In this episode, podcast host Reese Tisdale is joined by Bluefield analyst Pat Byrne to talk through how PFAS is changing the rules, the costs, and the options for what utilities do with their sludge. PFAS has worked its way into biosolids, and utilities are left figuring out what to do about it. With states… Continue reading A US$4.8 Billion Municipal Biosolids Market With Nowhere To Put the Sludge
Podcast: The Future of Water
The Firms Behind the Decisions: Engineering and Construction’s Expanding Role in Water
Water accounts for a minority of revenue for nearly every major engineering and construction firm in the sector—somewhere between 15% and 23%—yet investment keeps accelerating. In this episode, Reese Tisdale is joined by Bluefield analyst Caroline Vauclain, who just wrapped up a deep dive into 40 leading firms, examining water sector market share, strategic focus,… Continue reading The Firms Behind the Decisions: Engineering and Construction’s Expanding Role in Water
Are We Reading the Water Market Right?
Episode 150 marks a milestone for The Future of Water: Bluefield summer intern Swapnil Gandhi turns the tables and interviews host Reese Tisdale. Instead of Reese asking the questions, he’s answering them—covering what Bluefield got right early, the data that reshaped how Bluefield reads the industry, and where the biggest pressures and overlooked opportunities lie… Continue reading Are We Reading the Water Market Right?
Beyond the Dashboard: Digital Water’s Operational Turn
Digital water companies have gone through distinct phases: first selling data, then selling analytics. Now it’s selling decisions, and increasingly autonomous control. This shift is showing up across Veralto, Badger Meter, Xylem, Bentley, Schneider Electric, ABB, and Rotork—different products, same direction. They’re all moving closer to operations because software only becomes valuable when it changes… Continue reading Beyond the Dashboard: Digital Water’s Operational Turn
Mid-2026 Water Check-In: Deals, Geopolitics, and What’s Next
At the midpoint of 2026, the water sector is sending mixed signals. Deal flow is up sharply, with 161 transactions recorded year-to-date and Q2 activity climbing 42% year-over-year to its strongest pace since 2021. Yet the headlines telling a story of a booming market sit alongside a different conversation happening in boardrooms, where CEOs are… Continue reading Mid-2026 Water Check-In: Deals, Geopolitics, and What’s Next
Is the Data Center Water Problem Fake?
Podcast host Reese Tisdale is joined by Bluefield Research Director Amber Walsh and Analyst Zineb Moumen to examine the data center market through a water lens. The conversation covers what the numbers actually show, where they fall short, and what water companies stand to gain on both sides of the Atlantic. Bluefield’s analysts break down… Continue reading Is the Data Center Water Problem Fake?
Last Call for the Colorado River
The clock is running out on the Colorado River. Lake Powell sits at 23% capacity. Towns are hauling water by truck. The 2025–26 snowpack is the lowest on record. After decades of missed deadlines, the federal government is now being forced to act. A binding record of decision—determining how the river will be operated going… Continue reading Last Call for the Colorado River
Who Owns Your Water and Who Wants To?
The U.S. investor-owned utility (IOU) market just posted its strongest opening quarter in three years. Bluefield Analyst Megan Bondar joins host Reese Tisdale on The Future of Water to dig into what’s driving that activity. The conversation covers the structural differences between greenfield and peer-to-peer transactions, why the geographic map looks completely different from Pennsylvania… Continue reading Who Owns Your Water and Who Wants To?
Are We Approaching a Federal Water Funding Cliff?
Utilities, contractors, equipment suppliers, and investors have a lot of questions about federal water infrastructure funding right now. How is money moving, where is it landing, and what does project activity look like over the next few years? Bluefield’s Senior Analyst Charlie Suse joins host Reese Tisdale to walk through the federal funding landscape, from… Continue reading Are We Approaching a Federal Water Funding Cliff?
Inside Europe’s €643 Billion Stormwater Opportunity: Who’s Positioned To Capitalize?
Europe’s stormwater crisis has been building for decades—and the numbers are now impossible to ignore. The last three decades rank among the worst for flooding in 500 years of European records. In 2024 alone, floods killed more than 330 people, displaced 413,000, and caused €18 billion in damages. Bluefield Research has sized the European stormwater… Continue reading Inside Europe’s €643 Billion Stormwater Opportunity: Who’s Positioned To Capitalize?
