Documentary series · Four episodes
The people shaping water’s future
Researchers trace the water systems that sustain communities, revealing the decisions, partnerships and scientific work behind efforts to secure water for growing cities.
Docuseries · 2025 · 87 min
The question
Water research addresses decisions that affect communities far beyond the laboratory.
The series follows the people working on those decisions and the places that depend on them.
Why
Growing cities face questions about where their water will come from and how it can be reused.
Researchers explore technologies and practices that could help communities respond.
Flowing Forward brings their work into public view through the people and places involved.
Flowing Forward is a documentary series about water sustainability, reuse and the people working to secure supplies for growing cities.
Directed and produced by Daniel Druhora, the series follows researchers through watersheds, communities and infrastructure. Episodes explore Los Angeles’ supply, the Colorado River and interconnected waterways in Nevada. Each approximately 30-minute film connects scientific questions with the people whose lives depend on the answers.
Episode One · Eastern Sierra Nevada
Water researcher Dan McCurry travels to the Eastern Sierra Nevada to trace the origins of Los Angeles’ water supply and to look for new ways to source it.
28 min
Episode Two · Colorado River
Scientist Kerri Hickenbottom follows the partnerships between communities, industries and ecosystems that sustain life along the Colorado River.
27 min
Episode Three · Reno and Lake Tahoe
Eric Marchand and Sage Hiibel navigate water rights, conservation and innovation in Reno, Nevada, from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake.
33 min
Episode Four · Mississippi River · Coming soon
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the scientists of the Engineer Research and Development Center work to protect the Mississippi River.
Trailer · 2:31
The official trailer for the series.
01 · The problem
Water systems connect communities, industries and ecosystems, but their complexity can make the research difficult to approach. The series brings the human side of that work into view.
02 · The challenge
Each episode addresses different places, pressures and relationships. The series must make those differences understandable while showing how water connects people upstream and downstream.
03 · Through story
Researchers guide viewers through the places their work concerns. Following water through landscapes and communities gives scientific ideas a physical context and connects proposed solutions with human needs.
04 · What came out
USC presents the first three approximately 30-minute episodes in 2025. University screenings continue into 2026, pairing the films with conversations about water research and resilience.
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