Water Festivals, Buckets of Fun and Learning
Water festivals provide an occasion to be festive about water. They enable people to come together to celebrate water, have fun with water, observe its varied characteristics and, last but not least, learn about water. The Water Resources Research Center of the University of Arizona’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences coordinates Arizona Make a Splash with Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) Water Festivals.
Date to Remember: WRRC
Conference, June 5
Planning has begun for the Water Resources Research Center’s
annual spring conference, to be held in Phoenix June 5. The title
of the conference is “20th Anniversary of the Environmental
Quality Act and ADEQ: Assessing, Protecting and Remediating the
State’s Water Quality. What Future Challenges?” and
is cosponsored by the Arizona Water Institute and the Arizona
Department of Environmental Quality. To include your name on a
mailing list to receive additional information about the event
contact us at wrrc@ag.arizona.edu. Check the WRRC web site for
conference planning updates. |
Conducted at various locations throughout the state, the festivals are
annual events involving fourth grade students and their teachers, with
sessions organized by Arizona Project WET staff and volunteers. The festivals
offer interactive activities, hands-on engagement, to teach students about
such topics as groundwater/aquifers, water use and conservation, water
sources, watersheds and the water cycle. Each activity is correlated to
state standards and addresses a crucial topic in water stewardship.
Those offering testimony to the benefits of the festival include Felicia
from Alpine Elementary School. Felicia says,” I learned how a cloud
is made, and I know what a watershed is.”
Arizona Project WET is coordinating eight festivals this year, with events
scheduled at Avondale, Chandler, Tucson, Central Yavapai, Flagstaff, Sierra
Vista, Yuma and Safford. About 5700 students and 230 teachers are expected
to attend the events. Festival sponsors include the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation,
the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, the Arizona Department
of Water Resources and the Central Arizona Project along with local sponsors.
Project WET USA provides national leadership in encouraging and promoting
Make a Splash water festivals nationwide. For additional information about
Arizona Make a Splash with Project WET Water Festivals contact Sandra
Rode: 520-792-9591 x24 or srode@cals.arizona.edu.
Conserving Stormwater, Rainwater Conference
The Water Resources Research Center cosponsored the conference, “Looking
Ahead: Managing Stormwater and Harvesting Rainwater for Conservation,”
conducted Oct. 27-28. Presentations focused on satisfying federal stormwater
management requirements and incorporating Best Management Practices and
techniques for the beneficial use of rain and stormwater. Site design,
land preparation, roof top collection and groundwater infiltration methods
were presented for large and small scale projects. Participants came from
eight states and several foreign countries. The event was sponsored by
the Southwest Region, American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association
(ARCSA) and the Consortium for Action Throughout the Community for Harvesting
Rainwater (CATCH Water). Other cosponsors of the event included the U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation, ARCADIS, University of Arizona, Pima County, City
of Tucson and the Advanced Housing Research Center.