LOCAL STUDENTS SOAK UP
WATER LESSONS AT AUB

ATHENS, Tenn. - April showers bring more than May flowers; they also rejuvenate the sources we all depend upon for our drinking water.

With National Drinking Water week kicking off the month, May is the time to celebrate clean water. For hundreds of local students, May is also a month for learning about how drinking water is produced and delivered to our community.

On Thursday, May 20, third graders from City Park School will pour into AUB’s water treatment plant off of Ingleside Avenue and into the Mouse Creek wastewater treatment facility for a day of fun and education. By month's end, more than 400 students from City Park, Ingleside, and Westside Schools will have participated in such tours.

“This is another example of the strong partnership between AUB and the Athens city schools that benefits our students,” Dr. Craig Rigell, superintendent of Athens city schools, said.

Jill Davis, AUB’s head of water and wastewater, believes the tours offer more than a fun field trip for students. “It's about having fun while learning about the water system and how we all play a part in our environment,” Davis said.

During the field trips, Davis and her AUB colleagues lead the kids through learning centers where activities include cool crafts that cleverly slip in a lesson about clean water.

“Kids are naturally inquisitive and, of course, they like to have fun,” Davis said. “We set up fun activities to bring out their curiosity and in the process teach them about the critical nature of the water cycle,” Davis said.

To move from one learning station to the next and get a reward, students get a lesson in water and then answer a few questions about what they've learned. “It really works, and they take the experience home with them,” Davis said.

AUB spokesman Wayne Scarbrough said an added plus is in showing students how school studies relate to real life.

“When will I use this math and science stuff? We all remember wondering that at some point in our school experience,” Scarbrough said. “We teach the kids that if we want clean water, we have to have smart people like them who know their math and science, because that’s what it takes.”

AUB's Davis said that many people-young and old-are unaware of the nuances of water and wastewater systems and how individual actions can affect the larger environmental picture. “The field trips provide insights on this,” she said.

“We all live downstream,” Scarbrough said. “Roadside litter, household trash, a car’s oil leak all can affect our water system when rainwater reaches storm drains and then moves out into the environment,” he pointed out. “By educating the kids, we hope to educate a whole community for future generations,” he said.

Dr. Rigell said the hands-on experience and interaction with AUB water system employees represents a valuable experience for the students.

“Clean water is an important to topic for all of us,” Rigell said. “Thanks to AUB and the annual Water Week celebration our students have an opportunity to learn more about the importance of clean water to our community.”

Schools interested in tours of AUB water facilities should call the water division at 745-4501, or email AUB at aub@aub.org.