People know about rivers, lakes, and oceans — but what about aquifers? In the latest episode of Water Street Questions, we hit the streets to ask, “What is an aquifer?” and got a mix of puzzled looks, guesses about plants, and a few people who nailed it as “something about…
Pittsburgh’s lead line replacement success didn’t just come from digging — it came from dialogue. Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis of Women for a Healthy Environment says the utility earned trust by hosting workshops with community groups, creating a transparent and interactive website, and staying responsive to residents. The result? People now believe…
We often only hear the bad news about water—contamination, main breaks, toxic tides—but there’s an entire workforce solving these challenges every single day. Meet Antoinette Barber, Director of Communications and Utility Management Programs at the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA). Representing the nation’s largest publicly owned drinking water utilities—serving…
Every water tank across North America faces the same hidden challenge: stagnation. Without proper mixing, “hot spots” and “cold spots” form — breeding grounds for germs and disease. That's where engineering steps in. Innovative valves force water to enter tanks in a powerful mixing motion, creating a perfect blend and…
Imagine rogue waves slamming into critical infrastructure — even military bases along the ocean. In Djibouti, the U.S. military faced that exact challenge: valves that risked being turned inside out by the force of the ocean. Valves need to be specially designed to survive those conditions and keep systems running,…
Biscayne Bay is Miami’s sparkling centerpiece — but beneath the surface, it’s on life support. Pollution from stormwater runoff, sewage leaks, and thousands of septic tanks has devastated seagrass, leaving an area the size of 18,000 football fields barren. Without seagrass, manatees, dolphins, and fish disappear too. That’s why Miami-Dade…
Proco Products is the leading manufacturer of rubber check valves. These fully passive devices require no maintenance, no outside power, or manual assistance to operate. Proco’s rubber check valves are ultra-quiet, won’t warp or freeze, and are designed to prevent standing water while eliminating trapped solids. They’re perfect for water…
Utilities and community-based organizations are teaming up to ensure safe, affordable drinking water and thriving waterways, achieving far more together than alone—as highlighted in the Building Blocks of Trust project, which spotlights nine inspiring collaborations. Take Tucson Water and the Sonora Environmental Research Institute: by joining forces, they've expanded access…
When water flows down a drain, no one want it it coming back up. That’s where check valves quietly protect communities—keeping sewage, stormwater, and drinking water systems flowing in the right direction. Cal Hayes of Proco Products explains how these unseen safeguards are essential across water infrastructure. Episode at https://bit.ly/CheckValvesFlow…
Inside infrastructure, there’s a simple device called check valves quietly protecting water systems from chaos, stopping dirty water from flowing backward, and keeping everything running smoothly amid bigger storms, tighter regulations, and growing cities. In this episode, Cal Hayes from Proco Products explains the vital role of check valves. He…
Millions of gallons of untreated sewage once poured into Houston’s waterways. Now, a 15-year consent decree is forcing cleanup—and Bayou City Waterkeeper is making sure progress is tracked every step of the way. Through its Justice in the Sewers map, the group pairs city overflow data with census tract information.…
Regulations can be both a carrot and a stick—and in Sacramento, new water quality requirements drove one of the most ambitious water reuse projects in the U.S. The $1.7 billion EchoWater Resource Recovery Facility now removes 89% of nitrogen and 99% of ammonia, protecting the Sacramento River and Bay Delta.…
Pittsburgh is upgrading its water infrastructure with a minimally invasive technique to replace lead service lines, prioritizing both efficiency and resident convenience. Using a method known as "pipe pulling," contractors thread new copper lines from homes to street mains, requiring only small excavations instead of extensive trenching. This approach reduces…
Pittsburgh is leveraging low-interest loans and grants to replace lead service lines, saving hundreds of millions compared to traditional bond financing. The city’s water utility, once hesitant to navigate the State Revolving Fund (SRF) process, has now embraced it to access Pennsylvania’s funding pool, jumpstarting a major infrastructure overhaul, says…
America’s water infrastructure needs “hundreds of billions, if not trillions of dollars, just to get back to a state of good repair,” despite the $55 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). United for Infrastructure, a coalition of business groups, officials, and institutions led by Ross van Dongen,…
Subscribe to catch every video:https://www.youtube.com/@waterloop 💧H2O INTRO 🤝 Meet Michelle Mancuso of American Water Michelle is a licensed operator turned principal operations advisor, helping wastewater plants across the country solve tough problems—sometimes from thousands of miles away. At American Water, Michel supports teams in multiple states, jumping in when treatment…
Pittsburgh is erasing toxic lead pipes at a rapid pace, targeting a lead-free water system by 2027. About $200 million in federal grants and loans powers the replacement of 13,000 lines thus far and at no cost to residents, says Will Pickering, CEO of Pittsburgh Water. Digitized records and GIS…
Pittsburgh is writing a playbook on lead pipe replacement, aiming to eliminate all toxic lines by 2027. In this episode, Will Pickering, CEO of Pittsburgh Water, and Michelle McCarty of Women for a Healthy Environment reveal the strategy behind this national model. With over $200 million in federal grants and…
What if the biggest new water supply in Southern California isn’t a reservoir or pipeline — but conservation? As Ian James of the Los Angeles Times explains, a Pacific Institute study found huge potential for savings through steps like replacing lawns with climate-friendly landscapes and upgrading to efficient appliances. Experts…
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…