State Policy Showcases

Image of the Wisconsin State Capitol Building.
Looking for more information?

River Network’s State Policy Hub is a one-stop-shop for state policy examples touched on in our State Policy Showcases.
Interested in attending a showcase?

Visit our Events and Learning page for any upcoming State Policy Showcases.

State Policy Showcases are one-hour peer calls for organizations working and advocating for change at the state-level.

Each showcase focuses on a state policy success, often comparing two states’ approaches to the same water issue, and includes the following:

  • Policy Nuts-and-Bolts (what the policy does, how it works)
  • How-To (what it took to get the bill/policy/decision passed, advocacy strategy, etc.)
  • Q&A
  • Discussion

Past State Policy Showcases

Click on the tabs below to view past State Policy Showcases and resources.

State Funding Programs for Water (April 2026)

State Funding Programs for Water (April 2026)


Watch the recording here.

States highlighted: Delaware, Texas

Guest Speakers: Usman Mahmood, Policy Analyst at Bayou City Waterkeeper, and Mark Nardone, Director of Advocacy at Delaware Nature Society

Some states have created comprehensive initiatives to address their most pressing water issues in combination with sustained funding. Texas’ recent Prop 4 ballot initiative, which was passed by voters in November 2025, dedicates $1 billion per year for the next 20 years to Texas Water Fund, a state fund established to finance water projects in Texas. In Delaware, the Clean Water Initiative for Underserved Communities, funded through the Clean Water Trust, delivers critical support to infrastructure projects.

Resources:

Aquatic Litter and Extended Producer Responsibility (August 2025)

Aquatic Litter and Extended Producer Responsibility (August 2025)


Watch the recording here.

States Highlighted: California, Oregon

Guest Speakers: Dr. Anja Brandon, Ocean Conservancy, and Nicole Portley, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

This State Policy Showcase touched on state policies that address plastic pollution and aquatic litter through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) initiatives in California and Oregon. The guest speakers covered the nuts-and-bolts of each state’s EPR policy, as well as the strategies and enabling conditions that led their state leaders to act. Following the case studies, there were group discussions on topics such as the key components needed in a policy tackling the widespread issue of litter and pollution, where these policies might be ripe, barriers and roadblocks you’re likely to encounter, strategies you’d use to overcome barriers, windows of opportunity you’d look for, coalitions you’d want to build, and other strategies you see are needed to successfully advance this type of policy.

Resources:

Approaches to Floodplain Restoration and Protection (March 2025)

Approaches to Floodplain Restoration and Protection (March 2025)


Watch the recording here.

States Highlighted: Vermont, Washington

Guest Speakers: Kathleen (Kas) Guillozet, Senior Director of Bonneville Environmental Foundation’s Watershed Program, and Mike Kline, River Ecologist and former State of Vermont’s Rivers Program Manager

In this State Policy Showcase, two experts talked about state-level floodplain restoration and protection policies in Washington and Vermont, including the nuts-and-bolts of the policy, what drove action by decision makers, and the lessons they and their team learned in the processes. Both states’ policies and the speakers are newly featured in River Network’s State Policy Hub. 

Resources:

Reducing Exposure to Lead in Schools and Child Care Centers' Drinking Water (June 2024)

Reducing Exposure to Lead in Schools and Child Care Centers’ Drinking Water (June 2024)


Watch the recording here.

States Highlighted: Colorado, Michigan

Guest Speakers: Alexandra Simon, Public Health Advocate with CoPIRG, and Cyndi Roper, Natural Resources Defense Council

No level of lead in drinking water is safe, especially for growing kids. In this State Policy Showcase, our guest speakers discussed policies in both Colorado and Michigan designed to help protect children from exposure to lead in drinking water at schools and child care facilities.

Resources:

Addressing PFAS in Pollution Discharge Permits (January 2023)

Addressing PFAS in Pollution Discharge Permits (January 2023)


Watch the recording here.

States Highlighted: North Carolina

Guest Speaker: Geoff Gisler, Senior Attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center

In this State Policy Showcase, Geoff Gisler shared how advocacy by conservation groups and residents in North Carolina led to the strongest limits on PFAS in a Pollution Discharge (NPDES) Permit in the nation, as well as new guidance the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed for states on addressing PFAS discharges.

Resources:

Environmental Justice (May 2022)

Environmental Justice (May 2022)


Watch the recording here.

States Highlighted: New York, Oregon

Guest Speakers: Anthony Rogers-Wright, Director of Environmental Justice from New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, and Jairaj Singh, Climate Resilience and Environmental Justice Director from United Oregon

In this Showcase, our guest speakers highlighted the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and a new cumulative impacts bill, as well as an overview of Oregon’s Environmental Justice policies, including recent legislation to create an Environmental Justice mapping tool.

Resources: 

Nutrient Reduction (May 2022)

Nutrient Reduction (May 2022)


Watch the recording here.

States Highlighted: Illinois, Maryland

Guest Speakers: Evan Isaacson,  Chesapeake Legal Alliance; Doug Myers, Chesapeake Bay Foundation; and Cindy Skrukrud, Illinois Nutrient Research & Education Council and Fox River Study Group

Resources:

Interested in further discussion and action on tackling nutrient pollution issues? Join the Nutrient-Reduction Forum.

How States Can Use Federal Covid-19 Relief Funds to Pay for Equitable Water Infrastructure (2021)

How States Can Use Federal Covid-19 Relief Funds to Pay for Equitable Water Infrastructure (2021)

State Highlighted: Virginia

Guest Speaker: Anna Killius, James River Association

We forgot to hit record on our Showcase about how states are allocating American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for equitable water infrastructure. Below are some helpful links to supplement the Showcase, including the slides from Anna Killius’ presentation on Virginia’s priorities for infrastructure investment.

Resources:

Human Right to Water (April 2021)

Human Right to Water (April 2021)


Watch recording here.

States Highlighted: California, Virginia

Guest Speakers: Jorge Aguilar, Food & Water Watch, and Amanda Monaco, Leadership Counsel for Justice & Accountability

Resources:

Sewage Right to Know (June 2021)

Sewage Right-to-Know (June 2021)


Watch the recording here.

States Highlighted: Massachusetts, New York

Guest Speakers: Katharine Lange, Policy Specialist at Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, and Paul Gallay, President at Riverkeeper

This State Policy Showcase discussed Sewage Right-to-Know state policies in Massachusetts and New York. Exposure to untreated, or partially treated, sewage in our waters poses serious health risks. It is imperative that people are sufficiently notified when sewage spills threaten their health and safety. There are currently no comprehensive federal requirements to notify people when there are sewage spills or leaks.

Resources:

Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (July 2021)

Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (July 2021)


Watch the recording here.

States Highlighted: National focus

Guest Speaker: Max Gomberg, Water Foundation and former Climate and Conservation Manager at California’s State Water Resources Control Board

This State Policy Showcase focused on the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) implementation. LIHWAP was created as an emergency program to provide funds to help low-income households affected by the COVID-19 pandemic pay their water and wastewater bills, avoid water shut-offs, and support water reconnections related to nonpayment. The program was funded through two Congressional spending packages: $638 million as part of the $2.3 trillion spending package passed in December 2020 and $500 million from the American Rescue Plan passed in March 2021.

For more information on the policies covered in the State Policy Showcases and more, check out the State Policy Hub.