waterloop

Travis Loop
  • 5.0 (15)
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  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY

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.

  1. 1H AGO

    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.

  2. APR 20

    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.

  3. MAR 30

    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.

  4. MAR 24

    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.

  5. MAR 9

    Download From Davos: How Global CEOs Are Confronting Water Risk

    A download from Davos reveals how water is rising on the global agenda — with business leaders, governments, and NGOs increasingly recognizing it as a critical climate and economic risk. In this episode, Jason Morrison, president of the Pacific Institute, shares insights from the World Economic Forum gathering this past January, where conversations about water resilience are reaching CEOs, prime ministers, and top decision-makers. He explains how initiatives like the CEO Water Mandate and the Water Resilience Coalition are mobilizing major corporations to tackle water challenges collectively across stressed basins worldwide. The discussion highlights real-world efforts underway in places like California and the Mississippi River basin, where companies are investing in projects such as groundwater recharge, watershed restoration, and improved water efficiency. Morrison also describes how new data tools, satellite monitoring, and collaborative basin-scale strategies are helping track measurable progress. The key takeaway from Davos: the water sector doesn’t need more pledges — it needs execution, scaling proven solutions that can deliver meaningful impact on the ground. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.

  6. FEB 23

    Navigating Water’s New Era: Technology, Talent & Transformation

    The water sector is in the middle of a major transition, as decades-old challenges collide with powerful new technologies, workforce shifts, and rising public expectations. In this episode, Ralph Exton, Executive Director of the Water Environment Federation, unpacks how a nearly century-old organization is working to steer global water strategy. He breaks down WEF’s three-pillar roadmap—building water communities, advancing workforce development, and leading circularity. The conversation from the Reservoir Center in Washington, D.C. also dives into the water–AI nexus, from the growing pressure data centers place on stressed watersheds to the launch of a new Center of Excellence designed to cut through misinformation and align utilities, regulators, and hyperscalers. Ralph discusses the move toward a circular water economy, including the recovery of resources from wastewater. The discussion closes with a look at workforce development, from managing a wave of retirements across the industry to training the next generation. waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.

  7. FEB 16

    Will Recycling Save California's Water Future? | The Golden State of Reuse

    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.

  8. FEB 9

    Carrots & Sticks: How Regulations Shape Water Reuse In Sacramento

    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.

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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Travis Loop
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    300
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2019 waterloop
  • Show Website
    waterloop

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