This podcast will focus on a variety of water resources related topics and the interrelationship of water to our environment and society. The Podcast will be hosted by Tom Bellinger, and Joe Lyons. Dr. Thomas Bellinger, a professionally certified hydrologist and professor has over 40 years in the water science field with the Department of Interior and is currently on the faculty at the University of Colorado - Denver and the Metropolitan State University of Denver. Joe Lyons is an experienced Hydraulic Engineer/Hydrologist who has worked in the water science field with the Department of Interior. Tom and Joe have bee colleagues and friends for over 38 years. Podcasts will touch on issues such as climate change, water use and distribution, ground and surface water, water law, rivers, glaciers, snow, wetlands, etc. The Podcast format will vary from a host to host discussion to a discussion the between the co-hosts and invited guests with expertise on a variety of topics. Eventually, listeners may be invited to call in with questions. The podcast will run 25-40 minutes on a bi-weekly basis. Note that season one was a pilot season with Tom Bellinger as host. Season two began the co-hosting format with Tom Bellinger and Tom Cech. The third season in 2024 was be co-hosted by the ”two Toms” and Greg. Our 4th Season, starting in January 2025 will be hosted by Tom Bellinger, Joe Lyons with a variety of new topics on water. Stay Tuned! The co-hosts can be contacted through email at h2otalkpodcast@aol.com.
Listen on:
Joe Lyons is now a permanent co-host starting in Season 4. Tom Cech will be departing the podcast due to a heavy schedule. However from time to time Tom Cech and Greg Dewey may join in as guest hosts or as guests. We miss them both!
Monday Apr 07, 2025
Monday Apr 07, 2025
This episode will be a twist from the last. Our last show focused on removal of dams. This episode will focus on a dam nearing construction in northern Colorado.
Our guest this week is Rachel Stevens the communications specialist for the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (commonly known as Northern Water). Rachel has been chronicling the progress of the construction the Chimney Hollow Reservoir project and conveying its progress to a large audience.
This is a fascinating look at the building of a dam for future water supply.
Enjoy!
Sunday Mar 30, 2025
Sunday Mar 30, 2025
This week Tom and Joe will be joined by Dr. Tim Randle who specialized in sedimentation and river hydraulics and headed up the Sedimentation and River Hydraulics group in Denver, CO. Tim has had vast experience all over the world in this specialized and complex field of engineering.
Tim was involved in the removal of two dams on the Elwha River in Washington State and will discuss the process, problems, concerns, etc. of accomplishing this challenging task.
Enjoy!
Sunday Mar 02, 2025
Sunday Mar 02, 2025
This episode will feature Tom Bellinger and Joe Lyons discussing a new technology being used around the world to map groundwater aquifers. This innovative geophysical method has been employed By Mr. Paul Ivancie and his colleagues to study the extent and composition of aquifers, which are a geologic media that hold water. It can be employed for example, to map salinity zones due to ocean rise and aquifer characteristics.
Paul will explain the system, its uses and the technology behind it.
Enjoy!
Monday Feb 10, 2025
Monday Feb 10, 2025
This episode will feature Tom Bellinger and Joe Lyons discussing how changing policies and agendas from administration to administration (presidential and governor) influence those working on the ground and at the executive level managing water issues, policy, science, and engineering.
Yes, we have a new administration in power in Washington DC with a lot of changes being made. This is not new - Tom and Joe will focus on some of the history and frustrations that have occurred over several administrations in recent history.
Enjoy!
Sunday Jan 26, 2025
Sunday Jan 26, 2025
This is our Season 4 Opener! We will be talking to our new co-host, Joe Lyons: hydrologist/hydraulic engineer extraordinaire!
Monday Nov 04, 2024
Monday Nov 04, 2024
Dr. Tom Bellinger will discuss the upcoming elections (the day before election day) and will discuss some recent water news about the ocean, and Salton Sea.
More episodes and guest coming - stay tuned and thanks for listening!
Monday Oct 21, 2024
Monday Oct 21, 2024
After a brief hiatus, H2O Talk is back. We have had hectic schedules/conflicts scheduling guests and technical issues (now resolved with a new computer).
Today's episode will be a solo broadcast with Dr. Tom Bellinger. Tom will discuss a recent article/report discussing the issue of the world water cycle being more and more disrupted and off balance due to human activity and climate change. Why is this happening - what can we do to mitigate this issue (which has been around and getting worse for some time)?
Stay tuned.
Sunday Aug 25, 2024
Sunday Aug 25, 2024
In this episode, the Two Toms will be having a conversation with Erin Light, PE. Erin is a Division Engineer with the Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Erin runs Division 6 in the northwest corner of Colorado based in Steamboat Springs.
Erin's job over the past several years has been to manage the allocation of water in the Yampa, White, and North Platte River watersheds. Erin works with several Water Commissioners (Note: we recently reviewed a Water Commissioner - Scott Hummer a few months ago). Erin and her staff monitor the rivers, adjust diversions to allocate water between senior and junior water right holders, evaluate water right applications and disputes and often interfaces with the Colorado Water Court over a variety of topics.
So grab a cup of coffee and join us in the fascinating conversation!
Friday Aug 16, 2024
Friday Aug 16, 2024
This episode will feature Rhea Bhansali in a return visit to H2O Talk. Rhea and Tom Bellinger will discuss the topic of women in the water profession. Rhea was educated in India and the United States and is currently in Berlin. We will discuss the challenges of today's women in the engineering and water fields as well as discuss progress and challenges concerning minorities and the LBGTQ community.
Grab a cup of coffee and join listen in to this fascinating conversation.
Our next episode will feature a woman engineer with Colorado Department of Natural Resources - her job, challenges, etc. Stay tuned.
Sunday Jul 21, 2024
Sunday Jul 21, 2024
This week Tom Bellinger will do a solo act on the podcast. There has been some interesting news recently regarding water and environment, so grab a cup of coffee and listen in!
Dr. Thomas (Tom) R. Bellinger is a certified Professional Hydrologist (Emeritus) through the American Institute of Hydrology. He was formerly a Visiting Professor and is currently an Adjunct Professor of Environmental Science at the Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS) and Engineering and Engineering Technology (EAET) Departments. He teaches Environmental Science, Planning, Environmental Policy, Water Resources, Snow Hydrology, Water Law, Engineered Water, Environmental Policy and Planning, and a Senior Design Project class. He is also a member of the Industry Advisory Board for the EAET Department.
Tom retired as Principal Hydrologist with the Department of Interior Bureau of Reclamation. Prior to this position, he served as a hydrologist/ Branch Chief of Refuge Hydrology for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Since retiring, Tom has remained active in the water resources community. He currently serves as a Technical Advisor (Hydrology) with the Department of Interior/USAID International Technical Assistance Program (ITAP). He was a team member working with the Lao PDR government in the Mekong River Valley.
Tom is Past President/ Board Member of NecroSearch International (NSI) a non-profit multi-disciplinary forensic group that assists law enforcement on cases with a focus on the location of clandestine evidence and graves. He currently serves as a hydrologist with NSI. His specialty is in hydrologic forensic analysis. Tom is an Affiliate with the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC) and is a member of the newly formed Aquatic Scene Processing Standards Task Group.
Tom is a former member of the Metro Basin Roundtable, a collaborative team assisted in developing the Colorado State Water Plan. He recently retired from the Board of Directors (3 terms) for the Metro Waster Recovery District, an entity serving nearly 2 million wastewater customers in the Denver Area. Tom also recently retired from the Board of Directors for the Bancroft-Clover Water and Sanitation District in Lakewood, CO (2 terms), which serves over 65,000 customers.
Tom holds a B.S. (Resources Management/Environmental Science) from the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF)/Syracuse University and M.S. (Hydrologic Sciences/Forest Influences) degrees from SUNY ESF. He holds a doctorate in Organizational Management /Leadership from the University of Phoenix with an emphasis/ dissertation on collaborative processes in the water resources field. Tom has authored a variety of journal articles, research papers, and government reports on several aspects of the water sciences.
A “mustang” naval officer, Tom served in both the enlisted and officer ranks of the US Navy retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He specialized in the analysis of operational intelligence.
Tom is an emeritus member of the American Institute of Hydrology, and a current member of the American Geophysical Union and the Explorers Club (National Fellow).
One of Tom’s passions is music – he is a mandolinist with the Denver Mandolin Orchestra, played bass and mandolin for the Bluegrass Bandwagon, and mandolin/fiddle for various local jam bands. Tom also played bagpipes with Michael Collins Pipes and Drums. Tom and his wife Anita reside in Colorado.
Joe Lyons is an experienced hydrologist/hydraulic engineer with over 30 years experience. A graduate of Colorado State University and the Oregon State University Joe's career has covered several years with the Department of the Interior (Bureau of Reclamation and the US Fish and Wildlife Service).
Joe is joined the Podcast in Season 4.
Tom Cech is an experienced water resources professional with over 40 years of experience. Tom was born and raised on a farm near Clarkson, Nebraska, graduated from Kearney State College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Math Education, and later received a Master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning (MCRP) from the University of Nebraska –Lincoln. He was Executive Director of the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District in Greeley, taught water undergraduate and graduate level water resources courses at the University of Northern Colorado and Colorado State University, and is the founding Director of the One World One Water (OWOW) Center at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Tom has and continues to author a variety of books. He authored “Principles of Water Resources: History, Development, Management and Policy,” published by John Wiley & Sons - currently in its 4th edition and translated into Portuguese. Tom also recently published “Introduction to Water Resources and Environmental Issues,” (co-author Dr. Karrie Pennington) with Cambridge University Press and translated into Arabic, and “Colorado Water Law for Non-Lawyers,” (co-author P. Andrew Jones) with the University Press of Colorado. He has also completed histories of the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Colorado State Engineer’s Office with Bill McDonald and Dick Stenzel, respectively. Tom is currently co-authoring a book and big data and water.
Tom is semi-retired – and continues to remain active in water and environmental resources. He resides in Colorado.
Greg Dewey PE, is an experienced engineer and water manager who has worked for the the federal government (Bureau of Reclamation), as a consultant, and for the City of Loveland, CO. Greg is currently an engineer with Northern Water, a key water purveyor in northeastern Colorado.
Greg joined the Podcast in seasons 2 and 3 and will be an occasional guest/collaborator in the future.