California’s water system was built for a wetter century—and now the state is racing to turn wastewater into a reliable part of its supply portfolio. In this episode, Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board, breaks down where water reuse fits in California’s long-term strategy, and what it will take to scale it safely and affordably.

The conversation spans the state’s role as both regulator and funder, including the adoption of direct potable reuse regulations, the safeguards designed to protect public health, and the need for “regulatory certainty” that helps projects move from concept to construction.

Esquivel also shares the numbers behind California’s current reuse footprint—roughly 750,000 to 800,000 acre-feet annually—and the state’s goals to expand that supply in the coming decades while balancing discharges needed for instream flows. The episode tackles the “yuck factor” head-on, explaining why monitoring, testing, and transparent communication are essential to maintaining trust as systems move toward direct connections.

And it spotlights a looming constraint few people see coming: a major wave of retirements that could reshape the water workforce just as advanced treatment becomes the new normal.

This episode is part of The Golden State of Reuse, a series exploring the past, present, and future of water recycling across California.

The series is a collaboration with WateReuse California and sponsored by CDM Smith.

The series is also supported by the Sacramento Area Sewer District, Black & Veatch, and Monterey One Water.

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

In Sacramento, the shift to viewing wastewater as a critical resource is transforming regional water security and ecological health.

In this episode, Christoph Dobson, General Manager of Sacramento Area Sewer District, explains how the landmark $1.7 billion EchoWater project has elevated treatment standards to tertiary levels, protecting the sensitive Bay Delta while creating a massive new supply of recycled water.

This advanced infrastructure enables the Harvest Water project, which will deliver 50,000 acre-feet of reclaimed water annually to 16,000 acres of farmland, effectively reducing groundwater pumping and restoring local aquifers by up to 35 feet over the next 15 years.

By leveraging state revolving fund loans and nearly $400 million in grants, the utility has successfully mitigated ratepayer impacts while simultaneously restoring 5,000 acres of riparian habitat and boosting streamflows for Chinook salmon.

These efforts demonstrate a scalable blueprint for agricultural reuse, turning environmental regulatory "sticks" into sustainable "carrots" that support both local economies and resilient ecosystems.

This episode is part of The Golden State of Reuse, a series exploring the past, present, and future of water recycling across California.

The series is a collaboration with WateReuse California and sponsored by CDM Smith.

The series is also supported by the Sacramento Area Sewer District, Black & Veatch, and Monterey One Water.

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

Is the Chesapeake Bay finally turning a corner, or is restoration falling behind on its most critical deadlines?

This episode provides an expert "check-up" on America’s largest estuary with Hilary Falk, President and CEO of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). After decades of investment, the results are a complex mix of record-breaking successes and urgent new challenges.

Explore the "Oyster Revolution"—a massive effort that has restored 11 tributaries since 2014—and learn how billions of oysters are now naturally filtering the Bay's water. The conversation also tackles the hard truths: why blue crab populations are at historic lows, the impact of invasive species, and why Pennsylvania holds the key to solving the nutrient pollution crisis.

Key Topics & Solutions:

The Blueprint Status: Why the 2025 deadline remains elusive and what an "accelerated" path forward requires from the states and the EPA.

The "Pennsylvania Gap": How the Lancaster Clean Water Partners are curbing nitrogen and phosphorus through industry and conservation.

High-Tech Stewardship: Breaking ground on an oyster center using AI to "listen" to reef health and the launch of electric education boats.

Island Resilience: Innovative engineering and living shorelines designed to protect the communities of Tangier and Smith Islands.

This conversation serves as a vital reminder that while the path to a clean Chesapeake is complex, the combination of community accountability and natural innovation is the key to securing a resilient future for America's largest estuary.

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

Explosive growth in data centers, semiconductors, and power generation is driving unprecedented industrial water demand, pushing reuse from niche to necessity across the U.S.

In this episode, Bruno Pigott of the WateReuse Association, Courtney Tripp of Grundfos, and Jim Oliver of Black & Veatch unpack their joint report, Accelerating Industrial Reuse, spotlighting proven and sustainable strategies to meet that demand.

They highlight how existing technologies enable up to 75–90% water savings through fit-for-purpose treatment—treating water only to the quality needed for its next use while minimizing energy and costs. Landmark projects illustrate the impact, from Intel’s Arizona campus recovering nearly all water and brine to support thousands of jobs, Chevron’s California public-private partnership conserving potable supplies for tens of thousands of homes, and Koch Industries’ Oklahoma plant treating municipal effluent to preserve freshwater for community growth.

The experts point to low-hanging fruit like operational tweaks for quick gains, alongside rising water rates, bipartisan tax incentives, and progressive state frameworks that are turning reuse into a business and resilience imperative. Looking ahead, they envision widespread adoption nationwide through industrial symbiosis, better salt management, and collaborative models that transform water constraints into economic and environmental opportunities.

Access the report Accelerating Industrial Reuse

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

What happens when laws designed to protect water fail — and what legal action does it take to set things right?

For decades, the health of the Chesapeake Bay has struggled because of three major pollution sources: stormwater, wastewater, and agriculture. These pressures send nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment into streams and rivers that flow into the Bay, where they harm water quality and the environment broadly.

While there have been many solutions implemented and tremendous progress made across the watershed, there are still challenges that sometimes require a legal approach.

In this episode, David Reed of the Chesapeake Legal Alliance shares a look at these three major pollution challenges through the lens of local riverkeepers in Maryland.

The story begins with Gunpowder Riverkeeper Theaux Le Gardeur, who explains how unchecked development and failing stormwater controls allowed sediment to smother vital habitat. Next is Alice Volpitta, the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper at Blue Water Baltimore, who shares how two of Maryland’s largest wastewater treatment plants fell into disrepair. Finally, Taylor Swanson of the Assateague Coastal Trust talks about the Eastern Shore, where industrial poultry facilities have created unregulated ammonia pollution.

They each share how legal action was the last line of defense for the Chesapeake Bay and local waterways.

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

Green infrastructure is reshaping how communities manage stormwater by blending natural processes with modern engineering to improve water quality, reduce flooding, and fit into increasingly dense urban spaces.

In this episode, Christian Hennessy of Oldcastle Infrastructure breaks down what makes a system truly “green,” from mimicking pre-development hydrology to using engineered soils, media amendments, and carefully selected plants to target pollutants like nutrients and metals.

He covers how green infrastructure has evolved from simple rain gardens into high-performance, small-footprint systems that combine green and gray infrastructure through precast structures, filtration media, and controlled detention.

Hennessy also explains how performance is measured through rigorous field testing and lab validation, ensuring these systems deliver real water quality results. Looking ahead, he discusses hybrid approaches, digital monitoring, and climate-driven design as essential tools for making stormwater infrastructure more resilient and effective in a changing world.

Learn more about Oldcastle Infrastructure water solutions.

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

Water is at the heart of America’s national parks, yet many of these rivers, lakes, coasts, and wetlands are under growing stress from pollution, climate impacts, and decisions made outside park boundaries.

In this episode from the Reservoir Center in Washington, D.C., Ed Stierli of the National Parks Conservation Association explains how his organization serves as the independent voice for 433 national park sites, backed by nearly 2 million members. He breaks down why more than half of waterways in national parks remain impaired, connecting the dots between upstream land use, aging infrastructure, and weakened protections that shape water quality.

Stierli highlights how bedrock laws like the Clean Water Act and modern restoration programs have helped bring back iconic species and improve water conditions, while warning that political rollbacks could erode decades of progress. He also points to large-scale, watershed-based collaborations—uniting federal agencies, states, local governments, and nonprofits—to restore wetlands, rebuild natural buffers, and invest in resilient infrastructure.

Throughout, Stierli stresses the power of public engagement and broad coalitions to secure funding, defend protections, and keep national parks functioning as living classrooms where people can experience and learn from healthy waters.

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

Wastewater treatment plants rely on nonstop mechanical power to keep water moving, oxygen flowing, and critical equipment turning—and the systems behind that power are the focus of this episode.

Dave Zimmerman of Dodge Industrial breaks down how gearboxes, bearings, motors, and couplings form the “powertrain” that drives nearly every major process in a treatment plant.

Zimmerman explains how these components support pumps, aeration basins, clarifiers, bar screens, screw conveyors, and oxidation ditches—operating 24/7 under punishing conditions of moisture, grit, vibration, and load. He highlights how smart mechanical design can cut energy consumption by 7–10 percent, a major opportunity for utilities facing some of the highest electricity bills in municipal government.

As the water workforce shrinks, Zimmerman outlines how pre-engineered, easy-to-install components reduce maintenance complexity and keep equipment online longer. Lessons from heavy industries like mining and aggregates—where shock loads and extreme stress are the norm—are shaping tougher, more durable systems for wastewater plants.

The conversation also explores emerging technologies such as sensors, real-time monitoring, and predictive maintenance tools that help operators understand equipment health and prevent catastrophic failures before they happen.

Learn more about Dodge Industrial.

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

California’s Central Coast is turning recycled water into a lifeline for rivers, golf courses, farms, and coastal communities—showing how reuse can work far beyond the big cities.

In this episode, Nick Becker of Pebble Beach Community Services District, Alison Imamura of Monterey One Water, and Melanie Mow Schumacher of Soquel Creek Water District share how their communities are rethinking every drop.

At Pebble Beach, Becker explains how drought in the 1980s pushed local leaders to build one of the first systems that uses recycled water to irrigate seven world-class golf courses and a high school—later upgraded with microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and a 115-million-gallon reservoir so the system can bank winter water for dry summers.

Imamura describes how Pure Water Monterey takes a holistic approach, blending municipal wastewater, urban stormwater, industrial flows, and agricultural drainage into advanced treatment that both supplies 12,000 acres of farmland and returns purified water to the groundwater basin—cutting diversions from the Carmel River and protecting endangered species.

Schumacher shows how the small-but-mighty Soquel Creek Water District is fighting seawater intrusion and an overdrafted aquifer with Pure Water Soquel, an advanced purification project that turns wastewater into a high-quality groundwater recharge supply backed by strong public outreach, regional partnerships, and creative funding through state and federal programs.

This episode is part of The Golden State of Reuse, a series exploring the past, present, and future of water recycling across California.

The series is a collaboration with WateReuse California and sponsored by CDM Smith.

The series is also supported by the Sacramento Area Sewer District, Black & Veatch, and Monterey One Water.

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

Hydrogen sulfide is the invisible gas quietly eating away at sewer systems—driving odor complaints aboveground and concrete failure below.

In this episode of Inside Infrastructure, Kerry Koressel of IPEX explains how H₂S forms inside collection systems, why splashing and drops inside manholes turn it into a corrosive, dangerous gas, and how it can silently destroy manholes, pipes, and metal components over time. He breaks down the real costs for municipalities, from emergency repairs and bypass pumping to business impacts when odors reach streets and downtowns.

The conversation explores why these problems persist despite decades of awareness, including limited budgets, competing priorities, and the sheer scale of sewer networks. Koressel also discusses how better hydraulic design, improved materials, and oxygen-boosting strategies can suppress odors, reduce corrosion, and send “better sewage” downstream.

Together, these approaches point toward a more sustainable, lower-maintenance future for collection systems under growing environmental and financial pressure.

Learn more about solutions from Ipex.

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