Houston is known as the energy capital—but it’s also the Bayou City, where water flows not just through the environment, but through culture, memory, justice, and resilience.

In this episode from the Color of Water series, Ayanna Jolivet Mccloud, Executive Director of Bayou City Waterkeeper, shares how her background in art and advocacy fuels bold environmental leadership rooted in equity. She discusses the group’s efforts to protect wetlands, hold polluters accountable, and connect communities with their watersheds.

From suing to stop illegal sewage dumping to mapping critical wetlands and advancing green infrastructure in underserved neighborhoods, Bayou City Waterkeeper takes an integrated, justice-first approach to water. Ayanna also highlights the power of narrative change and cultural strategies in reimagining water policy and restoring people’s relationships to place.

The Color of Water series is a collaboration between waterloop and the Water Hub.

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.

Texas is tackling its booming population’s water demands with a bold $20 billion investment plan to secure sustainable supplies and infrastructure by 2050.

In this episode of In The Newsroom, Todd Votteler, a veteran water expert and editor of the Texas Water Journal, joins the podcast to discuss the state’s dynamic water landscape. With Texas expecting about 40 million residents by mid-century, the state is addressing urgent needs through a recently signed bill that allocates $10 billion for new water supplies and $10 billion for infrastructure upgrades, pending voter approval on November 4, 2025.

Votteler highlights the Edwards Aquifer Authority’s pioneering groundwater regulation, born from 1990s endangered species litigation, which protects iconic springs like Barton Springs while balancing growth pressures. Innovative projects, such as Corpus Christi’s seawater desalination plant and El Paso’s groundbreaking direct potable reuse facility, signal Texas’s push toward diverse water sources.

However, challenges persist, including groundwater strain in areas like Jacob’s Well and ongoing Rio Grande water disputes with Mexico. The state’s proactive approach, including a surprise veto and special legislative session, underscores its commitment to water security amid rapid growth.

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet that explores solutions for water sustainability.

AI isn’t coming—it’s already here, and it’s reshaping how communications and marketing get done.

In this episode, Shama Hyder, a leading voice in digital transformation, explains why this moment demands strategic urgency and how organizations must adapt or risk falling behind. She shares how AI is disrupting knowledge work, changing workflows, and redefining what entry-level even means.

Shama lays out practical ways communicators can integrate AI tools right now—from automating meeting follow-ups to customizing reports for different audiences. She emphasizes that the path forward isn’t fear or passivity, but immersion, experimentation, and ownership.

Her advice for individuals and teams: stop waiting for permission, start solving problems, and use AI to scale human impact.

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.

Healthy rivers are essential for thriving communities, and smart, nature-based solutions are proving crucial to turning things around in a changing climate. In this episode, Derek Vollmer, Director of Waterscapes for the World Wildlife Fund, shares how their program uses innovative, place-based strategies to restore rivers and build resilience worldwide.

From the US-Mexico border, solutions for the Rio Grande include removing invasive trees and optimizing dam operations to restore flow and support wildlife. In Pakistan, the groundbreaking Recharge Pakistan project uses ecosystem restoration, like forests and wetlands, to reduce both flood and drought risks. Further, lessons from the Netherlands' Room for the River program show how giving rivers space to ebb and flow can protect communities from climate impacts, providing powerful insights for the U.S.

This is a conversation from the Reservoir Center in Washington, D.C.

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet.

California's water future could be shaped by a $20 billion gamble with the controversial Delta Tunnel.

This episode dives deep into the high-stakes project with Camille von Kaenel, California Environment Reporter for Politico.

She unravels the complex plan to transport water from Northern to Southern California, detailing its immense cost, the decades-long permitting battles, and the stark divide between its proponents and opponents, , including Governor Gavin Newsom who champions it as a climate resiliency project as his term heads to an end.

With Southern California utilities facing budget holes from successful conservation and a dwindling Colorado River supply, the conversation explores the decisions ahead and whether to invest in the massive tunnel infrastructure or prioritize ambitious local water recycling projects.

Learn why this debate isn't just about water, but about politics, endangered species, and the very identity of California's communities.

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for sustainability in water.

Decades of overpumping groundwater around Houston caused the land to sink by as much as 15 feet, forcing neighborhoods to flood and entire communities to relocate.

This episode explores how land subsidence developed, and how science, regulation, and infrastructure are now stopping the ground from sinking.

Chrissy Butcher of Baytown Nature Center and Jason Ramage of the U.S. Geological Survey explain how groundwater extraction triggered massive subsidence and how the problem was first discovered through local surveys and monitoring data.

Mike Turco of the Harris Galveston Subsidence District details how regulations now limit groundwater pumping, driving a shift to surface water and helping subsidence rates drop to near zero in key areas. Chris Canonico of Ardurra Group explains the construction of massive surface water infrastructure that supplies millions of people and supports Houston’s rapid growth.

Tina Peterson of the Harris County Flood Control District discusses the added flood risks from subsidence and how flood detention, buyouts, and channel improvements are reducing flood damage. John Ellis of INTERA describes how advanced science tools like extensometers, InSAR, and groundwater models inform long-term management decisions.

Houston’s experience now serves as a model for other regions facing subsidence challenges, including California’s Central Valley.

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.

The hard-fought plan to restore salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest has been abruptly derailed, threatening one of the most significant tribal and environmental agreements in decades.

In this episode of In The Newsroom, Tony Schick of Oregon Public Broadcasting breaks down how the Trump administration scrapped a landmark deal that would have paved the way for breaching four Snake River dams to save salmon populations.

The agreement, developed under the Biden administration with tribes, states, and environmental groups, paused decades of litigation in exchange for bold steps: river restoration, hatchery investment, and renewable energy projects led by tribal nations. The goal was to replace the dams’ hydropower with solar, wind, and storage solutions, giving salmon a shot at recovery while meeting rising energy demands.

Schick explains how the deal began to unravel even before the administration change, with funding delays and personnel exits signaling trouble. Tribes now face yet another broken promise—despite holding treaty rights to fish in waters increasingly devoid of fish. With legal battles likely to return, this story underscores how fragile progress can be when politics collide with ecological urgency.

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.

Billions of dollars are finally flowing into the water industry, but the financial landscape is still far behind energy, climate tech, and other booming sectors.

In this episode of In The Newsroom, Travis Loop is joined by Antoine Walter, host of the (don’t) Waste Water podcast, for an insider look at how investment in the water sector is evolving—and where it’s still stuck.

They discuss how private equity, venture capital, and institutional investors are cautiously entering water, often drawn by its long-term stability but frustrated by its slower growth cycles compared to fast-scaling industries.

Antoine explains how early-stage water startups face much longer timelines—often 16 to 25 years to reach market maturity—making water a challenging space for traditional VC models.

They explore the surge in private equity consolidation, with firms attempting to replicate past roll-up success stories. The conversation also dives deep into sectors attracting the most attention, including digital water, PFAS removal and destruction, membranes, desalination, and atmospheric water generation.

Antoine shares how AI, data centers, and tech giants like Microsoft and Google are pushing water reuse and efficiency as public pressure mounts over their water footprints.

The episode wraps by examining how water scarcity, PFAS contamination, and infrastructure failures are both exposing risks and unlocking new financial opportunity.

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.

Turning lawns into water savings, rewriting city codes, and protecting forests upstream—these are just some of the ways communities are reimagining their water systems with help from the WaterNow Alliance.

In this conversation from the Reservoir Center in Washington, D.C., Cynthia Koehler, Executive Director of the organization, shares how their Project Accelerator provides pro bono support to utilities ready to scale distributed, climate-resilient solutions.

From helping Golden, Colorado craft the state’s first graywater ordinance to guiding New Orleans through a citywide green infrastructure overhaul, Cynthia details how local leaders can make meaningful progress with the right technical, policy, and financial tools.

She explains how WaterNow tackles challenges like lead pipe replacement, equitable community outreach, and securing capital funding for projects traditionally seen as “non-infrastructure.”

The discussion also explores the growing role of forest restoration in source water protection and the need for utilities to communicate more clearly with the public about the true cost—and value—of water.

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.

What does a 21st-century water-powered economy look like?

In this conversation, Brett Walton of Circle of Blue discusses their new reporting series on the blue economy in the Great Lakes region—where water is being used to drive innovation, jobs, and sustainable growth.

The discussion explores how cities like Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Chicago are building a future around water tech, smart infrastructure, and workforce development.

Walton breaks down efforts to turn wastewater into wealth, attract global companies, and create testing hubs like Cleveland’s “smart watershed.” He also examines critical challenges covered in the series, from agriculture’s ongoing pollution pressures to eco-gentrification and the environmental toll of new data centers.

Amid shifting federal support and infrastructure strains, the Great Lakes region is positioning itself as a global model for how to build a thriving, water-centered economy without repeating the environmental mistakes of the past.

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.