Water is predicted to be one of the most significant environmental challenges of of the coming decades and centuries, and yet it continues to be a secondary issue for much of the green building community, less sexy than solar but much more complex. The Water Issue puts this vital resource front and center, examining how our built and natural environments can use—and reuse—water most effectively. In this issue, Andropogon Associates’ Emily McCoy shares key findings from a five-year research project that hopes to put hard numbers to the value of rain gardens and other green infrastructure. And Brian Barth takes us to three American cities—in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Louisiana—attempting to reclaim their riverfronts.

On the Cover: Washington’s Brightwater Treatment Plant, designed by Mithun, is one of the most sophisticated sewage-treatment plants ever created—it not only treats wastewater to Class A standards, but offers nature walks, salmon habitat, and public art and even hosts weddings. This project refuses to bow to our cultural tendency to pretend that waste simply disappears and shines a light on the skeletons in our water closet.

Also Inside: Hillary Clinton and our inaugural Top 10 Women in Sustainability Leadership, four water-smart brewing companies, the incredible comeback of IceStone, and how Hurricane Sandy altered the design of a Marvel Architects development in Brooklyn.