The future of data center cooling may be flowing through local wastewater pipes. As communities debate the water demands of data centers, Amazon says one solution is to avoid using drinking water whenever possible. Will Hewes, Water Sustainability Lead for Amazon, says the company is investing in projects that deliver…
Just 15 miles from downtown Dallas, a historic community founded by formerly enslaved people is still fighting for something many Americans take for granted: access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Clifford Franey, president of the Sand Branch Development Water Supply Corporation, brought that message to Capitol Hill as…
The numbers driving the data center water debate may not be what you think. Will Hewes, Water Sustainability Lead for Amazon, says one of the most common claims about data centers—that a single facility uses 5 million gallons of water per day—doesn't match what Amazon sees across its global operations.…
💧 H2O INTRO 👤 Meet Jamie Safulko, Client Services Manager at PCL Construction. The debate over public versus private water utilities isn't going away. But Jamie Safulko believes the more important question is how public utilities can evolve to meet growing demands without losing sight of water's role as an…
Data centers are often portrayed as constant water users, but Amazon says the reality is more nuanced. According to Will Hewes, Water Sustainability Lead for Amazon, most of the company's data centers use water-based cooling only during the hottest periods of the year, relying on outside air for cooling more…
The difference between a pipe lasting decades and a pipe lasting a century often comes down to what happens before it ever leaves the factory. In this clip, Jeff Mason of U.S. Pipe explains why ductile iron pipe receives both an interior lining and exterior coating before being shipped to…
A collapsed sewer pipe beneath the Potomac River became one of the largest sewer spills in U.S. history. Maryland's top environmental official says it should be treated as something more than an isolated failure. Speaking at the Reservoir Center's World Water Day event, Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena…
The impact of data centers is currently one of the most discussed issues in water. In this episode, Will Hewes, Water Sustainability Lead for Amazon, shares how one of the world's largest data center operators is managing water use, responding to growing public scrutiny, and working to reduce its impact…
Water affordability isn't just about the size of a bill — it's about the impossible choices families are forced to make to pay it. Janet Clements, President of One Water Econ, cuts through the policy jargon with a definition that hits close to home for millions of Americans. Affordability means…
America's water funding crisis has a structural problem hiding in plain sight — and it has nothing to do with pipes. John Mastracchio of Raftelis points to one of the unaddressed drivers of water unaffordability: the extreme fragmentation of the U.S. water sector. Thousands of small utilities serving individual communities…
A smarter river can create better experiences for everyone who uses it. Lynn Coffee of Living Classrooms says real-time water quality information is becoming a valuable tool not just for recreation, but also for environmental education along Washington, D.C.'s rivers. Through a new monitoring network supported by the Reservoir Center…
A new generation of water advocates is stepping onto Capitol Hill—and they’re not waiting for permission to lead. As part of the Vessel Convening in Washington, D.C., students from across the country joined water professionals and community leaders to bring the issue of water access directly to Congress. Melissa Bologescu,…
Running a water utility today means managing a crisis you can never fully see coming. Heather Collins, Director of Treatment Operations at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and President of the American Water Works Association, knows that pressure firsthand. Water utilities aren't just keeping taps running — they're…
💧 H2O INTRO 👤 Meet Janelle Boelter, Director of Infrastructure Management at the Las Vegas Valley Water District and the Southern Nevada Water Authority The C grade may be the highest the American Society of Civil Engineers has ever given U.S. infrastructure — but for Janelle Boelter, that's not good…
America's drinking water systems are facing a reckoning — and the clock is running out. Mike Grimm, former General Manager of West Slope Water District, says the American Water Works Association's landmark Beyond the Replacement Era report puts hard numbers behind what water leaders have long known: the gap between…
Former Olympian and Washington, D.C. native Aquil Abdullah says one of the most overlooked parts of river restoration is access to trusted information. Through a new initiative led by the Reservoir Center and supported by Xylem, real-time data on water quality, temperature, and other conditions in D.C.'s rivers is being…
Two months into his role leading NOAA, Tim Petty — Assistant Administrator of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy Administrator — brought a rare mix of freshwater credibility and ocean-scale responsibility to the World Water Day stage. His message: the federal government is in the middle of a quantum…
A landmark new report from the American Water Works Association estimates the United States will need between $2.1 and $2.4 trillion in drinking water infrastructure investment over the next 25 years—and the funding gap is widening fast. In this episode, the findings of Beyond The Replacement Era are explained by…
Five sensors. One river. A level of detail the Anacostia has never had before. Trey Sherard of Anacostia Riverkeeper is one of the people who knows this waterway most intimately — and he says the new network of continuous water quality sensors deployed along the Anacostia River represents a genuine…
Fats, oils, and grease don't just clog kitchen drains. They clog cities. When FOG builds up inside a sanitary sewer system, it works like cholesterol in the human body — slowly, silently, until something gives. The result can be a sewer overflow that sends raw sewage into storm drains, rivers,…
Washington, D.C.'s rivers just got a lot more transparent. The Reservoir Center has launched a network of sensors across D.C.'s waterways, measuring water temperature, pH, turbidity, conductivity, chloride levels in winter, and algal counts in summer — all feeding into a public dashboard available directly from their website. Each buoy…
A basic toilet. A place to wash your hands. Safe access to water. For millions of Americans experiencing homelessness or living in transitional housing, those essentials can be difficult to access. At the Vessel Convening in Washington, D.C., Kory Russell, an assistant professor at the University of Oregon, joined advocates…
The rivers of Washington, D.C. are becoming living laboratories for the future of urban water stewardship, with Xylem and the Reservoir Center helping launch a new real-time water quality monitoring network across the Potomac, Anacostia, and Shenandoah rivers. In this episode, guests Nicole Horvath of the Reservoir Center, Trey Sherard…
A $1.89 monthly fee could save homeowners from a surprise bill measured in the thousands. In Stevens Point, Wisconsin, residents are responsible for the sanitary sewer lateral running from their home to the middle of the street. When those pipes fail, repairs can cost up to $10,000. Joel Lemke, Director…