waterloop

During last decade’s severe drought the State of California passed the Open and Transparent Water Data Act in recognition of the critical role of data in water management. That led to the formation of the California Water Data Consortium, a nonprofit that works with the state, local water agencies, farmers, NGOs, and others to improve organization, access, and use of data. In this episode Tara Mor...

The greatest challenge facing the ocean is climate change, which is raising water temperatures, altering chemistry, and shifting major currents. But simultaneously there are opportunities to make progress in ocean health through changes to U.S. policy, particularly in the areas of energy, aquaculture, protected areas, and natural solutions, as explained in this episode with Eric Schwaab, Senior Vi...

Four dams on the Snake River in Washington State have pushed salmon to the brink of extinction, threatening not just the species but the broader ecosystem, the culture of Native American tribes, and the region’s economy. This crisis led the Snake to be named America’s Most Endangered River in 2021 by American Rivers as explained in this episode by Amy Souers Kober, Vice President of Communications...

For the Colorado River to have a sustainable future, it’s vital to understand its past and present. Blood of the West is an in-development documentary series about the Colorado River that will take viewers on a journey from headwaters to delta and explore the history of the river. In this episode with J.R. Robinson, director of Blood of the West, he explains how his adventures in the basin inspire...

The Salton Sea is a unique waterbody that has suffered from high salinity levels, agricultural runoff, and water consumption by cities in Southern California, pushing the ecosystem to the brink and threatening the health of surrounding communities. Efforts to help the Salton Sea include expanded resources from the state, wetland restoration projects, and controlling toxic dust, as discussed in thi...

Water drainage is critical for farms in the Midwest. But farmers don’t usually receive comprehensive and unbiased information about water management and drainage solutions, and have to focus on short-term costs instead of long-term equity. Taking a holistic and objective approach can improve farms and water quality, as explained in this episode with Quint Shambaugh, Co-Founder of DIGS Associates....

Proper attention was not paid to sustainability of water resources as the U.S. developed and expanded across the continent over the past few centuries, not only straining water availability for people but for nature itself. There are ways to move from scarcity to sustainability, however, through cooperative relationships, deliberate decision making, and urgent conservation. In this episode Brian R...

Many lakes around the country suffer from poor water quality in the same way as Greenfield Lake in Wilmington, N.C. - stormwater runoff into the lake from hard surfaces like roads, parking lots, and buildings causes nutrient pollution, algae growth, and even fish kills. But lakes can go from green to clean through a combination of science, partnerships, and measures to reduce runoff. The effort to...

Crews in The Ocean Race, the iconic around-the-world sailing competition, have noticed changes in the water such as more trash and less marine life. But increasingly sailors and organizers are steering toward sustainability, including by gathering scientific data at sea and making changes to the event’s footprint. In this episode Anne-Cecile Turner, Sustainability Director for The Ocean Race, and...

Communities of color and low-income suffer disproportionately from polluted water and delivering environmental justice in these situations is essential for achieving broader equity in society. This is reflected in the fight against waste from concentrated animal feeding operations, fossil fuel pipelines, and contaminated drinking water in North Carolina, as discussed in this episode with Jovita Le...

The U.S. coast is unprepared for the increasing impacts of storms and sea level rise on communities, infrastructure, the economy, and the environment itself. Comprehensive changes in leadership, policies, programs, and funding could create a more resilience coastline. In this episode Jeff Peterson discusses his book A New Coast, which offers strategies for responding to devastating storms and risi...

In the Mississippi Delta there is no bigger force on the economy and the environment than agriculture, with its tens of millions of acres of farmland that both feeds a nation and impacts water quality. In Arkansas programs can help both if they arise from collaboration and provide benefits for farms and conservation, as discussed in this episode with Jason Milks, Delta Projects Manager for The Nat...

Although New Mexico receives far less attention than many other western states, it is at the precipice of a water crisis, with climate change further straining the arid state and groundwater impacted by the oil and gas industry. The situation is discussed in this episode with Laura Paskus, author of At the Precipice: New Mexico’s Changing Climate, a reporter for New Mexico in Focus, and board memb...

Last century’s approach to water management was based on controlling nature, a fragmented infrastructure system, and general sense there was plenty of water. But the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century have spurred a transition to a water management approach revolving around circularity, scarcity, and nature itself. The past, present, and future are discussed in this episode with News...

A lack of information on groundwater has historically posed challenges for management. Now emerging tools are expanding and organizing the data available for decision-making, as discussed in this episode with Ben Kerr of Foundry Spatial, Melissa Rohde of The Nature Conservancy, and Tom Gleeson of the University of Victoria. They talk about using technology for groundwater management in Canada and...

Residents of Toledo, Ohio deal with water challenges ranging from pollution in Lake Erie to lead pipes for drinking water to increasing utility bills. Toledo’s communities of color and low-income have historically lacked information and input in water issues such as these. But now that’s changing through community outreach as discussed in this episode with Alexis Smith, Community Program and Techn...

Budgets are struggling to keep up with the scale and scope of water projects that need funding in communities across the U.S. At the same time, it is extremely difficult for public agencies to take risks on solutions that could address water challenges in more affordable and effective ways. In this episode Eric Letsinger, CEO of Quantified Ventures, discusses the rise of environmental impact bonds...

The Colorado River is managed under the “Law of the River,” a complex series of agreements, laws, legal decisions, and regulations that originated with the 1922 Colorado River Compact. There are important lessons and successes from the past 100 years to remember as the basin faces urgent water challenges driven by climate change and population growth and stakeholders work on renegotiation of river...

Oysters are an iconic and important part of Louisiana’s coastal ecosystem, culture, and economy. But in addition to harvest pressure, the oysters are under stress from increased freshwater, either from heavy rainfall fueled by climate change or diversions of water from the Mississippi River. In this episode Morgan Kelly, an Associate Professor of Biology at Louisiana State University, discusses th...

Historically bulkheads, seawalls, and other hardened structures were used along the Carolina coast to protect from the forces of erosion, waves, and storms. But there is a rise in the use of living shorelines, a stabilization technique that uses natural materials like rocks, oyster reefs, and plants. Living shorelines are better for water quality, property protection, and fish habitat. This episod...

A common market-based approach to environmental conservation is stream mitigation banking, which allows an entity to degrade or destroy a stream while developing property in exchange for restoration of a stream someplace else. A new book Streams of Revenue explores the history of this practice and is authored by Martin Doyle, a professor at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University...

The higher temperatures and reduced precipitation in the Colorado River Basin are no longer viewed as a short-term drought, but as a longer-term aridification caused by climate change. The alarming strain on the region’s water resources is being met with a more holistic approach to management, a deeper sense of collaboration, and a variety of innovative efforts all aimed at a sustainable future. I...

As the drinking water crisis unfolded in Flint, it became clear that removing all of the lead pipes to people’s homes would be a daunting challenge. Among the reasons - a lack of records on locations, competing approaches for the order, and a community that was distrustful and in many ways disconnected. But more than five years later most lead pipes are out of the ground. In this episode reflectio...

Conversation and collaboration are key ingredients in accelerating change in water management across Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania, where aging infrastructure, mining and fracking, and emerging pollutants like PFAS are part of the water challenges. In this episode Alison De Luise, Senior Advisor at the Water Center at Penn, and Karl Russek, Director of Applied Research at The Water Cent...

The spectacular California coast is incredibly diverse, from the mega-urban areas of Southern California and the Bay Area to the rugged rural areas of the Central Coast and Northern California. The water challenges are equally diverse, with climate change, stormwater, agriculture, the energy industry, and more as problems. In this episode Sean Bothwell, Executive Director of the California Coastke...