Article Contributed on: 10/29/2009 5:40:54 AM
WARP Inc. assists in Water Education
Fifty freshmen students from Castle View High School's Math, Science & Engineering Academy recently participated in Academy Day where they explored various careers in the water industry and learned about water - from the ground up.
Half of the students participated in a tour of the Ray Waterman Regional Water Treatment Plant where they explored the facility and learned about the various aquifers that supply Castle Rock with water.
Students engaged with Plant Operators and water experts from the Town of Castle Rock to learn how water is pulled from the Denver Basin aquifer, how it is treated, stored and finally distributed to make its way to their faucets. Many seemed surprised to learn that the Denver Basin aquifer is a non-renewable resource and were very open to the water conservation techniques and ideas shared by the day's presenters.
Rick Schultz, an Academy Day presenter and Water Conservation Specialist from the Town of Castle Rock commented, "The students got to see first hand how some of their classroom lessons and theories are used and applied in the real world. As they continue to learn in the classroom, they can refer back to their visit and hopefully their lessons will be more meaningful. They also learned that, when everybody works together,even very small changes in habits can make a big difference when it comes to conserving our most valuable resource."
The other half of the students toured the Plum Creek Waste Water Treatment facility (PCWA) where they learned what happens to all the water that leaves their homes and experienced the biology behind how our wastewater is treated, released and recycled. The students were surprised to learn that our wastewater is treated biologically with microbes vs. chemicals.
They also learned about the challenges in treating our water when harmful containments such as grease, household cleaners with phosphates, and medications are put down the drain.These impurities affect the ability of the microbes to clean our water because the contaminants kill the good microbes making them lose their ability to break down the solid material.
The students began this tour tentatively but as the expert staff at PCWA coaxed them along, they began to understand the fascinating and important processes involved in wastewater treatment. Plant Operations Manager Weston Martin said, "It was a great pleasure having the students come and learn about the plant and what they can do to preserve and better our water resources. We felt very fortunate that the kids were so well behaved and asked a lot of questions showing their interest in PCWA and its process."
The two groups then came together for lunch at Castlewood Canyon where they compared notes on their tours and talked about the importance of responsible water habits. Tim Murrell, Douglas County Water Resources Planner, gave students a county water perspective and explained that for most county residents' water supplies come from the deep bedrock aquifers of the Denver Basin.
According to Tim, "Minimal annual surface water supplies exist in the county and thus require water providers to deplete the ground water supplies at a rate much faster than they are being naturally recharged.Though residents are fortunate to have such an abundant and high quality water source, continual pumping as a primary water supply is not a sustainable long-term scenario".
Students then engaged in role-playing where they were given questions about water use and planning.They broke into groups to explore these issues and were asked to report out their answers to the rest of the students.Castle View students; Andrew, Mitchell, Michael & Ryan played the role of water supply authority managers who received a recent report that their town's water supply was declining.Their solution to this fictitious problem was right on target.
The students said, "Encourage the community to conserve water, improve and promote more water re-use initiatives and build a reservoir to store more surface water."
Students learned about the various careers available in the water industry and what types of higher education they would need to hold those positions."I love working in the water industry and wanted the students to understand that careers in water pay well, have a direct impact on public health and safety, are stable and are very rewarding.Several students said that they'd not considered careers in water until today," said Andrew Dieter, Plant Operator at Ray Waterman.
Several other water-related career opportunities include mechanics, engineers, conservationists, geologists and hydrologists just to name a few.
Jenny Dallman, a biologist, who teaches biology and Aquatic Biology at Castle View High School said, "I hope to make this an annual event for Castle View's freshmen.
The kids really benefited from the experience. Being able to interface and learn from experts who work in the field of water will leave a lasting impression on our students. I can't thank the professionals who donated their time enough. WARP's donation of time and planning resources made Academy Day successful and simple for our staff."
WARP Inc. (warp4kids.com) a water education provider focused on increasing water awareness and responsibility orchestrated the day's events.
WARP Director, Stacie Sneider summed up the day this way, "We really enjoyed introducing students with varying interests from biology, math, civics, and more to the complexities and challenges of providing water. Making real life connections is a powerful motivational and learning tool.The Castle View students were gracious and active learners, truly a reflection of the school and teachers who foster their education.It was a privilege to be a part of these students learning experience."