Most people never think about the hidden compliance programs quietly protecting their drinking water and sewer systems every single day. Mick O’Dwyer of SwiftComply describes backflow prevention, FOG (fats, oils, and grease) programs, and industrial pretreatment as the “immune system” of water infrastructure — the behind-the-scenes work designed to stop…
Water utilities are quietly strengthening the “immune system” of our water infrastructure, using compliance programs and technology to prevent pollution, protect drinking water, and reduce sewer overflows before they happen. In this episode, Mick O’Dwyer of SwiftComply shares how his journey from wastewater engineer in Dublin to tech founder led…
Standing along the Colorado River high in the Rocky Mountains, it’s hard not to feel the weight of what this river means to the American West. The Colorado River provides drinking water for about 40 million people, helps irrigate roughly 5 million acres of farmland, powers economies such as recreation…
I’m on a rock in the middle of Boulder Creek as snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains rushes past me. This week I’m traveling across Colorado filming 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐈𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐬, a new waterloop and WaterNow series exploring how communities are advancing water conservation. I’m visiting a dozen communities to document…
Nature is doing some of the heavy lifting in Winnipeg’s flood strategy. At FortWhyte Alive, a former industrial clay quarry has been transformed into a sprawling network of wetlands, ponds, and prairie designed to work with water instead of against it. These landscapes capture stormwater, slow runoff, absorb flood flows,…
The effort to close America’s water and sanitation access gap made its way directly to Capitol Hill this week. Members of the Vessel Collective spent the day meeting with lawmakers and congressional staff to discuss a new national roadmap aimed at ensuring every person in the United States has access…
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator for Water Jessica Kramer spoke to the Vessel Collective today in Washington, D.C. about how the agency’s work aligns with the effort to close the water and sanitation access gap in the country. In addition to expressing her personal commitment to the issue,…
One of the keys to accelerating progress on water access and sanitation in the U.S. may be simple: share solutions openly and tackle common challenges together. That’s exactly what’s happening this week at the Vessel Collective convening in Washington, D.C., where representatives from more than 130 organizations are exchanging ideas,…
A national plan is now on the table to bring running water and sanitation to every home in the United States. The Vessel Collective’s new roadmap sets a clear goal: universal access by 2040. It starts with the more than 2 million Americans who still lack basic service—and focuses on…
Just south of Winnipeg, the Red River Floodway quietly determines the fate of a city. Built after the catastrophic 1950 Red River Flood—which forced 100,000 people from their homes and destroyed 10,000 more—this system is one of the most ambitious flood control projects in North America. Stretching 30 miles long,…
Not another water report. An action plan. Kabir Thatte of the Vessel Collective says a new national roadmap to close the U.S. water access gap is designed to move beyond policy ideas and into measurable results. He describes the plan as an implementation framework—with built-in accountability—focused on tracking whether fewer…
More than 2 million people in the United States live without running water or a working toilet—and the true number could be far higher. It’s a crisis hidden in plain sight, affecting communities from tribal lands and rural Appalachia to border colonias and even neighborhoods just beyond city infrastructure. In…
A $6 million international investment is turning a Great Lakes utility into a proving ground for next-generation water treatment. At the Cleveland Water Alliance, new technology is now producing high-concentration hypochlorite on site—replacing the need to ship chlorine long distances by rail. The system, developed by a company spun out…
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…
Enforcement that lives on paper doesn’t fix what’s happening on the ground. Alan Roberson of the Water & Health Advisory Council describes a system where violations often trigger letters—not solutions. Utilities fall out of compliance, work with states, and if problems persist, enforcement becomes a notice that can be filed…
$20 million for PFAS. $20 million for lead. And up to $50 million already needed for aging pipes. That’s the reality facing many U.S. water systems today. Chad Seidel of the Water Health Advisory Council describes a growing financial squeeze: new regulatory requirements are stacking on top of long-standing infrastructure…
The most powerful thing water leaders can bring to work might be the one thing they’ve been taught to leave behind. At Catalyst 2025, Britton Smith — artist, facilitator, and frontman of Britton and the Sting — led a session that challenged professionals to confront the “mask” they wear at…
Solutions to some of the world’s biggest water challenges are taking shape through collaboration at the local level. At a World Water Day gathering at the Reservoir Center in Washington, D.C., leaders from across industry, advocacy, and government highlighted how convening the right people—across sectors and perspectives—is accelerating progress on…
The very report designed to build trust in tap water may be doing the opposite. Kathryn Sorensen of the Water Health Advisory Council points to a growing body of research showing that EPA-mandated Consumer Confidence Reports—sent annually to millions of Americans—can actually lower confidence in drinking water safety. The issue…
Winnipeg sits in one of the most unforgiving flood landscapes in North America—formed in the basin of ancient glacial Lake Agassiz, where the land is so flat that water doesn’t drain, it spreads. That reality turns spring into a test. Rain and snowmelt move slowly across the landscape, pooling and…
We’re spending billions chasing microscopic contaminants… while the biggest threats to public health may be far more basic. Janet Anderson of the Water Health Advisory Council lays out a critical shift in how we think about drinking water risk: not all risks are equal—and treating them that way can lead…
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.…
Innovation in water isn’t just about the next breakthrough technology—it’s about changing the system around it. Newsha Ajami of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory says the Aspen National Water Strategy challenges a common assumption: that innovation means new gadgets or tools. In reality, some of the biggest opportunities lie in policy,…
My spring break trip included an unexpected tour of a disaster zone. I was in the North Carolina mountains and it was stunning to see it like this a year and a half after Hurricane Helene. A hurricane hits Florida… and still ends up dumping up to 20 inches of…