waterloop is an environmental partner in 1% for the Planet, a global network of businesses, individuals, and organizations tackling our planet's most pressing issues.
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a nonprofit news outlet for sustainability and equity in water
winner of 2023 US Water Prize for Communications
Recent Episodes
March 16, 2025
Recycling Tile Drain Water: How Farmers Can Reduce Runoff
Nutrient runoff from tile drainage systems on Iowa farms is a significant challenge, affecting local waterways and the Mississippi River. Tile drain water recycling offers an innovative solution by capturing nutrient-rich dra...
March 3, 2025
Saving Texas Springs: A Balance of Groundwater and Growth
Texas' iconic springs are facing growing pressure from urban development, groundwater pumping, and climate change, threatening the lifeline of both ecosystems and communities. But through sustainable aquifer management, conse...
Feb. 20, 2025
How Relay Crops Reduce Floods And Boost Farm Profits
Flooding and water quality degradation are significant challenges in Iowa's agricultural watersheds, driven by intensive farming practices and increasingly extreme weather events. Relay cropping, a regenerative farming practi...
Feb. 13, 2025
Restoring Rapids in the Grand River
Grand Rapids is restoring the namesake rapids of the Grand River, reversing decades of human intervention that removed natural rock formations and altered the river’s flow. The city’s River For All project is removing five lo...
Feb. 3, 2025
Iowa's Oxbow Lake Revival By Restoration
Agriculture in Iowa is vital to feeding the world, but it poses challenges for water quality and flood management due to nutrient runoff and extreme weather. One innovative solution is the restoration of oxbow lakes—former ri...
Jan. 27, 2025
Funding Lead Free Child Care In Cook County
The presence of 200,000 lead service lines in Cook County, Illinois poses a serious public health threat, especially to young children who are highly vulnerable to the effects of lead exposure. Addressing this issue requires ...
Jan. 16, 2025
The Facts On Fighting Wildfires In L.A. And Beyond | Episode 251
Amid the devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires, confusion and misinformation have surrounded the role of water resources. This episode clarifies key inaccuracies, highlighting how municipal water systems are designed to su...
Jan. 13, 2025
Observing Patterns In Sustainable Solutions Across The U.S. | Episode 253
At the 2024 WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas, waterloop founder Travis Loop shared key insights from his travels across the United States, documenting innovative water projects. He identified a number of commona...
Jan. 13, 2025
A Blueprint For Community Based Partnerships | Episode 252
Since launching in 2014, the Clean Water Partnership in Prince George’s County, Maryland has provided a blueprint on how the government and a company can work together to simultaneously tackle environmental challenges and ach...
Jan. 7, 2025
Providing SAFER Water In California - With Adriana Renteria | Episode 250
About one million Californians face persistent challenges accessing safe, affordable drinking water, particularly in rural and disadvantaged communities. California’s SAFER program, led by the State Water Resources Control Bo...
Dec. 6, 2024
An Innovative Fund For Farms’ Environmental Outcomes | Episode 249
Excess nutrients from farms in Iowa and across the Midwest are a major challenge, polluting local waterways and ultimately impacting the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico. To address this, the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund ...
Dec. 2, 2024
A Coalition To Fight Flooding | Episode 248
Flooding is impacting communities nationwide with both devastating and costly effects. The solution requires resilience planning, infrastructure adaptation, and community involvement to effectively address flood risk. In this...
Nov. 18, 2024
Mississippi Mayors Mobilize For Resilience | Episode 247
The Mississippi River is essential to global agriculture and trade, but it is increasingly vulnerable to climate impacts, including severe droughts and floods, resulting in significant economic and environmental challenges. C...
Nov. 11, 2024
Life Behind The Levee At Dogooth Bend | Episode 246
The ever-changing nature of the Mississippi River poses significant challenges for those living behind the levee at Dogtooth Bend in southern Illinois, where increased flooding and infrastructure strain can impact everyday ex...
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About the Host
Travis Loop
Founder
waterloop founder Travis Loop began his career as a newspaper reporter and returned to his passion for journalism to launch and operate the platform. He brings more than 20 years of experience including as communications director at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Water Environment Federation, and Chesapeake Bay Program, as well as speechwriter for the Governor of Hawaii.