fires he experienced burned close to a million acres, which is bigger than the state of Rhode Island. To see more pictures go to the show notes here.   Since 2019, The Outfall podcast has been sharing the backstories of our water world and infrastructure worldwide. We thank you for listening and continuing to support us.    

We go on the front lines of a drought from a unique vantage point—a fire tower. Tim Cash, a retired career public servant with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, shares his eye-opening adventures of operating a fire tower for the US Forest Service this past year. So how do you get to spend a summer out west in a tower? For Tim, it only took him over forty years. Check out the show notes to see his wonderful pictures of the fire tower. Our next episode will conclude our conversation with Tim Cash, shifting gears from talking about the lookout itself to the elements. We are talking fire, smoke, and lightning. Since 2019, The Outfall podcast has been sharing the backstories of our water world and infrastructure worldwide. We thank you for listening and continuing to support us.

In this episode, we continue the flushable wipes story originating deep under the streets of Charleston from our first season. We talk with Paul Calamita with Aqualaw about Charleston Water System’s lawsuit against seven manufacturers and retailers of wipe products. Paul and Charleston Water System have been climbing a mountain without an established trail. How were they going to win where so many had fallen off the side of the mountain? Visit the show notes here.

Earlier this year, we talked to a commercial diving firm, Global Diving & Salvage, Inc., to learn more about what they did. Here are five things we learned that we think you may enjoy too. The clock is ticking for this five-minute water short.  Check out the show notes.

This is a story about people and a utility rising up in unbelievable circumstances where failure was not an option. We go behind the scenes and learn how the CIty of Columbia responded to cascading catastrophic failures throughout their infrastructure, and the lessons learned in the past six years. We want to thank Clint Shealy and Joey Jaco for sharing their stories. Learn more in the show notes.

This episode is a tale about an abandoned one-of-a-kind facility recently discovered in a middle of a South Carolina river, a famous sediment transport researcher and Albert Einstein.  Yes, Albert Einstein.  Check out the show notes to pictures of the lab and Albert Einstein.