John Take, executive Vice President and Chief Growth and Innovation officer at the environmental consulting firm Stantec joins John Sabo on the latest episode of Audacious Water to talk about how water infrastructure is evolving as climate change intensifies. He draws on more than 30 years of experience as an engineer working on complex water challenges, including post-Katrina New Orleans and long-term planning in the Colorado River Basin.
John Take explains how modern water projects are planned, who needs to be involved, and how the most successful projects now also depend on governance, financing, data, and meaningful community engagement.
“ When we start to put together teams now, there’s still a client, there’s still a contractor, there’s still an operator. Who’s been added into the mix? It’s finance, it’s academia, it’s nonprofits, it’s philanthropy. We’re getting to better solutions because our team is so much more diverse.”
- John Take, Season 5, Episode 4 of Audacious Water
What you’ll hear in this episode:
* What water infrastructure really means in an era of climate risk
* Why engineering is necessary but no longer sufficient on its own
* How water projects are designed and delivered today
* The role of community engagement in successful climate adaptation
* Why water security is critical to the economy and public health
