This week on Tap Talk, Jennifer and Steve chatted with Dr. Andrea Albertin and Dr. Yilin Zhuang of the University of Florida Extension’s Florida Well Owner Network (FWON). From intensified hurricanes to rising sea levels to eroding coasts, climate change has brought a number of significant environmental challenges to Florida. The state’s millions of well and septic users — common in urban areas as well as the typical rural ones — face unique struggles in equipping their properties to face these challenges and responding to the damage they wreak. FWON works to provide education, resources, and support to these homeowners as Florida’s landscape evolves.
Topics Discussed
- Meet Dr. Andrea Albertin
- Andrea’s Water Hero: Luis Poveda
- Meet Dr. Yilin Zhuang | LinkedIn
- Yilin’s Water/Environmental Hero: WALL-E
- Florida’s climate challenges and how they affect UF Extension’s work with well/septic users
- What is it like to experience a hurricane?
- How to account for extreme weather in outreach and education
- UF Extension’s role after an extreme weather event
- Impacts of sea level rise in Florida
- Other issues affecting wells, septic systems, and groundwater quality in the state
- Florida’s statewide septic data
- Efforts to develop regulations for septic systems
- Messages to Florida homeowners
- Follow the Florida Well Owner Network
“These well and septic system users are not aware how vulnerable their systems are. To them, it’s self-maintained.”
Dr. Yilin Zhuang
Go Further
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About the Guests
Dr. Andrea Albertin and Dr. Yilin Zhuang are the Water Resources Regional Specialized Agents at UF/IFAS Extension and founders of the Florida Well Owner Network. Dr. Albertin’s Extension areas of specialization focus on groundwater quality. Major programs include well and septic system education and agricultural best management practices. Dr. Zhuang’s Extension areas of specialization focus on integrated water resources management, with an emphasis on onsite wastewater treatment and disposal systems, private well water systems, and water conservation in agricultural and urban environments.
Dr. Albertin holds a BS in Biology from The College of William and Mary, and two graduate degrees from the University of Florida: an MS in Agroforestry and a PhD in Aquatic Biogeochemistry. Dr. Zhuang holds both a BS and MS in Environmental Engineering from Tongji University, and a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of South Florida. They have been with UF/IFAS Extension since 2016 and 2014, respectively.