waterloop

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 the health and prevalence of oysters, how they are stressed by freshwater, and ways to relieve that pressure through management of river diversions, use of hatcheries, and selective breeding. waterloop is made possible in part by grants from Spring Point Partners and the Walton Family Foundation. waterloop is sponsored by the Flume smart water monitor, the perfect device to track your home's water use in real-time from your smart phone and be alerted to excessive use or leaks. Save 10 percent with promo code waterloop at https://flumewater.com​ waterloop is sponsored by High Sierra Showerheads, the smart and stylish way to save water, energy, and money while enjoying a powerful shower. Use promo code Loop20 for 20 percent off at https://www.highsierrashowerheads.com​

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 episode features a discussion with Carter Smith, a marine scientist at Duke University, Lexia Weaver, a coastal scientist with the North Carolina Coastal Federation, and Daniel Govoni, a policy analyst for the NC Department of Environmental Quality. They explain the many benefits of living shorelines, incentivizing property owners to install them, and policy changes to support their use. waterloop is made possible in part by grants from Spring Point Partners and the Walton Family Foundation. waterloop is sponsored by the Flume smart water monitor, the perfect device to track your home's water use in real-time from your smart phone and be alerted to excessive use or leaks. Save 10 percent with promo code waterloop at flumewater.com waterloop is sponsored by High Sierra Showerheads, the smart and stylish way to save water, energy, and money while enjoying a powerful shower. Use promo code Loop20 for 20 percent off at highsierrashowerheads.com

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, and Rebecca Lave, a professor and Chair of the Department of Geography at Indiana University. In this episode they discuss the difficulty and lack of success of stream mitigation banking and explain why they believe it needs to be reformed to achieve better environmental outcomes. waterloop is made possible in part by grants from Spring Point Partners and the Walton Family Foundation. waterloop is sponsored by the Flume smart water monitor, the perfect device to track your home's water use in real-time from your smart phone and be alerted to excessive use or leaks. Save 10 percent with promo code waterloop at flumewater.com waterloop is sponsored by High Sierra Showerheads, the smart and stylish way to save water, energy, and money while enjoying a powerful shower. Use promo code Loop20 for 20 percent off at highsierrashowerheads.com

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. In this episode Ted Kowalski, Colorado River Initiative Lead and Senior Program Officer at the Walton Family Foundation, discusses the status of water agreements, how farmers and ranchers are leading the way on conservation, the rising role of indigenous communities, and why he calls water a human right. waterloop is sponsored by the Flume smart water monitor, the perfect device to track your home's water use in real-time from your smart phone and be alerted to excessive use or leaks. Save 10 percent with promo code waterloop at https://flumewater.com waterloop is sponsored by High Sierra Showerheads, the smart and stylish way to save water, energy, and money while enjoying a powerful shower. Use promo code Loop20 for 20 percent off at https://www.highsierrashowerheads.com

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 reflections on the experience and lessons learned are shared by Ben Pauli, Assistant Professor at Kettering University, Jared Webb, Chief Data Scientist at BlueConduit, and Mona Munroe-Yousif, Executive Director of the Environmental Transformation Movement of Flint. On the technical side, the use of data, machine learning, and predictive analytics proved to be highly effective for locating lead lines. On the human side, community outreach was vital, including engagement with diverse groups, gathering a range of input, and forging new partnerships. waterloop is sponsored by the Flume smart water monitor, the perfect device to track your home's water use in real-time from your smart phone and be alerted to excessive use or leaks. Save 10 percent with promo code waterloop at https://flumewater.com waterloop is sponsored by High Sierra Showerheads, the smart and stylish way to save water, energy, and money while enjoying a powerful shower. Use promo code Loop20 for 20 percent off at https://www.highsierrashowerheads.com

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 Center at Penn, talk about their work in the region to understand water challenges and the priorities of a wide spectrum of stakeholders. They also discuss launching a network of organizations, establishing a leadership incubator, and helping small towns find financial and technical assistance. waterloop is sponsored by the Flume smart water monitor, the perfect device to track your home's water use in real-time from your smart phone and be alerted to excessive use or leaks. Save 10 percent with promo code waterloop at https://flumewater.com waterloop is sponsored by High Sierra Showerheads, the smart and stylish way to save water, energy, and money while enjoying a powerful shower. Use promo code Loop20 for 20 percent off at https://www.highsierrashowerheads.com

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 Coastkeeper Alliance, discusses a variety of solutions, including regulations to account for the impact of sea level rise on infrastructure, marine protected areas to support underwater ecosystems, and a Blue Business Council to bring powerful voices to water advocacy. waterloop is sponsored by the Flume smart water monitor, the perfect device to track your home's water use in real-time from your smart phone and be alerted to excessive use or leaks. Save 10 percent with promo code waterloop at www.flumewater.com waterloop is sponsored by High Sierra Showerheads, the smart and stylish way to save water, energy, and money while enjoying a powerful shower. Use promo code Loop20 for 20 percent off at www.highsierrashowerheads.com

Greg Characklis is Director of the Center on Financial Risk in Environmental Systems at the University of North Carolina. In this episode Greg explains the financial risk to society from variability in the environment, including rainfall, water levels, and temperature, as well as extreme weather events. He discusses the increased attention on the risk from lenders, investors, insurance companies, and credit agencies, and how a variety of traditional and innovative tools can be used to manage financial risk. Greg talks about situations of financial risk in water around the country including the Great Lakes, Mississippi River, and Central Valley in California. The waterloop podcast is brought to you by High Sierra Showerheads, the smart and stylish way to save water, energy, and money while enjoying a powerful shower. Use promo code waterloop for 20 percent off at www.highsierrashowerheads.com

Greg Characklis is Director of the Center on Financial Risk in Environmental Systems at the University of North Carolina. In this episode Greg explains the financial risk to society from variability in the environment, including rainfall, water levels, and temperature, as well as extreme weather events. He discusses the increased attention on the risk from lenders, investors, insurance companies, and credit agencies, and how a variety of traditional and innovative tools can be used to manage financial risk. Greg talks about situations of financial risk in water around the country including the Great Lakes, Mississippi River, and Central Valley in California. The waterloop podcast is brought to you by High Sierra Showerheads, the smart and stylish way to save water, energy, and money while enjoying a powerful shower. Use promo code waterloop for 20 percent off at www.highsierrashowerheads.com

Philip Berke is the Director of the Center for Resilient Communities and the Environment at the University of North Carolina. In this episode Philip explains the pressing need for communities to focus on planning to become more resilient to climate change. He discusses a variety of approaches, from hardening of infrastructure to managed retreats, that communities are taking in places like Virginia, New Hampshire, and Texas. Philip also talks about efforts to evaluate and expand resilience planning such as the Resilience Scorecard and programs of the National Academies of Science, Urban Institute, and National Science Foundation. The waterloop podcast is brought to you by High Sierra Showerheads, the smart and stylish way to save water, energy, and money while enjoying a powerful shower. Use promo code waterloop for 20 percent off at www.highsierrashowerheads.com/

Kathryn Lucero is Community Environmental Management Specialist at Communities Unlimited. In this episode Kathryn talks about colonias, the Spanish word for neighborhood, which is used in reference to residential areas along the U.S.-Mexico border that often have substandard housing and lack basic infrastructure such as water. She discusses how efforts of the past 20 years have brought drinking water to a large percentage of colonias, including where she works in Texas. Kathryn explains the benefits for people physically, socially, and economically when they have water services in colonias. See all podcast at www.waterloop.org The waterloop podcast is brought to you by High Sierra Showerheads, the smart and stylish way to save water, energy, and money while enjoying a powerful shower. Use promo code waterloop for 20 percent off at www.highsierrashowerheads.com/

Heather Stapleton is a professor and Lee Ferguson is an associate professor at Duke University. In this episode Heather and Lee discuss how discovery of GenX in North Carolina’s Cape Fear River sparked testing for PFAS in waterways across the state, which found elevated levels of the forever chemicals in the Haw River. They explain how an exposure study is examining PFAS in drinking water, resident’s blood levels, and effects on birth outcomes. Heather and Lee also talk about developing policy recommendations for managing PFAS. Find all podcasts at www.waterloop.org The waterloop podcast is brought to you by High Sierra Showerheads, the smart and stylish way to save water, energy, and money while enjoying a powerful shower. Use promo code waterloop for 20 percent off at www.highsierrashowerheads.com/

An estimated one million people in California lack access to safe, reliable drinking water and most of them are Latino and low-income individuals. Susana De Anda is the Executive Director of the Community Water Center and explains how it uses a blend of education, organizing, and advocacy to address the drinking water crisis in the state. She also discusses the importance of local involvement in solutions, the human right to water, and the work of Water Education for Latino Leaders (WELL). Find all podcasts at waterloop.org The waterloop podcast is brought to you by High Sierra Showerheads, the smart and stylish way to save water, energy, and money while enjoying a powerful shower. Use promo code waterloop for 20 percent off at highsierrashowerheads.com

Marc Edwards is a Professor of Civil Engineering at Virginia Tech University. In this episode Marc discusses how he became involved in the drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan and that it was a failure of responsibility across all levels and aspects of government. He explains the model of investigative science that he and his team uses to examine drinking water quality, and while he dislikes crossing into advocacy and activism he will expose government misconduct if necessary. Marc talks about the engineering ethics course he teaches at Virginia Tech and how students learn to follow scientific obligations to the profession and society. See all podcast episodes at www.waterloop.org The waterloop podcast is brought to you by High Sierra Showerheads, the smart and stylish way to save water, energy, and money while enjoying a powerful shower. Use promo code waterloop for 20 percent off at www.highsierrashowerheads.com

Felicia Marcus is a Fellow at Stanford University’s Water in the West Program and member of the Water Policy Group. In this episode Felicia discusses many of the major water issues in California, drawing from her experience in leadership roles at the U.S. EPA, state Water Resources Control Board, and City of Los Angeles. She talks about California’s response to drought, including the emphasis on water conservation and efficiency, as well as other measures to build resilience to climate change. Felicia also shares her perspective on the role of collaboration in water management and explains her work at Stanford. See all podcasts at www.waterloop.org The waterloop podcast is brought to you by High Sierra Showerheads, the smart and stylish way to save water, energy, and money while enjoying a powerful shower. Use promo code waterloop for 20 percent off at www.highsierrashowerheads.com

Peter Colohan is the Executive Director of the Internet of Water project at Duke University and Stacy Timmons is the Associate Director of Hydrology Programs for the New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources. In this episode Peter and Stacy discuss the challenges of finding and using water data because it is not modernized, integrated, and organized. Peter explains the effort to build the Internet of Water, which is envisioned as an interconnected network where water data are discoverable and accessible so it can be used to manage water resources. Stacy talks about the New Mexico Water Data Initiative and a project to put water data for the Pecos River into modern infrastructure so it can be used by stakeholders for decision-making. Find all podcasts at www.waterloop.org The waterloop podcast is brought to you by High Sierra Showerheads, the smart and stylish way to save water, energy, and money while enjoying a powerful shower. Use promo code waterloop for 20 percent off at www.highsierrashowerheads.com/