Water Hub

US science after a year of Trump: what has been lost and what remains A series of graphics reveals how the Trump administration has sought historic cuts to science and the research workforce.

Federal research grants halted and thousands of scientists pushed out of public agencies. This immersive report from @nature.com maps the state of U.S. science under Trump and how agency cuts are reshaping research.

📰 Max Kozlov, Jeff Tollefson, Dan Garisto: www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

Data centers are coming to Colorado. Can the parched state handle their big water needs? Data centers are popping up in semi-arid areas like Colorado. Experts say they should come with a warning label when it comes to water.

Data centers are popping up across Colorado, putting pressure on water supplies in an already dry state. Cooling servers often relies on water-intensive systems, which can compete directly with agricultural and city water needs.

Shannon Mullane for @coloradosun.com: coloradosun.com/2026/01/26/c...

OPINION: They want to change the definition of ‘water.’ That's catastrophic for Nevada. - The Nevada Independent OPINION: They want to change the definition of ‘water.’ That's catastrophic for Nevada.

🔔 Op-ed: A proposed #CleanWaterAct rollback would strip protections from most desert waterways in Nevada, even though these dry channels help prevent floods and refill groundwater.

Dexter Lim, Mason Voehl, and Olivia Tanager in @thenvindy.com: thenevadaindependent.com/article/opin...

A Small Oil Company Polluted Midland’s Water Reserve. The Cleanup Has Dragged on for Years. - Inside Climate News Cleaning up oilfield pollution in arid West Texas is costly and complicated. The bankruptcy process allows companies to move on while the public pays the price.

#Groundwater contamination tied to oil & gas operations has threatened a key water reserve in TX for over 20 years. This report traces how pollution persisted, leaving the city and state with a long, costly cleanup.

Derek Harrison for @insideclimatenews.org: insideclimatenews.org/news/1801202...

Newsletter - The Water Hub Sign up for our newsletter to tap into our pro bono offerings including trainings, latest polling and research, water news, and partner water progress wins.

Our next Water Cooler newsletter lands in inboxes this Thursday! We’ll be sharing water news, practical communications tools, and thoughtful reads from across the field.

🌊 Sign up to get it delivered to your inbox: waterhub.org/signup/

Water rule rollback stokes affordability concerns The Trump administration says the regulation will ease permitting expenses. Utilities say costs could shift to them and their customers.

The rollback of #CleanWaterAct protections could make water more expensive. Utilities say that losing wetlands & streams means higher treatment and flood control costs, which often show up in people’s water bills.

📰 @mirandawrites.bsky.social for @eenews.bsky.social: www.eenews.net/articles/wat...

The world is in water bankruptcy, UN scientists report – here’s what that means Like living beyond your financial means, using more water than nature can replenish can have catastrophic results.

UN researchers warn of “water bankruptcy” as overuse and damaged systems leave rivers and aquifers unable to recover. While the report is global, the pattern is already familiar to many in the U.S.

Kaveh Madani for @theconversation.com: theconversation.com/the-world-is...

10 water communications resources for nonprofits Unlock the Water Hub’s top communications resources from last year including polling insights, message guides, and influencer strategies to help your water advocacy in a challenging political reality.

2025 asked a lot of water advocates and communicators. To support the work ahead, we rounded up our 10 most-read free communications resources from last year, spanning messaging research, influencer engagement, and tools to counter misinformation.

Read more on our blog: waterhub.org/10-water-non...

Urban stormwater is just the rain that runs off of roofs, streets, and sidewalks. When we name it plainly, it's easier to see how everyday design choices affect flooding and water quality. 💧

#PFAS sounds technical, but what it really means is the collection of toxic chemicals that do not break down and can end up in drinking water, soil, and our bodies.

Everyone appreciates a permeable surface when the rain get heavy! 🌧️

People living in frontline communities may not call themselves that. But having clear information matters so they can take part in decisions that shape their health, safety, and futures.

Not everyone knows what an aquifer is. What we do know is that clearer language helps people understand how water policy actually affects their daily lives.

Conversations about water are often filled with technical language that can make our shared issues feel distant or hard to understand. For #WorldThesaurusDay, we’re sharing a few common water terms and simpler swaps. 🧵

As water grows more scarce in the West, a satellite tool offers new insight into farm irrigation Across the Mountain West, where drought and shrinking reservoirs are putting pressure on already limited water supplies, decisions about who uses how much water often hinge on imperfect data. A nonprofit collaboration called OpenET hopes to change that.

As water becomes more scarce in the West, a satellite-based tool is helping farmers and water managers estimate how much water crops actually use field by field, a move that could reduce waste and improve irrigation efficiency.

📰 Kaleb Roedel for @kjzz.org: www.kjzz.org/science/2026...

These reflections come straight from our team and guide the work we do every day, in 2026 and beyond. 🌊

As we look ahead to 2026, we asked ourselves a simple question: What is your hope for water?

For us, it looks like water as a source of life, community, culture, and belonging. It looks like clean, safe, affordable drinking water. It looks like protecting the people and places that water sustains.

States say they need more help replacing lead pipes. Congress may cut the funding instead. The U.S. House voted to cut millions promised for the work this year. The Senate will vote this week, as advocates and some lawmakers push back.

States across the country need federal support to replace toxic lead pipes. But Congress may cut $125M from funding meant to remove them, raising concerns about slowing progress to protect people from lead in their drinking water.

@keertigopal.bsky.social for @grist.org: grist.org/politics/sta...

For the first time in almost 25 years, California is officially free of drought conditions, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. The change comes from multiple wet years across the state, not one big storm.

📰 Olivia Hebert for @sfgate.com: www.sfgate.com/bayarea/arti...

Poor communities threatened by aging sewers see crucial aid slashed under Trump Deep funding cuts under President Donald Trump will make it more difficult for struggling communities to get help to fix sewer systems that put health and homes at risk.

Across the U.S., aging wastewater systems send untreated sewage into homes, especially in low-income communities. An AP investigation shows how federal funding cuts are making these problems harder to fix.

Tammy Webber, Michael Phillis, & M.K. Wildeman for @apnews.com: apnews.com/article/trum...

EPA proposed rule could risk polluting 80% of U.S. wetlands. Tribes are worried As currently written, the proposed EPA rule would narrow the 1972 landmark law’s enforcement with estimates suggesting that 80% of the nation’s wetlands could be at risk.

A proposed EPA rule could leave up to 80% of U.S. wetlands at risk by narrowing #CleanWaterAct protections. Tribal leaders warn that this would weaken safeguards for waters that cross jurisdictions and affect downstream communities.
📰 Gabriel Pietrorazio for @kjzz.org: www.kjzz.org/tribal-natur...

Thanks to co-authors including Faith, @edithdeguzman.bsky.social and @ucanrwater.bsky.social folks and the 44 workshop participants who contributed their expertise.

And so much support and polishing from @luskininnovation.bsky.social & @uclasustainablela.bsky.social teams.

Water Hub 2025: Stories, tools, and hope Nicole Lampe shares highlights from the Water Hub’s work in 2025, including frontline partner support, solutions storytelling, and tools and trainings to help water groups adapt to the new media and p...

To meet the moment, we offer media support, messaging research, polling, visual storytelling, comms tools and trainings, digital strategy and content creation, creator collaborations, and more for the water movement.

📝 Read more from our Managing Director, Nicole Lampe:
waterhub.org/water-advoca...

Last year, our work continued alongside floods, wildfires, sewage spills, and rising water costs.

The landscape for water communications is shifting. Infrastructure dollars are shrinking, equity is under attack, technology is moving fast, and misinformation can spread faster than context.

The Water Hub is a nonprofit communications shop that uses story-based strategies to advance water justice and resilience across the United States. We’re a small team responding to a big moment.

New Mexico waters insulated from federal changes to Clean Water Act coverage New Mexico's 2025 state permitting law will protect wetlands and ephemeral waters even as the Trump administration proposes narrowing the definition of waters covered by the Clean Water Act.

Even as federal #CleanWaterAct protections shrink, New Mexico passed a state law to protect wetlands and ephemeral streams that feed rivers like the Rio Grande.

📰 @cathycook.bsky.social for @abqjournal.bsky.social: www.abqjournal.com/news/new-mex...

Trump vetoes bipartisan bill to provide clean water to rural Colorado The legislation to complete the Arkansas Valley Conduit passed Congress with unanimous support but was branded an ‘expensive and unreliable’ project by the President.

ICYMI: A bipartisan bill to help deliver clean drinking water to rural southeastern Colorado was vetoed by President Trump, despite unanimous support in Congress.

Caitlyn Kim, Shanna Lewis, and Chuck Murphy for @cprnews.bsky.social:
www.cpr.org/2025/12/30/t...

Water Hub 2025: Stories, tools, and hope Nicole Lampe shares highlights from the Water Hub’s work in 2025, including frontline partner support, solutions storytelling, and tools and trainings to help water groups adapt to the new media and political landscape.

2025 was a year of floods, fires, rising water costs, and big questions about how we communicate in changing times.

In our latest newsletter, our Managing Director Nicole Lampe reflects on how Water Hub responded, and where we’re headed in 2026.

Read more on our blog: waterhub.org/water-advoca...

5 research-backed insights for talking about disaster resilience New insights: Water Hub and Climate Advocacy Lab research on the public’s views around government responsibility, disaster resilience, and nature-based solutions.

New messaging research in partnership with
@climateadvocacylab.bsky.social 📣

Takeaways:
🤝 People agree disaster resilience is government's job
❤️‍🩹 Collective protection resonates
🏡 Conservatives moved by personal stakes

waterhub.org/5-research-backed-insights-for-talking-about-disaster-resilience/

The Flow of Trust: Launching the Utility-Community Communications Guide How Water Hub’s Utility-Community Communication Guide can build stronger partnerships, encourage collaboration, and lead to better water management.

We’re excited to share our Utility-Community Comms Guide in partnership with Junction Coalition & Rogue Water Lab.

Whether you’re utility staff or a community advocate, our guide shares practical tools that build trust and create space for collaborative dialogue. waterhub.org/water-utilit...