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…
💧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…