Built in 1869, the Chicago Water Tower stands as one of the oldest and most iconic pieces of public infrastructure in the U.S. Surviving the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, it has become a lasting symbol of resilience and innovation. Designed in Gothic Revival style, the tower originally housed 140-foot…
Farm conservation practices are making a measurable impact on water quality and climate. Adam Kiel of the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund highlights significant results in 2023, including saving 8 to 10 pounds of nitrogen and three-quarters of a pound of phosphorus per acre while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by…
Supporting farmers in adopting conservation practices often requires innovative funding. Adam Kiel of the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund explains how financial assistance from USDA, EPA, and state agencies helps incentivize water quality improvements, while new creative approaches aim to bridge funding gaps and meet farmers' economic needs. Episode at…
Lance Jones is the Director of Drinking Water for Arkansas. Lance says that many smaller water systems around the state are cooperating and even consolidating under the Safe Drinking Water Act. This has allowed them to take advantage of reservoirs in the state’s north and west, which provide high-quality water…
What should we rethink about water? Attracting top talent is critical for the future of water and wastewater. Austin Meyermann, CEO of Hunter Crown, highlights the need to engage people early by offering skill-building opportunities, career growth, and networking access. He also calls for rethinking how the industry communicates, framing…
Farmers are adopting a mix of in-field and structural conservation practices to improve water quality and enhance sustainability. Adam Kiel of the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund highlights strategies like cover crops, no-till, saturated buffers, and prairie strips that treat and store water while supporting farm productivity. Episode at https://bit.ly/FundFarmOutcomes…
Excess nutrients from farms in Iowa and across the Midwest are a major challenge, polluting local waterways and ultimately impacting the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico. To address this, the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund incentivizes farmers to adopt practices that improve water quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.…
Water quality challenges in the Midwest impact not only local waterways but also the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico. To address these issues, farmers are adopting innovative conservation practices supported by financial incentives from the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund. Nick Hermanson, a fifth-generation farmer in Story City, Iowa,…
💧H2O INTRO 🤝 Meet Rochelle Larson The water industry faces a critical challenge: sustaining the workforce pipeline, particularly in small, rural communities where utilities often have just a handful of employees. Rochelle Larson, Principal Engineer at the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, uses her passion for education to build…
Farmers are embracing a new market approach that incentivizes conservation practices delivering water quality and greenhouse gas benefits. Adam Kiel of the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund shares how a pilot project on 9,500 acres in Iowa grew into a program targeting one million acres in 2024, with farmers responding…
Hot Springs, Arkansas, boasts water at 143 degrees rising from 6,000 feet below the surface, enriched by a 4,500-year journey through the Ouachita Mountains. Known for its healing properties, these springs inspired the creation of historic Bathhouse Row, attracting legends like Babe Ruth and Al Capone. As the first federally…
Farmers in Iowa are proving to be powerful allies in reducing flooding through innovative practices. Melissa Roberts of the American Flood Coalition highlights a pilot at FLOLO Farms that uses multi-cropping—doubling root systems with a second crop alongside cash crops. The results are game-changing: a 50% reduction in water runoff,…
Excess nutrients from farms in Iowa and across the Midwest are a major challenge, polluting local waterways and ultimately impacting the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico. To address this, the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund incentivizes farmers to adopt practices that improve water quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.…
Kay Rottell is the Deputy Director of Washington State’s Office of Drinking Water. She explains how the Safe Drinking Water Act provides vital mechanisms for protecting surface water sources that supply 60% of Washington’s population. SDWA also supports treatment standards and allows the state to encourage systems to go beyond…
Flood-prone areas need solutions that serve multiple purposes. In Kinston, North Carolina, Melissa Roberts of the American Flood Coalition shares how a community-driven approach transformed a park into both a floodwater basin and a vibrant public gathering space. By engaging residents with tools like Monopoly money voting, the project prioritized…
💧H2O Minute News⏰ Peter Schwartzstein: The Heat and the Fury is a book written about violence driven by climate change. But a recurring theme is water’s role, as communities grapple with too much and too little. More: https://islandpress.org/books/heat-and-fury#desc News sponsored by 120Water: https://120water.com #ClimateChange #WaterCrisis #TheHeatAndTheFury #PeterSchwartzstein #WaterConflict #EnvironmentalImpact #ClimateViolence…
💧H2O INTRO 🤝 Meet Tirusew Asefa Water utilities often face the challenge of overbuilding or underbuilding infrastructure due to uncertainty in future supply and demand. Traditional planning for a single future scenario can lead to costly inefficiencies. Tirusew Asefa, Systems Decision Support Manager at Tampa Bay Water, shares how the…
Flooding challenges communities nationwide, but local leaders often lack resources and expertise to address the growing crisis. Melissa Roberts of the American Flood Coalition highlights the need for a coalition to support mayors and communities in navigating complex funding processes and planning resilient infrastructure. By bridging gaps and sharing solutions,…
Infrastructure planning relies on accurate data, but outdated models like Atlas 14 fail to account for the increasing intensity of rainfall events. Melissa Roberts of the American Flood Coalition emphasizes the need for Atlas 15, a forward-looking dataset that considers future rainfall trends. This shift is critical to designing infrastructure…
Flooding is impacting communities nationwide with both devastating and costly effects. The solution requires resilience planning, infrastructure adaptation, and community involvement to effectively address flood risk. In this episode, Melissa Roberts of the American Flood Coalition discusses the increasing frequency and impact of flooding across the U.S. and the need…
The Chicago River flows backward. This engineering feat, accomplished in 1900, was designed to protect Lake Michigan, Chicago’s drinking water source, by reversing the river’s flow into the Mississippi. Today, the river has been transformed into a thriving urban centerpiece, with the $100 million Chicago Riverwalk reconnecting the city to…
Outdoor recreation and tourism are vital to the Mississippi River economy, second only to manufacturing. Colin Wellenkamp of the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative explains how projects at Horseshoe Lake have boosted this industry, drawing more visitors and supporting East St. Louis and neighboring communities. By enhancing areas popular…
Horseshoe Lake in East St. Louis, Illinois, serves as a critical natural buffer against extreme weather, demonstrated during the thousand-year rain event of July 2022. Colin Wellenkamp of the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative highlights how the enhancement of wetland, marsh, and forested areas, along with expanded connections between…
Climate impacts on communities along the Mississippi River are so severe and persistent that local efforts alone won’t suffice. Colin Wellenkamp of the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative emphasizes the need for mayors to expand their focus beyond city limits, sometimes many miles away, to implement flood storage projects…