The Water Zone

Scott Bowmen, president of Precision-Rain Irrigation, shares his company’s unique business model focused on filling gaps in the landscape and irrigation industry. He emphasized the importance of selecting the right contractor and helping clients organize their project goals into actionable categories. His firm offers full project management or specialized services like irrigation system selection,...

Guest Mark Freeman, Mayor of Mesa, Arizona highlights the city's leadership in water conservation, including winning the 2025 Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge, with residents pledging to save over 22 million gallons of water. He discusses educational and rebate programs that support conservation and sustainability. Additional efforts—like reducing electronics use and switching to refillable bottl...

In the latest episode of The Water Zone podcast, Quinten Dreesmann, principal & partner at Sciens Capital Management, discusses the firm’s investment focus on the water industry through its Sciens Water Opportunities Fund, launched in 2018 to acquire and grow private companies addressing U.S. water infrastructure challenges—particularly in utilities, transmission, distribution, and wastewater...

Eric Santos, president of Epic Landscape and Water Management Services, shares how his grandfather sparked his interest in landscaping. He discusses key qualifications for success in the industry, what HOAs look for in service providers, and the top challenges they face. Eric also advocates for more rebate funding for water-efficient products and supports state licensing for irrigators to ensure b...

Tom Lyons, Founder of Viridis Advisors, explores how resilient freshwater systems are central to global investment themes like energy, health, and technology. He highlights gaps in current water demand solutions and outlines opportunities across the water cycle—from supply and consumption to collection and treatment. Tom also shares how emerging water tech firms can build strong business strategie...

Guest Greg Chick, an irrigation engineer, and Festus Langat, a teacher and project leader in Kenya, share how they partnered with Global Water Works to bring rain harvesting systems to rural Kenyan villages. These gravity-fed systems, now installed in five locations, provide clean water and save residents hours of travel each day. Festus leads local volunteers in maintaining the systems, while Gre...

This episode of The Water Zone features activist and endurance athlete Leo Gripari (filmmaker, co-founder of That Gorilla Brand),  David Finn (CEO of Globe House Streaming) and Nubia DuVall Wilson (President of Starfury Productions) who joined forces to distribute the award-winning documentary MAJI. The film follows Leo as he takes on five extreme physical challenges across four continents to rais...

This special episode marks The Water Zone’s 10-year anniversary and 500th broadcast, featuring current and former co-hosts Rob Starr, Mike Baron, Chris Davey, Inge Bisconer, Paul McFadden, and Chris Austin. Surprise guest Rick Olson, Chairman and CEO of The Toro Company, joins to share his thoughts on the show’s impact. The team reflects on favorite guests, key topics like water efficiency, drough...

Sandra Giarde, executive director of the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA), shares the organization’s origins dating back to 1952 and its mission to support members in creating lasting, high-quality landscapes. She highlights CLCA’s code of ethics focused on professionalism and customer satisfaction, and details their advocacy work on water regulations, legislative issues, and eq...

In the latest episode of The Water Zone, Mary Conley-Eggert and Frank Slovenec, co-directors of Global Water Works (GWW), discuss how their nonprofit platform connects technology, case studies, and community expertise to accelerate smart water solutions worldwide. They highlight rainwater harvesting as an overlooked but powerful approach and share how GWW has helped implement major collection and...

In this episode, we welcome Tim Quinn, water policy strategist for Ocean Well, to discuss a revolutionary new approach to ocean desalination.  Tim explains how Ocean Well’s innovative underwater “pod” system harnesses natural hydrostatic pressure at depths of 400 meters to power reverse osmosis—cutting energy use by up to 40% compared to traditional land-based systems. The process is entirely chem...

Guests Mike Hightower, director of the New Mexico Produced Water Consortium, and Jonas Armstrong, director of New Mexico’s Environmental Water Protection Division, discuss the state’s innovative produced water project, which treats contaminated groundwater from oil fracking and converts it into clean, usable water. Jonas explains his team’s role in sampling, analysis, and updating Source Water Ass...

Gisele Schoniger, organic gardening educator for Kellogg Garden Products shares fascinating insights into how organic soils and plant foods are manufactured, highlighting Kellogg’s commitment to sustainable and environmentally responsible practices. She discusses the company’s OMRI Listed products and explains how to select the right soil and amendments for various garden types—including small spa...

Dr. Melissa Matlock, Director of Programs at the California Water Efficiency Partnership (CalWEP), shares insights into her leadership initiatives including the creation of CalWEP’s flagship Peer to Peer Program, which brings water professionals together to exchange real-world strategies and innovations. She introduces the Implementation Hub & Resources, a centralized platform offering tools a...

Guest Steve Creech, President of the Wyland Foundation, shares how the organization—founded by famed marine artist Wyland—has grown its impact through education, community outreach, and partnerships promoting environmental sustainability. Steve highlights key programs like the Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, which engages thousands of water agencies and their customers in...

Eddie Wallace, owner of MidWest Landscaping in California, shares his perspective on the recent Southern California fires and how property owners can proactively protect their homes and businesses. Eddie outlines a three-zone planting strategy using specific types of ground cover, shrubs, and trees to reduce fire damage and describes a simple irrigation system modification that can create a protec...

  In this episode we welcome Marc LoPresti, CEO and chief market strategist of Market Rebellion, Wall Street veteran, securities attorney, and media contributor. Marc shares his legal team’s pivotal role in the landmark multi-billion-dollar lawsuit against 3M over forever chemical contamination in U.S. drinking water, offering insights into the technical evidence that led to the historic settlemen...

In this episode of The Water Zone, Rylan Dobson, water stewardship programs leader at the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), shares how he drives public-private collaboration and policy advocacy to advance global water sustainability. He highlights water's critical role as a connector across environmental priorities like climate and nature, and addresses key issues including water scarcity, stress,...

In this inspiring episode of The Water Zone, guest Atul Bhatara, President and CEO of Atul Skin Care Products, shares his powerful personal journey and insights into the vital role water plays in skin health. Diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy as a toddler and given only a few years to live, Atul defied the odds to build a successful career and launch a skincare brand rooted in natural healing....

Brenda Burman, general manager of the Central Arizona Project (CAP), shares her background and insights from her time as Administrator of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. She provides a deep dive into CAP’s history, infrastructure, and its critical role in delivering Colorado River water to Arizona. Brenda discusses the economic impact of this water, the causes behind current shortages, and what th...

In the latest episode of The Water Zone, guest Tiffany Baca—public affairs manager for the Municipal Water District of Orange County and executive director of the Water Energy Education Alliance (WEEA)—discusses how WEEA is uniting over 260 organizations across California to build career pathways in the water and energy sectors. She explains how the alliance was formed, its rapid growth, and the c...

Mike Hammond, President & CEO of Signal Relief, introduces a groundbreaking drug-free pain relief technology that harnesses the water within the body to reduce or eliminate pain—without the need for medicine, power, or external devices. The patch utilizes the 4th phase of water, a scientifically recognized state found in the human body that carries a negative electrical charge within the exclu...

Arizona State Senator Tim Dunn shares his journey from farming to politics and discusses the state’s pressing water challenges, including water quality, salinity in agriculture, and surface and groundwater management. He highlights the need for inland desalination facilities to support future farming and emphasizes the importance of balancing water pricing and allocation to ensure economic efficie...

Jeff Mosher, general manager of the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA), discusses the agency’s role in managing and protecting water resources in the Santa Ana River basin. Established in 1975 as a joint power authority, SAWPA is composed of five member agencies working together to address water supply reliability, water quality, recycled water, wastewater treatment, groundwater managem...

In this episode of The Water Zone podcast, experts Pei Xu, PhD, from New Mexico State University, and Mike Hightower, PhD, director of the New Mexico Produced Water Research Consortium, explore cutting-edge research in water treatment. They delve into their work on the desalination and treatment of brackish and saline waters, as well as high-salinity waste waters. The conversation highlights curre...