Joe Trungale
The Gulf Podcast and Oral History Project
The Gulf is an oral history project and podcast that shares stories about people and nature on the Texas Gulf Coast. For more information, visit the The Gulf's homepage.
Kenya Zarate
Joe Trungale is an environmental engineer with a focus on water issues. Born in Chicago, Trungale moved around the Midwest and East Coast before settling in Dallas for high school. After high school, he attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he earned an English degree. Following his undergraduate studies, Trungale spent time traveling and volunteering in Latin America, specifically in Nicaragua, where he worked on water issues. Upon returning to the United States, Trungale decided to pursue a career in engineering with the goal of acquiring a technical skill that would allow him to live abroad. He attended the University of Texas at Austin for a year before transferring to the University of Washington, where he earned a master's degree in environmental engineering. His master's work focused on developing user-friendly models that would allow stakeholders to experiment with alternatives in water supply. After completing his master's degree, Trungale worked for the Potomac River Basin Commission in Washington, D.C., where he focused on water supply for the metro area. He later moved back to Texas to start a family and continued his work on water issues, particularly in the Guadalupe-San Antonio Basin.
Scope and Content Note
This interview with Joe Trungale, conducted by Dr. Jennifer Brown on November 5, 2021, provides an in-depth look at Trungale's life and career, with a particular focus on his work on Texas water issues and freshwater inflow. Trungale discusses his early life, education, and career trajectory, including his time spent volunteering in Nicaragua and his decision to pursue a career in environmental engineering. Trungale also provides detailed insights into his work on water issues, including his work on the regional water planning process in Texas, his role in the Guadalupe-San Antonio Basin, and his work with the Potomac River Basin Commission. He discusses the process of determining water needs for various sectors of society and the strategies for meeting these needs. The interview concludes with Trungale's reflections on his career and his experiences with the passing of Senate bills related to water issues. The interview provides valuable insights into the complexities of water management and the role of environmental engineering in addressing these challenges.
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