Episodes

Four dams on the Snake River in Washington State have pushed salmon to the brink of extinction, threatening not just the species but the broader ecosystem, the culture of Native American tribes, and the region’s economy. This...

For the Colorado River to have a sustainable future, it’s vital to understand its past and present. Blood of the West is an in-development documentary series about the Colorado River that will take viewers on a journey from headwaters to delta and expl...

The Salton Sea is a unique waterbody that has suffered from high salinity levels, agricultural runoff, and water consumption by cities in Southern California, pushing the ecosystem to the brink and threatening the health of surrounding communities.

Water drainage is critical for farms in the Midwest. But farmers don’t usually receive comprehensive and unbiased information about water management and drainage solutions, and have to focus on short-term costs instead of long-term equity.

Proper attention was not paid to sustainability of water resources as the U.S. developed and expanded across the continent over the past few centuries, not only straining water availability for people but for nature itself. T...

Many lakes around the country suffer from poor water quality in the same way as Greenfield Lake in Wilmington, N.C. - stormwater runoff into the lake from hard surfaces like roads, parking lots, and buildings causes nutrient pollution, algae growth,

Crews in The Ocean Race, the iconic around-the-world sailing competition, have noticed changes in the water such as more trash and less marine life. But increasingly sailors and organizers are steering toward sustainability,

Communities of color and low-income suffer disproportionately from polluted water and delivering environmental justice in these situations is essential for achieving broader equity in society. This is reflected in the fight against waste from concentra...

The U.S. coast is unprepared for the increasing impacts of storms and sea level rise on communities, infrastructure, the economy, and the environment itself. Comprehensive changes in leadership, policies, programs,

In the Mississippi Delta there is no bigger force on the economy and the environment than agriculture, with its tens of millions of acres of farmland that both feeds a nation and impacts water quality. In Arkansas programs can help both if they arise f...

Although New Mexico receives far less attention than many other western states, it is at the precipice of a water crisis, with climate change further straining the arid state and groundwater impacted by the oil and gas industry.

Last century’s approach to water management was based on controlling nature, a fragmented infrastructure system, and general sense there was plenty of water. But the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century have spurred a transition to a water ...

A lack of information on groundwater has historically posed challenges for management. Now emerging tools are expanding and organizing the data available for decision-making, as discussed in this episode with Ben Kerr of Foundry Spatial,

Residents of Toledo, Ohio deal with water challenges ranging from pollution in Lake Erie to lead pipes for drinking water to increasing utility bills. Toledo’s communities of color and low-income have historically lacked information and input in water ...

Budgets are struggling to keep up with the scale and scope of water projects that need funding in communities across the U.S. At the same time, it is extremely difficult for public agencies to take risks on solutions that could address water challenges...

The Colorado River is managed under the “Law of the River,” a complex series of agreements, laws, legal decisions, and regulations that originated with the 1922 Colorado River Compact. There are important lessons and successes from the past 100 years t...

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 diversi...

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 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.

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 wi...

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,

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 chal...

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,

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,