The Rebirth of Bayou City: Centering Water in Houston

Houston is known as the energy capital—but it’s also the Bayou City, where water flows not just through the environment, but through culture, memory, justice, and resilience.

In this episode from the Color of Water series, Ayanna Jolivet Mccloud, Executive Director of Bayou City Waterkeeper, shares how her background in art and advocacy fuels bold environmental leadership rooted in equity. She discusses the group’s efforts to protect wetlands, hold polluters accountable, and connect communities with their watersheds.

From suing to stop illegal sewage dumping to mapping critical wetlands and advancing green infrastructure in underserved neighborhoods, Bayou City Waterkeeper takes an integrated, justice-first approach to water. Ayanna also highlights the power of narrative change and cultural strategies in reimagining water policy and restoring people’s relationships to place.

The Color of Water series is a collaboration between waterloop and the Water Hub.