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In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, talks with Josh Katz, attorney with Bickerstaff Heath, about a recent Texas Supreme Court decision on produced water ownership and its implications for water rights and policy.

Josh practices in the areas of municipal law, environmental law, administrative law, water law, electric utility regulation, and civil litigation. He represents municipalities, river authorities, water districts, and private entities in these and related matters before state agencies and in state and federal courts. Before joining Bickerstaff Heath in 2010, Josh was an associate with a large Austin law firm and an environmental and property law litigation boutique. He researched and drafted publications and other documents while clerking at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Jones McClure Publishing Company, where he drafted and edited various O’Connor’s legal publications.

For a deeper dive into this topic, read his legal review published in the Texas Water Journal: https://twj-ojs-tdl.tdl.org/twj/article/view/7233.

Take a deep dive into the world of water with those making waves!

Also, just a note that Talk+Water has been ranked as one of the top water podcasts in the world by FeedSpot and MillionPodcasts!

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In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, talks with Dr. Margaret Cook, Vice President of Water & Community Resilience at the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), about water use of data centers in Texas.

Margaret leads a team of experts who build collaborative initiatives to enhance community resilience, sustainable development, and the availability and affordability of clean water. She is a seasoned sustainability leader with a proven record of innovative research and solution development. With a strong foundation in engineering, policy, and the water-energy-climate nexus, she has successfully collaborated with diverse stakeholders to address critical challenges in these sectors, co-developing programs with communities and prioritizing those with the greatest need. Margaret’s research focuses on developing and implementing solutions for water resource management, energy access and affordability, and climate adaptation.

Margaret earned a Doctorate in Civil Engineering with a certificate in Engineering Education, a Master's degree in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, all from the University of Texas at Austin Cockrell School of Engineering. She also holds a dual Master's degree in Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

Take a deep dive into the world of water with those making waves!

Also, just a note that Talk+Water has been ranked as one of the top water podcasts in the world by FeedSpot and MillionPodcasts!

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In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, examines how failed P-13 wells, which are former oil and gas wells converted for water use, can fall outside regulatory oversight and create risks for Texas groundwater, with Sarah Stogner, District Attorney for the Texas 143rd Judicial District, and Dr. Ron Green, retired hydrologist.

Sarah Stogner is the elected District Attorney for the 143rd Judicial District in rural West Texas. A West Texas landowner herself, she has become one of the state’s most vocal advocates for holding the oil and gas industry accountable for improperly plugged legacy wells—known as “zombie wells”—that threaten land, water, and property rights across Texas. She is the founder of Zombie Wells, a platform that connects affected landowners with regulatory data and legal resources. In 2022, Sarah ran for Texas Railroad Commissioner, advancing to the Republican primary runoff in a race that sharpened her focus on the Commission’s chronic failure to enforce plugging obligations and pursue successor liability against the majors. She brings a ground-level perspective that combines courtroom experience, regulatory policy knowledge, and the firsthand reality of owning land in oil country.

Dr. Ron Green is a retired hydrologist, formerly with the Southwest Research Institute and the consulting firm, Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber. He has specialized in groundwater hydrology and environmental geophysics, with a focus on water resource assessment and karst hydrology. He has volunteered on the state board of trustees of The Nature Conservancy in Texas, serving as chair of its Conservation and Science Committee. He has also served as board chair for the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance.

For a deeper dive into this topic, read their paper published in the Texas Water Journal: https://twj-ojs-tdl.tdl.org/twj/article/view/7212.

Take a deep dive into the world of water with those making waves!

Also, just a note that Talk+Water has been ranked as one of the top water podcasts in the world by FeedSpot and MillionPodcasts!