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waterloop: exploring solutions

Episodes

#157: The Clean Water Act Owner’s Manual
Oct. 17, 2022

#157: The Clean Water Act Owner’s Manual

2022 is the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, which fundamentally changed regulation and management of water resources in the U.S. The Clean Water Act Owner’s Manual was created to help people understand and use the la...

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#156: A New Approach To Agriculture
Sept. 26, 2022

#156: A New Approach To Agriculture

Algae blooms that pollute waterways, produce toxins, and cause dead zones are one of the most widespread and challenging environmental problems in the U.S. Nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural land is the leading fuel fo...

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waterloop #155: Journalism For Justice
Sept. 19, 2022

waterloop #155: Journalism For Justice

Problems of environmental justice and water equity haven’t historically received proper coverage by traditional media. And if they did get in the news, chances are the reporter didn’t look like the impacted population.

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waterloop #154: Latino Leaders Learn
Sept. 12, 2022

waterloop #154: Latino Leaders Learn

Despite the direct and often disproportionate impacts of water problems on Latinos in California, there was historically a lack of water knowledge and advocacy by the leaders in their communities. That led to the creation of an organization to educate …

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waterloop #153: On A Mission To Help
Sept. 6, 2022

waterloop #153: On A Mission To Help

Thousands of water utilities across the U.S. are smaller and under-resourced, often leaving them consumed by daily operations and unable to take on projects to increase efficiency and reduce costs. But external experts can help these utilities to triag...

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waterloop #152: Wasser in Germany
Aug. 30, 2022

waterloop #152: Wasser in Germany

Traveling presents the opportunity to make observations about many aspects of the world including about water. In this episode, waterloop host Travis Loop discusses his summer trip to Germany and a variety of ways that water caught his attention in …

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waterloop #151: AI Versus Lead
Aug. 7, 2022

waterloop #151: AI Versus Lead

Artificial intelligence has emerged as a powerful tool in the fight to find lead water lines in the U.S., which could number up to 10 million and pose a threat to human health. The use of AI allows for much …

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waterloop #150: Voices For The Voiceless
July 26, 2022

waterloop #150: Voices For The Voiceless

Many of the one million people in California who lack access to safe and reliable drinking water are Latino agricultural workers living in small communities throughout the state’s Central Valley. Despite agriculture’s reliance on them as a workforce,

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waterloop #149: Flooding On A Sunny Day
July 19, 2022

waterloop #149: Flooding On A Sunny Day

Some coastal communities experience flooding of low-lying areas on sunny days due to exceptional high tides. The frequency and severity of these events, also called blue sky flooding or nuisance flooding, are increasing due to sea level rise and are …

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waterloop #148: Your Water Footprint
July 11, 2022

waterloop #148: Your Water Footprint

As climate change and other crises strain water supplies, more attention is being paid to the water footprint, the amount of water used by an individual or household over a certain period of time. A water footprint includes the water …

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waterloop #147: Measuring the Yellowstone Flood
July 6, 2022

waterloop #147: Measuring the Yellowstone Flood

As an historic flood devastated Yellowstone National Park and downstream communities in Montana, the U.S. Geological Survey was busy measuring streamflows, monitoring equipment, sharing data, and even making repairs in the field.

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waterloop #146: The $8 Billion Cost Of No Water
June 27, 2022

waterloop #146: The $8 Billion Cost Of No Water

A new report finds that the 2.2 million people in America who live without running water or a toilet at home is costing the U.S. economy over $8.5 billion a year. The biggest impacts to the GDP come from lost …

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waterloop #145: Mapping For Equity In Baltimore
June 21, 2022

waterloop #145: Mapping For Equity In Baltimore

In Baltimore, there are vast, disturbing differences from neighborhood to neighborhood in factors such as employment, education, crime, and life expectancy. While it will take a wide variety of efforts to address the root causes,

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waterloop #144: Modeling the Mississippi River Delta
May 16, 2022

waterloop #144: Modeling the Mississippi River Delta

It took thousands of years for the Mississippi River to build the coastline of southern Louisiana and its vast network of wetlands and bayous. It only took several generations of people to disrupt the natural,

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waterloop #143: Disrupt The Status Quo
May 10, 2022

waterloop #143: Disrupt The Status Quo

The water industry is often described as conservative, risk-averse, and slow to change. That behavior and accompanying acceptance of the status quo frustrate Will Sarni, Founder and CEO of the Water Foundry, who believes the industry needs disruption,

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waterloop #142: Two Nations, One Park (In Spanish) (A Pass The Mic Episode)
May 3, 2022

waterloop #142: Two Nations, One Park (In Spanish) (A Pass The Mic Ep…

Note: This episode is in Spanish. Watch it with English subtitles or read a transcript in English at https://bit.ly/TwoNationPark The Rio Grande River serves as the border between the United States and Mexico and in many ways keeps people apart.

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waterloop #141: The Market-Based Model of Water.org
April 23, 2022

waterloop #141: The Market-Based Model of Water.org

Hundreds of millions of people around the world that lack water and sanitation spend money and valuable time to get access. The market-based model of Water.org has helped 43 million people to use microloans to gain proper access to water …

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waterloop #140: Most Endangered River 2022 - The Colorado
April 19, 2022

waterloop #140: Most Endangered River 2022 - The Colorado

The Colorado River has been named the most endangered river in the U.S. by American Rivers, with the organization citing the challenges it faces from the impacts of climate change, outdated water management practices, overallocation of resources,

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waterloop #139: Local Is The Leading Location
April 11, 2022

waterloop #139: Local Is The Leading Location

Tremendous attention is paid to decisions, dollars, and officials at the federal and state levels, but local government is arguably the key cog in water management. Local leaders and staff are the ones ultimately spending funds, setting policy,

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waterloop #138: Great Opportunities For Great Lakes
April 4, 2022

waterloop #138: Great Opportunities For Great Lakes

In many parts of the U.S., political partisanship and climate change pose challenges for environmental progress. Meanwhile, the Great Lakes have shown to be a place for rare bipartisan support for investing in clean water and healthy communities. Also,

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waterloop #137: The Chronology Of Conflict
March 29, 2022

waterloop #137: The Chronology Of Conflict

The relationship between water and conflict has a long history. Sometimes a fight arises over water resources. Other times water is used as a weapon during war. In other cases water is collateral damage. The history is detailed in the …

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waterloop #136: The Wonder and Weirdness of Water
March 15, 2022

waterloop #136: The Wonder and Weirdness of Water

Water is a rather simple chemical compound, with two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Yet this seemingly basic substance is necessary for all known forms of life, comprises two-thirds of the human body, and covers 70 percent of the …

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waterloop #135: Coordination For Louisiana’s Coast
March 7, 2022

waterloop #135: Coordination For Louisiana’s Coast

Before Hurricane Katrina, the work to protect and restore Louisiana’s coast was fragmented among various government agencies with limited budgets and little coordination. The devastation of the storm and continued catastrophic loss of land and wetlands...

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waterloop #134: Utah’s Cold-Shoulder To Conservation
Feb. 28, 2022

waterloop #134: Utah’s Cold-Shoulder To Conservation

Utah is one of the driest states in the U.S. and the strain on water resources is growing as its population booms and climate change fuels aridification across the American West. But instead of aggressively advancing water conservation as other …

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