California’s farms use the largest share of water in the state — and decades of heavy pumping have left Central Valley groundwater dangerously low. As Ian James of the Los Angeles Times explains, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is pushing agricultural districts to restore balance. Some are beginning to shift…
The Grand Canyon is water’s greatest masterpiece — carved not by force, but by patience. Over the past 5 million years, the Colorado River cut 277 miles through rock, exposing nearly 2 billion years of geologic history and plunging more than a mile deep. Today, this same river that shaped…
In Central California’s Monterey Bay, the small town of Soquel faced seawater threatening its drinking water supply. Their answer? Purify and recycle 1.3 million gallons a day, inject it underground to form a protective barrier, and track its success with science. By solving a complex financial puzzle and partnering with…
Southern California’s water future faces pivotal choices as the Metropolitan Water District weighs major investments. Ian James, Los Angeles Times reporter, says the 38-member board has looming decisions on the $20 billion Delta Conveyance Project, a 45-mile tunnel, and Pure Water Southern California, a massive water recycling initiative. Episode at…
Subscribe to catch every video:https://www.youtube.com/@waterloop 💧H2O INTRO 🤝 Meet Deandrah Cameron of New Jersey Future What happens when overburdened communities and overburdened water systems meet? Too often—nothing gets fixed. But Deandrah Cameron helps change that. As a policy manager at New Jersey Future, Deandrah works at the intersection of environmental…
💧H2O INTRO 🤝 Meet Josh Sendejar of Texas Water Foundation As Texas voters eye a historic infrastructure investment, Josh is tackling the human infrastructure crisis by equipping emerging water leaders with critical skills. The Texas Water Leaders Program has trained over 120 professionals through workshops, networking, and mentorship, fostering statewide…
Half of Southern California’s water still travels hundreds of miles through massive aqueducts. But a big debate is underway: should the region keep relying on imported water—or build a future rooted in local supply? From stormwater capture to advanced wastewater recycling, solutions are emerging to make Southern California more self-reliant,…
As Southern California wonders if water scarcity could ever spiral into a “Day Zero” crisis, the region stands at a crossroads for securing its water future. In this episode of In The Newsroom, Ian James, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, dives into the critical decisions shaping the region’s…
Houston’s wetlands are disappearing—fast. Ayanna Jolivet Mccloud of Bayou City Waterkeeper says unchecked development and weak regulation are erasing vital habitat. Her team mapped the five critical wetlands still left in the city—large, connected tracts that support biodiversity—and launched community campaigns to protect them before it’s too late. Episode at…
Ever wonder which foods guzzle the most water? In the latest Water Street Questions, people shared their guesses on which foods require the most water to produce, sparking a lively conversation about water’s hidden role in our diets. Many pointed to vegetables, with answers like “to grow any vegetable” and…
Houston’s bayous are sparking a bold new vision for unity in water advocacy. Ayanna Jolivet Mccloud, Executive Director of Bayou City Waterkeeper, calls for conservation and environmental justice organizations to bridge their divide, centering communities for a more equitable approach to water protection. By fostering collaboration and leaning into environmental…
Pittsburgh has transformed a 2016 lead water crisis into a national model, replacing over 13,000 lead service lines with an innovative trenchless method that swaps them for copper, minimizing disruption to homes. Funded by State Revolving Fund loans and infrastructure grants at no cost to homeowners, Pittsburgh Water is over…
Imagine wastewater from four distinct sources—municipal, stormwater, industrial, and agriculture—transformed into a lifeline for thriving crops and aquifers. Monterey One Water’s pioneering project, recycling 6 billion gallons since 2020, does just that, blending these diverse streams into a sustainable resource that fuels the Salinas Valley’s agricultural economy and protects Monterey…
Imagine Houston’s bayous thriving as the heart of a vibrant, water-focused city. Ayanna Jolivet Mccloud, Executive Director of Bayou City Waterkeeper, is sparking a movement to reclaim Houston as the Bayou City, moving beyond its petrochemical identity by embracing “waterscapes” over landscapes. By celebrating the bayous crisscrossing the watershed and…
Subscribe to catch every video:https://www.youtube.com/@waterloop 💧H2O INTRO 🤝 Meet Nomble Lee-Watson of AECOM Nomble Lee-Watson is a water and wastewater engineer who stepped out from behind the computer and into neighborhoods—knocking on doors to help identify and replace unsafe water pipes. Through lead service line inventory work, Nomble connects directly…
💧H2O INTRO 🤝 Meet Nicole Brown of the Black Water Professionals Alliance As vice president and co-founder, Nicole Brown is helping to build a nationwide community for Black professionals in the water sector—along with allies and sponsors ready to join the movement. From monthly virtual meetups for Black women in…
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…
Can a river recover from a toxic flood of 3 million gallons of wastewater? In 2015, the Gold King Mine spill turned Colorado’s Animas River bright gold with arsenic and lead, devastating tourism, rafting, and farming in Durango. Yet, through resilience and restoration, the Animas has bounced back, now fueling…
What if wastewater could keep iconic golf courses lush while saving a river? In California’s Pebble Beach, a 115-million-gallon reservoir of recycled water irrigates seven golf courses, including the famed Pebble Beach. Launched in the 1980s to ease pressure on the Carmel River, this project’s advanced reverse osmosis treatment ensures…
💧H2O INTRO 🤝 Meet Dante Payne of the Philadelphia Water Department Dante Payne used to wake up at 3 a.m. to collect water samples across Philadelphia. Now, he leads the team that tests every drop of new and repaired water infrastructure in the city. As a Water Quality Control Manager,…
A landmark Texas Supreme Court ruling affirming the constitutionality of groundwater regulation has transformed legislative priorities, sparking a surge in water-related bills. With growing interest in key water committees and new groundwater districts shaping policy, Texas is seeing unprecedented legislative action to address water challenges, reports Todd Votteler of the…
Pittsburgh’s Point marks the convergence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers. These waterways once fueled the city’s steel empire. They carried commerce deep into America’s heartland. Today, they sustain 30 million people downstream. Smokestacks have given way to waterfront parks. Water-focused recreation now thrives. Over 440 bridges, more than…
Texas is tackling its water challenges head-on with cutting-edge solutions like seawater and brackish groundwater desalination, including a major plant under construction in Corpus Christi. Meanwhile, El Paso’s groundbreaking water reuse facility, which will put purified wastewater back into the drinking water system, sets a model for sustainable urban water…
💧H2O INTRO 🤝 Meet Lyndon DeSalvo of The Nature Conservancy How do we advance green infrastructure that benefits both people and nature? Lyndon DeSalvo, Urban Conservation Program Manager at The Nature Conservancy, is focused on scaling nature-based solutions by tackling barriers in policy, financing, and data. He's working with partners…