Seth Watkins, operator of Pinhook Farm in southwest Iowa, is celebrated as a Hydro20 honoree for his leadership in regenerative farming and water sustainability. Committed to happy cows, clean water, and healthy soil at his family’s farm since the 1840s, Watkins addresses the depletion of Iowa’s topsoil—where two-thirds to 100%…
Alaina Harkness, CEO of Current and leader of Great Lakes ReNEW, is celebrated as a Hydro20 honoree for her transformative leadership in advancing circular water economy principles in the Great Lakes region, which holds 20% of the world’s fresh surface water. Recognizing the historical lack of careful stewardship, Harkness drives…
Richard Diaz is celebrated as a Hydro20 honoree for his advocacy for transforming water infrastructure to protect public health, create local jobs, and prioritize investment in marginalized communities. In cities like Milwaukee, where nearly 50% of Wisconsin’s lead service lines are concentrated yet receive only 10% of available funding, Diaz…
Dana Okano, Program Director at the Hawaii Community Foundation, is celebrated as a Hydro20 honoree for founding the Hawaii Environmental Finance Center and advancing water sustainability in rural Hawaiian communities. Facing the challenge of limited population bases to fund infrastructure, Okano established the Center to provide technical assistance to agencies…
Aaron Kirkland, Superintendent of the Philadelphia Water Department’s Green Stormwater Operations Unit, is celebrated as a Hydro20 honoree for his leadership in green stormwater infrastructure maintenance and inclusive workforce development. Recognizing that green stormwater systems, vital for managing flooding and ensuring environmental sustainability, were often neglected post-construction, Kirkland emphasized the…
Teal Lehto, known as Western Water Girl, is celebrated as a Hydro20 honoree for her innovative use of social media to educate and empower millions about water conservation and policy. After facing rejection from county commissioners for a position on the Southwest Basin Roundtable, which contributes to the Colorado Water…
Aaron Tartakovsky, Co-Founder and CEO of Epic Cleantec, is celebrated as a Hydro20 honoree for leading the onsite water reuse revolution, transforming urban resilience by scaling systems that significantly reduce water demand. Challenging outdated centralized water systems, Tartakovsky promotes decentralized recycling at the building scale, capable of reusing up to…
Introducing the Hydro20, a group of twenty individuals celebrated for driving change, disrupting norms, and doing good for water sustainability across the U.S. This is the first-ever national recognition list dedicated to water, shining a spotlight on the people driving solutions and inspiring others to act. The initiative is presented…
How do we unlock the full value of green stormwater infrastructure? For Barbara Hopkins of the Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange, it starts with proving the impact and building the workforce to sustain it. As Executive Director of the Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange, Hopkins leads a cross-sector community driving equitable GSI…
Agriculture drives 80% of California’s water demand, which strains groundwater and surface water. Enter Harvest Water, a project of the Sacramento Area Sewer District that will deliver 16 billion gallons of recycled water every year to grow crops and irrigate pastures. This will reduce groundwater pumping and restore wetlands and…
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…