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waterloop

Travis Loop

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for sustainability and equity in water. Hosted by journalist Travis Loop, the podcast features stories from across the U.S. about water infrastructure, conservation, innovation, technology, policy, PFAS, climate resilience, and more.

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22 episodes
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English

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Tuesday · 23 min
Milwaukee's Path From Industrial Roots To Innovation Hub
Milwaukee’s water technology economy traces back roughly 150 years to breweries, tanneries, and meatpacking plants that created sustained demand for pumps, valves, meters, and pipes. In this episode, Karen Frost, executive director of The Water Council, explains how that industrial history continues to shape the city’s leading role in developing and scaling water technology. Water-intensive industries created demand for specialized equipment, and over time southeastern Wisconsin developed a dense network of water technology manufacturers. Two of its most prominent companies, A.O. Smith and Badger Meter, became central to organizing that network into The Water Council in 2009. Today, the nonprofit connects established manufacturers with startups, utilities, researchers, and international companies seeking routes into the U.S. market. The broader ecosystem includes the Freshwater Collaborative, which links water programs and internship opportunities across all 13 University of Wisconsin campuses. The BREW 2.0 post-accelerator brings about 10 companies into the network each year, helping businesses with working technologies and early revenue strengthen their sales strategies and industry relationships. Many of those groups also converge at the ReFRESH Summit, which has convened manufacturers, utilities, entrepreneurs, researchers, and students around emerging water issues since 2007. Frost’s goal is to keep extending Milwaukee’s industrial foundation by helping water technologies developed locally and around the world find the partners needed to reach the market. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.
August 17 · 41 min
Rethinking Colorado Lawns | Resilience In The Rockies
Colorado communities adapting to the long-term strain on water supplies in the arid West are turning one of their largest demands—the irrigated landscape—into a source of new supply, with this year’s historically low snowpack adding urgency to the work. The first episode of Resilience in the Rockies travels from the Front Range to the Western Slope to examine how local leaders, utility managers, landscape professionals, and residents are replacing thirsty turf with landscapes designed for Colorado’s climate. In Westminster, where about half of the city’s drinking water is used outdoors, a prominent transformation at City Hall is expected to save at least 1.5 million gallons annually while adding native grasses, pollinator habitat, walking connections, and climate-appropriate plants grown at the city’s own greenhouse. At the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, nearly 3.5 acres of lightly used lawn have been redesigned with gathering areas, shade, native vegetation, and more precise irrigation—a project expected to conserve nearly 2 million gallons each year. Longmont is using GIS mapping to locate nonfunctional turf and rank potential projects according to water savings, heat vulnerability, air quality, irrigation source, community value, and opportunities to coordinate with other construction. That data-driven approach helped shape Kensington Park, where residents selected plants and amenities and helped install a water-wise garden around a neighborhood memorial previously damaged by irrigation. In Eagle County, the Beyond Lawn program pairs rebates with on-site evaluations, irrigation guidance, customized conservation plans, and contractor or do-it-yourself resources, helping replace 60,000 to 70,000 square feet of turf and save about four acre-feet of water annually. Together, the projects show that outdoor conservation succeeds when communities move beyond simply removing grass and create landscapes that are useful, attractive, locally appropriate, and supported over the long term. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability. Resilience in the Rockies is produced in collaboration with WaterNow and made possible in part by a grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, with support from PCL Construction, Norris Design, Merrick, and the City of Greeley. Attend the Resilience in the Rockies event on October 20 in Denver.
August 10 · 30 min
The Fight Against Lead: From Flint to 2037
A dozen years after the Flint water crisis galvanized national action on lead pipes, the United States has moved from scattered voluntary replacement efforts to a federal mandate to remove nearly all lead service lines by 2037. Roya Alkafaji of the Environmental Defense Fund and Mason Hines of RESOLVE are members of the Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative, a coalition of 28 national organizations formed in 2016 to accelerate replacement and share lessons from communities doing the work. The landscape has changed dramatically since then: federal rules required utilities to inventory their service lines, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law dedicated $15 billion specifically to lead service line replacement, and the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements established the 2037 replacement deadline for most communities. The number of publicly tracked replacement programs has also grown from 33 in 2017 to at least 270 today, while at least 20 communities have completed their programs. The Collaborative recently recognized 16 programs and individuals for work ranging from community engagement and funding innovation to technical efficiency, including efforts in Milwaukee, Denver, Newark, Memphis, Greeley, St. Paul, Washington, D.C., and other communities. Those examples matter because replacing the estimated four million lead service lines still in the ground will require different approaches in communities with vastly different resources, housing patterns, political environments, and infrastructure. Alkafaji says reaching the 2037 deadline will depend heavily on three things: sustained community engagement, full replacements at no direct cost to property owners, and a local workforce large and skilled enough to do the work. Hines points to another challenge looming as programs advance—the difficult final stretch of finding and replacing lines connected to absentee landlords, properties with uncertain records, and other hard-to-reach locations. After a decade of building funding, regulations, inventories, and replacement programs, the next phase is increasingly about execution: applying what successful communities have learned while finding ways to reach the last lead pipes that are likely to be the hardest to remove. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.
July 29 · 25 min
Avoiding The Constant Infrastructure Triage
Water utilities may never escape the need to triage infrastructure, but better data, design, and monitoring can reduce the constant churn of reactive responses. In this episode, Jeff Bridge, Charis Klimas, and Brett Braganz of Oldcastle Infrastructure examine how utilities can move upstream of failure by choosing materials for the actual application, designing around workforce constraints, and verifying underground problems before committing crews and capital. Bridge connects conveyance efficiency to both water and energy loss, explaining that deteriorated pipes force utilities to pump more treated water to deliver the same amount to customers. He also argues that utilities increasingly need technical partners who can help match materials and products to the long-term demands of a project rather than simply supply a standard component. Klimas explains how workforce shortages are changing infrastructure design, including the use of lighter equipment and automated meter-reading features that reduce field labor and allow staff to focus on more critical maintenance. She also describes a broader shift from judging infrastructure mainly by upfront price toward considering durability, installation demands, maintenance needs, and total lifecycle cost. Braganz outlines a four-stage digital approach: predict where failure is most likely, monitor and confirm the condition, plan the appropriate response, and move the work into execution. That process can elevate a high-consequence water main serving a hospital, detect leaks before they surface, and show when an asset expected to fail is still performing well enough to remain in service. The opportunity is to break the cycle of waiting for infrastructure to fail and then scrambling to respond—replacing guesswork with evidence, preserving assets that still work, and directing limited labor and capital where intervention will matter most. Learn more about Oldcastle Infrastructure. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.
July 25 · 26 min
The Digital Shift: From Reactive To Proactive
Digital systems, increasingly strengthened by artificial intelligence, are helping water utilities move from reacting to failures toward anticipating where infrastructure problems are most likely to occur. Joshua Cantone of SUEZ explains how that shift is changing decisions about pipes, pumps, wells, treatment plants, and long-term capital investment. Many utilities already collect large amounts of information through control systems, maintenance records, hydraulic models, and asset-management platforms. The opportunity now is to connect those datasets and use AI-assisted analysis to identify which assets should be cleaned, repaired, rehabilitated, or replaced before they fail. That preventive approach matters because emergency infrastructure repairs can cost two to three times more than work that is planned and coordinated in advance. Digital planning tools can test thousands of infrastructure scenarios, helping utilities compare construction costs with the energy and operating expenses that accumulate over decades. Cantone also argues that growing familiarity with tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Microsoft Copilot is making utility employees more comfortable with specialized AI designed for water operations. Groundwater monitoring offers another example of the shift, with more frequent data helping operators track well performance, maintain production, and reduce the energy required for pumping. Smart meters and digital network models are also giving utilities a clearer view of non-revenue water, which Cantone says remains near 20 to 30 percent at many U.S. utilities compared with roughly 5 to 15 percent in parts of the United Kingdom. The next phase of digital water will depend on whether utilities can build reliable data systems—and enough operator trust—to use AI and other digital tools in everyday decisions. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.
July 22 · 16 min
AI As The Water Operator's Copilot
Water utilities are rich in data but often struggle to turn decades of information into decisions that improve daily operations. In this episode, Travis Wagner of Trinnex explains how utilities can connect fragmented information, preserve workforce knowledge, and introduce artificial intelligence without sacrificing accuracy or security. Most utilities already collect extensive records through plant-control systems known as SCADA, geographic information systems, maintenance programs, and financial software. The first step is not necessarily collecting more data, but identifying the utility’s goals and making the existing information accessible across systems. That work is becoming more urgent as experienced operators retire and take decades of practical knowledge with them. Operations manuals, standard procedures, and historical records can help preserve some of that expertise when they are digitized and made easier for employees to search. Trinnex developed Raini as a utility-specific AI assistant that can answer questions about tasks such as maintaining a pump or backwashing a filter, while linking employees directly to the source document behind each response. The system is designed to acknowledge when it cannot find an answer, while human experts test its responses and utilities update outdated procedures that the technology brings to light. Wagner says the next generation of utility software could allow operators to request information, compare data, and generate dashboards through conversational tools, but progress should begin with clear governance, secure testing environments, and careful validation. Learn more about Trinnex. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet.
July 19 · 20 min
Keeping Up With PFAS Rules
PFAS regulation now has more moving parts, deadlines, and compliance pathways than ever, but the bottom-line advice for water utilities is simple: keep moving. In this episode, Amanda Canida of Black & Veatch explains how utilities can navigate the regulatory complexity while advancing the treatment projects needed to meet federal drinking water standards. Federal monitoring data indicates that roughly 10 percent of public water systems could be affected by the four-parts-per-trillion limits for PFOA and PFOS. Utilities can pursue cleaner water sources or blend supplies, but many are preparing to install treatment at a central plant or directly at an individual well. EPA has proposed retaining the PFOA and PFOS limits while restarting the regulatory process for several other PFAS compounds and creating a streamlined exemption pathway for systems that need more time. Once that exemption rule is finalized, utilities would have 180 days to apply and may need interim measures such as temporary treatment, alternate water supplies, source-control planning, or public education. The challenge is increasingly financial, as construction costs have risen and demand has grown for the equipment and treatment media needed to remove PFAS. Utilities are already slowing other capital projects, shifting money between priorities, and setting aside contingency funds to cover emerging treatment needs. Canida outlines how desktop evaluations and laboratory testing can help systems compare granular activated carbon and ion exchange before committing to longer pilot studies. Utilities must also calculate when treatment needs to be operating—not merely completed—to keep their annual PFAS averages below the federal limit by April 2029. The path forward is to pursue funding now, prepare customers for difficult decisions, and design treatment systems that can adapt as regulators address more of the thousands of PFAS compounds under review. Learn more about PFAS from Black & Veatch. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.
July 13 · 14 min
Entering An Era Of Advanced Water Treatment
Advanced water treatment is entering a new era. Utilities are moving beyond conventional treatment to tackle PFAS, expand water reuse, and secure new water supplies. That often means using technologies like membranes, ozone, activated carbon, and advanced filtration. Jaime Safulko of PCL Construction explains what's driving this wave of investment and why these projects are more complex than the treatment plants of the past. She shares lessons from the El Paso Pure Water Project, which is expected to become the nation's first direct potable reuse facility. She also highlights recycled water projects in California and new PFAS treatment facilities in Colorado that are putting advanced technologies into practice. The conversation explores why collaboration has become just as important as the treatment technology itself. Bringing project partners together earlier helps utilities evaluate options, reduce risk, and avoid costly surprises during construction. Looking ahead, Safulko expects water reuse to become much more common. She also sees more regional partnerships and a new generation of treatment technologies that improve efficiency while lowering energy use and operating costs. Learn more about PCL Construction. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.
July 6 · 32 min
A Common Framework For Corporate Water Reporting
Water has become one of the biggest blind spots in corporate sustainability reporting, with companies measuring and disclosing water use in vastly different ways. In this episode, Lauren Enright of SCS Global Services and Alexis Morgan of World Wildlife Fund discuss the effort to create Water Scopes 1, 2, and 3—a new framework designed to bring consistency, transparency, and accountability to how organizations understand and report water impacts across their operations, energy use, and supply chains. They explain why water is fundamentally different from carbon, why supply chains often account for the vast majority of a company\'s water footprint, and how growing scrutiny of data centers, manufacturing, agriculture, and other industries is exposing the need for a common language around water stewardship. The conversation explores the role of investors, communities, NGOs, and regulators in driving better water accountability, as well as how the framework could influence future reporting standards and disclosure requirements. Looking ahead, Enright and Morgan envision a future where companies have a clearer understanding of their water risks and dependencies—and where better information leads to better decisions for watersheds, communities, and businesses alike. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.
June 21 · 21 min
The Water Reality In Data Center Alley
Loudoun County, Virginia is known as Data Center Alley, the longtime epicenter of the data center industry and home to one of the world's largest concentrations of digital infrastructure. As communities across the country debate the impact of data centers on water resources, Loudoun Water offers a rare look at what happens when a utility has decades of experience planning for and serving the industry. The episode features conversations with utility leaders Brian Carnes, Alton Echols, and Mark Peterson, who discuss water impacts, management processes, and advice for other systems. Despite the presence of more than 200 data centers, the utility says the sector currently accounts for about 15% of its total water use, supported by significant treatment capacity and a growing reclaimed water program. Today, roughly 40 data centers are cooled with highly treated reclaimed water instead of drinking water, using about 700 million gallons annually. The approach helps reduce nutrient loads to the Chesapeake Bay while providing data centers with a lower-cost and more resilient water supply. Loudoun Water says growth-related infrastructure is paid for by new customers, while detailed monitoring helps the utility understand water demand, wastewater flows, and operational impacts. At the same time, utility leaders emphasize that Loudoun's experience is not necessarily transferable elsewhere. Its extensive infrastructure, reclaimed water network, available supplies, and long history with the data center industry make it a unique case study as utilities nationwide navigate the rapid growth of AI and digital infrastructure. This episode is sponsored by SewerAI. From inspection to rehabilitation, SewerAI provides the tools you need to manage your entire sewer infrastructure. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.
June 15 · 31 min
The Water Cost Of The Cloud: Amazon Discusses Data Centers
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 on local water resources. Hewes discusses Amazon's newly released water report, which details company-wide water use, reports a 52% improvement in water efficiency over four years, and shows progress toward its goal of becoming water positive by 2030, with the company now 75% of the way there. He explains Amazon's investments in recycled water infrastructure, including a plan to expand the use of reclaimed water from 26 facilities to 130, supported by more than $1 billion in infrastructure funding. The discussion also explores water replenishment projects ranging from leak reduction in Mexico City's water system to affordable housing water-efficiency programs in Northern Virginia. Hewes shares how local water assessments, utility partnerships, and watershed-specific strategies shape decisions about data center development and operations. It's a detailed look at how one of the world's largest technology companies is approaching the challenge of balancing digital growth with long-term water stewardship. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainabiity.
June 8 · 17 min
A $2 Trillion Wake-Up Call For Drinking Water
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 Mike Grimm of West Slope Water District, Heather Collins of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Janet Clements of One Water Econ, John Mastracchio of Raftelis, and Adam Carpenter of AWWA. The report identifies a structural shift in water sector costs, with utilities now navigating compounding pressures from PFAS and lead regulations, climate resilience, cybersecurity, and increasingly scarce water sources—not just aging pipes. Without new investment strategies, the average household water bill could more than double by 2050, potentially pushing over 53 million households into financial stress. Federal funding for water infrastructure lags far behind other sectors like transportation, covering just 3.9 percent of public spending—a disparity the guests argue must change. Solutions discussed include expanding federal and state partnerships, consolidating fragmented small utilities to capture economies of scale, and developing dedicated affordability assistance programs to protect vulnerable households. Read the report. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.
June 3 · 23 min
D.C.'s Rivers Go Real-Time With Sensor Network
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 of Anacostia Riverkeeper, Olympic rower Aquil Abdullah, and Lynn Coffey of Living Classrooms discuss how technology, recreation, education, and environmental restoration are converging around these waterways. They discuss how Xylem’s monitoring equipment and the public dashboard are providing communities with information on water temperature, bacteria, chloride, turbidity, algae, and more — helping paddlers, anglers, educators, scientists, and residents better understand their local waterways. The episode also examines how nonprofits, watershed groups, and community organizations are partnering with Xylem and the Reservoir Center to expand access to water quality information and create a long-term record of environmental change in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. From rowing on the Potomac to teaching students on Kingman Island, the discussion centers on a powerful idea: healthier rivers depend on informed communities, collaborative partnerships, and better tools to understand the water flowing through our cities. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.
May 26 · 16 min
America's Drinking Water Pipes Built in Alabama Foundry | How Water Works
America’s drinking water infrastructure depends on more than 2 million miles of pipe buried beneath streets and communities across the country. In this episode of How Water Works, Jeff Mason leads a tour inside the U.S. Pipe foundry in Alabama to show how ductile iron pipe is manufactured — from recycled scrap metal to critical underground infrastructure. The episode follows the intense process of melting old cars, appliances, and industrial metal into pipe engineered to last for generations and withstand earthquakes, floods, and decades of pressure underground. It also explores overlooked sustainability stories inside heavy industry, including industrial water reuse systems, emissions reductions through electric induction furnaces, and how more than 90% recycled material becomes essential infrastructure. Along the way, Mason explains the chemistry, testing, coatings, and cement linings that help ensure drinking water remains safe and reliable as it moves through these systems. From molten iron hotter than lava to finished pipe headed everywhere from Manhattan to small-town America, the story pulls back the curtain on one of the most important — and invisible — parts of how water works. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions.
May 18 · 24 min
Inside the Immune System of Water Infrastructure
Water utilities are quietly strengthening the “immune system” of our water infrastructure, using compliance programs and technology to prevent pollution, protect drinking water, and reduce sewer overflows before they happen. In this episode, Mick O’Dwyer of SwiftComply shares how his journey from wastewater engineer in Dublin to tech founder led to building software that modernizes programs for backflow, pretreatment, and FOG (fats, oils, and grease). He explains how outdated, paper-heavy systems—once generating hundreds of thousands of documents—are being replaced with digital workflows that free up inspectors to focus on real environmental outcomes. The conversation highlights how improving compliance isn’t about enforcement alone, but about making it easier for businesses that want to do the right thing through better communication and smarter systems. Utilities are already seeing results: higher inspection rates, fewer sewer overflows, and stronger protection of infrastructure and waterways. With aging infrastructure, workforce turnover, and new regulatory pressures mounting, O’Dwyer points to a future where data and AI enable predictive compliance—identifying risks before failures occur. The goal: less reactive firefighting, more proactive protection of communities and the environment. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.
April 28 · 47 min
A Roadmap to Bring Water to 2 Million Americans by 2040
More than 2 million people in the United States live without running water or a working toilet—and the true number could be far higher. It’s a crisis hidden in plain sight, affecting communities from tribal lands and rural Appalachia to border colonias and even neighborhoods just beyond city infrastructure. In this episode, Kabir Thatte of the Vessel Collective announces a new national roadmap aimed at closing that gap. Thatte outlines the scale of the issue—families hauling water, unreliable or unaffordable service for tens of millions more, and billions in economic losses tied to inaction. He also explains why the gap has persisted: limited public awareness, fragmented government investment, and a lack of coordinated support for communities trying to build and maintain water systems. Thatte says the roadmap sets a clear target: universal access to water and sanitation in the U.S. by 2040. It organizes more than 50 strategies into three pillars—visibility, government commitment, and capacity—focused on building public awareness, aligning federal and state action, expanding funding, and strengthening workforce and technical support. The roadmap is being released as the Vessel Collective convenes water organizations in Washington, D.C., aiming to energize the sector and urge decision makers to accelerate action on water for all. The conversation also details how progress will be tracked, from near-term coordination and policy movement to long-term systems change, with a central question guiding the effort: are fewer Americans living without water each year? Read the roadmap waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.
April 27 · 17 min
Nanobubbles Are Transforming How Water Works
Nanobubbles—microscopic pockets of gas invisible to the human eye—are emerging as a powerful tool to improve water treatment and management. In this episode of How Water Works, Travis Loop visits Moleaer Inc. in Los Angeles to break down how nanobubbles work and why they’re gaining traction across industries. Thousands of times smaller than a grain of salt, nanobubbles don’t rise and burst like ordinary bubbles—they remain suspended for months, increasing dissolved oxygen and enhancing biological activity in water. Inside the lab, experiments show how these charged particles scatter light, stabilize gases, and attract contaminants—helping water become clearer and cleaner. The impact is already showing up in the field. ➡️ Through collaborations with Xylem, U.S. wastewater utilities are reducing ammonia and cutting aeration energy. ➡️ In South America, greenhouses are lowering chemical use while increasing yields. ➡️ Nordic aquaculture operations are improving fish survival. ➡️ In California\'s Lake Elsinore, the technology has helped control harmful algal blooms, reopening the lake for recreation and driving renewed economic activity. Still early in its adoption, nanobubble technology is moving quickly from experimentation to real-world deployment—offering a lower-energy, lower-chemical approach to treating and managing water. Watch the episode on YouTube waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.
April 20 · 1 hr 4 min
The Next 50 Years Of Safe Drinking Water
A group of top water experts is challenging one of the core assumptions behind U.S. drinking water policy—that chasing ever-smaller traces of contaminants is the best way to protect public health—and instead calling for a fundamental shift toward fixing pipes, strengthening systems, and prioritizing the risks that actually matter most. In this episode, members of the Water Health Advisory Council lay out a bold path forward through their new book Safe Drinking Water Act: The Next Fifty Years. The group—bringing decades of experience across policy, science, and utility leadership—argues the next era must shift from a “regulatory treadmill” to prioritizing real-world risks like failing pipes, workforce gaps, and system resilience. Their Madison Declaration calls for science-based risk prioritization, stronger governance, and treating safe water as a human right, with equity at the center of decision-making. The conversation highlights how public trust is eroding—not because water is less safe, but because communication tools like consumer confidence reports often confuse rather than inform. It also makes the case for major structural changes, including utility consolidation to improve performance, smarter investment in infrastructure over ever-lower contaminant thresholds, and aligning funding with actual public health outcomes. At its core, the message is clear: the next 50 years of drinking water policy won’t be solved by chemistry alone—it will require rethinking how systems are governed, funded, and trusted by the public. Learn more about the book. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.
March 30 · 25 min
Where Rivers Meet The Ocean: Why America's Estuaries Matter
Estuaries—places where rivers meet the ocean—are some of the most important ecosystems in the United States, supporting coastal economies, protecting communities, and serving as nurseries for much of the nation’s seafood. In this episode from the Reservoir Center in Washington, D.C., Daniel Hayden, CEO of Restore America\'s Estuaries, explains why these places—from Chesapeake Bay to Puget Sound – are essential to nature, the economy, and people. Hayden highlights collaborative restoration efforts across the country, including eelgrass recovery in Morro Bay, oyster shell recycling programs in Gulf Coast communities, and wetland restoration projects led by tribal partners along Long Island Sound. The conversation also explores how restoring abandoned cranberry bogs in New England is reconnecting wetlands to nearby estuaries and bringing native ecosystems back to life. Along the way, Hayden explains how partnerships with federal agencies, nonprofits, and local communities are driving long-term progress—showing that with sustained investment and collaboration, damaged waterways can recover and once-polluted urban rivers can become vibrant places for people and wildlife again. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring sustainability in water.
March 24 · 39 min
A New Strategy: Water Is National Security
Water is emerging as a defining factor in U.S. economic growth and national security—from where data centers and energy projects can scale to how communities absorb the rising costs of floods, droughts, and insurance risk. In response, a new Aspen National Water Strategy has been released, laying out a plan to rethink how the country manages water. This episode is a conversation with the co-leads for developing the strategy, Martin Doyle of Duke University and Newsha Ajami of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Their central argument is a shift in framing: water is not just an environmental or local utility issue—it’s a core economic input and a strategic asset. The discussion explores how that plays out today, from AI and energy demands tied to water availability to insurers effectively redrawing the map of risk across the country. It also gets into what’s holding the system back, including fragmented governance, outdated infrastructure models, and policies that don’t align with how water actually moves through watersheds. The strategy outlines priorities including governing for outcomes instead of process, investing in rural landscapes that underpin national water supply, and expanding infrastructure to include natural systems, data, and people. Doyle and Ajami also highlight the need to remove barriers to adopting solutions that already exist, and to rethink financing and business models so innovation can scale. It’s a clear-eyed look at how water is shaping the economy and risk landscape today—and what it will take to treat it as the national priority it has become. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.

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