Blog

Collaboration Is Essential for Effective Water Advocacy

by River Network
This post was co-written by members of River Network’s Policy Team, including Shelby Cline, April Ingle, Erin Kanzig, Campebell Simmons, and Colleen Walters. Successful advocacy for safe and affordable drinking water, healthy rivers, and climate-resilient communities requires equitably working within diverse coalitions of organizations and individuals to build the necessary power and influence to effect... Read More ›

River Network Launches New Tools to Support Network Advocacy

by River Network
April Ingle leading a Clean Water Act Training at Alabama Water Rally. Photo courtesy Alabama Rivers Alliance.
This post was co-written by members of River Network's Policy Team, including Shelby Cline, April Ingle, Erin Kanzig, Campbell Simmons, and Colleen Walters. At River Network, we have a long history of developing tools and resources and offering training to help our network tackle the water issues they care about at the local, state, and... Read More ›

Inclusive Communications for the Water Movement

by Ayana Harscoet
With the generous support of the Fresh Sound Foundation, we’re excited to announce our first ever Inclusive Communications guide. We’ve created this resource to provide both communications and accessibility guidance to the network. As more and more outreach and education moves online, it’s critical to ensure that our communications practices are accessible, ethical, and welcoming... Read More ›

Demanding Drainage Justice in Houston Through Evidence-Based Advocacy

by Diana Toledo
Five advocates stand in a city plaza holding a yellow sign that reads "When our streets flood we flood the streets."
Advocates in Houston. Photo courtesy WSR/NAC.

Survivors As Experts Formed during Hurricane Harvey by community members looking to help their neighbors survive and then recover from the historic floods of 2017, West Street Recovery (WSR) and its long-time partner, the Northeast Action Collective (NAC), are now focusing on changing the very systems that contribute to climate injustice in the majority Black… Read More ›

Supreme Court Deals a Blow to Clean Water

by April Ingle

What the Supreme Court Clean Water Act Ruling Means for Your Community and Waters   On May 25, 2023, the US Supreme Court issued their ruling in the Sackett vs. EPA case. With this ruling, the Court has delivered a catastrophic blow to our ability to protect our waters from pollution and climate disasters, undoing protections… Read More ›

River Network Welcomes Raj Shukla as Next President and CEO

by Amy Boal
May 17, 2023 [Boulder, Colorado] – River Network is honored and pleased to announce that, after a meticulous national search, Raj Shukla will be joining the organization as its next President and CEO. His first day will be Tuesday, June 20, and he will be working primarily from his home office in Madison, Wisconsin.  Shukla... Read More ›

Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program: Annual Report Look Back

by Shelby Cline
This is the fourth blog post we’ve written about the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) since it was first funded through COVID-19 legislation in 2020 and 2021. For background on the establishment of the program and what it’s achieved so far, take a look at the previous blogs:  Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program Check-In,... Read More ›

Equipping the Network for the Federal Funding Long-Game

by River Network
Learn about our federal funding support. River Network has a long history of supporting local organizations in accessing the funding they need for their communities. The passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL, Nov. 2021) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA, Aug. 2022) carry unprecedented prioritization of water via federal funding programs—and a historic opportunity... Read More ›

Centering Water Quality, Public Health, and Climate Resiliency in the 2023 Farm Bill

by Erin Kanzig
When you hear the words “Farm Bill” you might imagine that this legislation impacts farmers and ranchers – which is true – through the Farm Bill farmers can access crop insurance, receive technical assistance from US Department of Agriculture, benefit from research, receive disaster assistance, and more, all because of the Farm Bill.  However, it’s important... Read More ›

Litter in Our Nation’s Waterways and Communities

by Grace Fullmer

Litter, we have all seen it—clogging the flow of our favorite neighborhood stream, or carelessly thrown to the side of the road waiting to be carried by the elements to the nearest waterway. Keep America Beautiful’s 2020 Litter Study estimated that over 50 billion pieces of litter are obstructing our roadways and waterways. When disposed… Read More ›

Observation in the Basin – A Community Action Story

by Colleen McGuire

This guest blog was originally written by Dave Bell, a volunteer with Tookany/Tacony-Frankford partnership (TTF), and published on their website in December 2019. Dave updated the blog in November 2022, granting permission to River Network to publish it in conjunction with the release of our new “Observation in the Basin” pages. Construction Site Runoff In… Read More ›

Solving the Puzzle of the Yampa River

by Amy Boal
River Network staff member Nicole Seltzer with her crew of river running friends on the Yampa River in Dinosaur National Monument, May 2021.
For the last four years, tucked in the northwestern corner of Colorado, a group of 27 stakeholders representing a diverse range of interest groups has come together to write an Integrated Water Management Plan (IWMP). Over this four-year period, the IWMP conducted assessments and identified consensus-driven strategies that seek to maintain a balanced river system... Read More ›

Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program Check-In

by Erin Kanzig
LIHWAP, the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program created and funded through emergency Covid-19 legislation in December 2020 (Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA)) and March 2021 (ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act)), is the first national water assistance program of its kind. We previously covered some of the basics of the program and an update on how the... Read More ›