H2O Talk: Water - Environment - Society
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, Tom Cech and Greg Dewey. Dr. Thomas Bellinger is a hydrologist and professor has over 40 years in the water science field. Mr. Tom Cech is a water resources professional, author, and professor also with over 40 years in water resources. Greg Dewey PE, is an experienced water manager who has worked for the the federal government, the City of Loveland, CO, and is now an engineer with Northern Water, a key water purveyor in northeastern Colorado. 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 will be co-hosted by the ”two Toms” and Greg - the Three Amigos of Water. Enjoy! The co-hosts can be contacted through email at h2otalkpodcast@aol.com.
Listen on:
Episodes
Monday Apr 01, 2024
Monday Apr 01, 2024
This episode will begin with some headlines of water news, followed by a discussion of water education between the Two Toms and Greg. Tom Bellinger and Tom Cech will elaborate on their experiences of educating students at the college level on various topics related to water and environment. Greg Dewey will discuss his experience as a speaker/educator to the general public and professional groups on water related to his work with Northern Water in Colorado.
Included in these discussions will be the importance of education regarding natural resources and the environment to students entering the the fields of water engineering, hydrology, and environmental science as well as the importance of educating youth (K-12) and adults (general public and professionals) with various backgrounds working in the natural and environmental sciences.
Enjoy!
Sunday Mar 17, 2024
Sunday Mar 17, 2024
This episode will be an informal discussion between Tom, Greg, and Tom about various news topics including Artificial Intelligence, old time weather forecasting and flying, PFAS (forever chemicals), the cost of natural losses, and coral reef recovery rates. Upcoming shows and guests will also be announced as the show takes on a more international flair.
Enjoy!
Sunday Feb 25, 2024
Sunday Feb 25, 2024
The "Two Toms" and Greg are all back for this episode discussing several topics with Cole Bedford, P.E., the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of the Colorado Water Conservation Board.
This episode will begin with recent water news and then move on to a conversation with Cole. We will be discussing Cole's COO role, the agency (its structure, mission, and work at both the policy and grassroots levels of dealing with water in the State of Colorado. The CWCB is a unique conglomeration of state agency heads, representatives of recreation, industry, cities, and the general public. It works with Basin Roundtables - a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency, and grassroots process of developing water policy - such at the Colorado State Water Plan.
Greg and the "Two Toms" will also be discussing Cole's upcoming book and the art of writing and publishing in the water/environmental world.
Join us!
Sunday Feb 11, 2024
Sunday Feb 11, 2024
In this episode Greg and Tom will discuss recent water news, and then delve into the fascinating world of wastewater treatment. Mr. Mickey Conway, CEO of Metro Water Recovery (MWR), based on the Front Range of Colorado will discuss his organization and its impact on keeping the downstream areas of Denver safe from harmful water. MWR is a world class organization, that is highly respected nationally and internationally. MWR is known for its cutting edge innovations that combine water treatment with power generation, farming, and high tech treatment strategies.
If you have ever wondered about cleaning wastewater from a major city - this is the episode to listen to - you will probably never think about the "sewer plant downstream" the same ever again!
One last note H2O Talk can now be listened to on Spotify, Amazon Music, IHeart, and Podbean.
Sunday Jan 28, 2024
Sunday Jan 28, 2024
Welcome to Season 3!
In this episode Tom and Greg will discuss upcoming episodes, water news, and the Polar Vortex - the weather phenomena that brought the US cold and snowy winter this January (2024).
Sunday Dec 24, 2023
Sunday Dec 24, 2023
This week Tom and Greg will discuss some water news followed by an interview with Dr. Ethan Greene, Director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC)! The CAIC performs forecasting, education/training, and research on avalanche activity in the Colorado High Country throughout the year. They also coordinate with the Colorado Department of Transportation in the mitigation of high risk area avalanche control. Join us for this fascinating interview!
Program note: Tom, Tom, and Greg will be taking a few weeks off for the holidays and will commence a new (3rd) season in early 2024. Happy holidays to all!
Sunday Dec 10, 2023
Sunday Dec 10, 2023
In this episode Greg and Tom will interview Scott Hummer a retired Colorado Department of Water Resources (DWR) Water Commissioner. Scott will discuss his fascinating and water critical career over the years enforcing water right decrees in Colorado.
"For over 125 years, the Division of Water Resources (DWR), directed by the State Engineer, has been empowered to administer all water rights according to the Prior Appropriation Doctrine (in short, 1st in time, 1st in right). Most of this work is done by Division Offices located in the seven major river basins of the state, directed by the Division Engineers. Division Engineers are supported by water commissioners to ensure the priority system is followed, enforcing the decrees and water laws of the State of Colorado.) (DWR, 2023)
The interview will be preceded by some recent water news.
Programming note: Greg Dewey will now be joining the Two Toms as a permanent co-host. we welcome Greg in his new role to the podcasts.
Source:
Colorado Department of Water Resources. (2023). Water Administration. Retrieved from: https://dwr.colorado.gov/services/water-administration
Sunday Nov 26, 2023
Sunday Nov 26, 2023
In this episode Tom and Greg will interview Dr. Russ Schumacher of Colorado State University. Russ is the Colorado State Climatologist. He will discuss his job and background and provide information on how he and his staff evaluate data, trends, and forecast the future of climate for the state.
Sunday Nov 12, 2023
Sunday Nov 12, 2023
This episode will start off with water news followed by our special guest Patricia (Patty) Rettig.
Patty is the Head Archivist at the Water Resources Archive at Colorado State University. She will discuss her very unique and important position preserving and archiving historic records of Colorado (and beyond) water subjects. This position is critical to citizens, lawyers, historians, and water resources professionals - preserving important documents that would otherwise be lost to history.
Sunday Oct 22, 2023
Sunday Oct 22, 2023
This week Tom Bellinger and guest host Greg Dewey will discuss some recent water news and then move on to a conversation on crime scenes and water.
This discussion will focus on Dr. Tom Bellinger's work as a hydrologist with NecroSearch International, a non-profit organization that assists law enforcement agencies with homicide and missing persons cases - - searching for victims or evidence both in the US and abroad.
Dr. Thomas R. Bellinger, PH
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.
Mr. Tom Cech, MCRP
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
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.