Features

Reading, Writing … and Water?

Look, look!

See Dick paint a picture of a water molecule.

See Jane purify a gallon of dirty water.

See school children all over America learn about the global water crisis and what they can do about it.

We’ve come a long way since the days when first graders spent reading class learning the latest adventures of Dick and Jane. Today’s students are more likely to participate in water conservation “SWAT teams” that check for leaks in water fountains, or write poems about water shortages and carbon footprints. They are more ecologically aware than perhaps any previous generation, thanks in large part to the integration of environmental education into virtually every facet of their studies.

Take for example Kathryn Singey’s sixth grade class at Casey Middle School in Boulder, Colo., which recently spent 5 weeks reading and preparing research projects on global warming, water pollution, and related topics as part of a nonfiction reading unit. Singey could have chosen any topic for these projects. So why water?

“As responsible educators, we must work within our standards and teach what is current and relevant,” she explained. “And what is more relevant than the condition of the world we live in?”

The unit culminated in a presentation by engineers from MWH Global Inc. (Broomfield, Colo.) on the water cycle, including a game that allowed students to experience life as a water molecule.

MWH is one of a growing number of private companies, public utilities, and nonprofit organizations that have developed water education programs for the nation’s schools. Their efforts come in all shapes and sizes.

Water activist Christopher Swain, for example, has swum the full length of the Columbia, Hudson, and Charles rivers. He now frequently speaks to schools about his long swims, and offers water-related curriculum for subjects ranging from music to geography, all available online at www.swimforcleanwater.org . Another organization, the Council for Environmental Education (Houston) creates hands-on water education and stewardship programs such as Wet in the City for school use at no charge.

Beyond the Classroom
Many educational programs go beyond science class lectures and homework assignments, motivating children to take a personal role in solving global water problems. While studying rural Africa in social studies class, students from McCulloch Intermediate School in Dallas learned about women who had to walk more than 8 km (5 mi) a day to obtain clean drinking water. To better understand the daily challenges these women face, students walked a lap around the school track carrying a bucket full of water.

The exercise was an eye-opener. It inspired the students to sponsor a “fun run” to benefit PlayPumps International (Washington, D.C.), a nonprofit organization that provides African schools and communities with PlayPumps® — playground merry-go-rounds that are designed to double as water pumps. Together, the 400 middle school students raised more than $28,000, enough to  install two of the devices and provide access to clean water in two sub-Saharan Africa villages.

As these children in Africa play on a PlayPump® water system, water pumps into a 2500-L (660-gal) storage tank, easily accessible by the simple turn of a tap. Photo courtesy of PlayPumps International. Click for larger image.

Educational outreach programs are a natural outgrowth for organizations involved in global water projects, according to Steve Byers, director of development and communications for WaterPartners International (Kansas City, Mo.), a nonprofit that provides safe drinking water and sanitation to people in developing countries.

“We were getting regular requests for educational programs, and it fits right with our mission,” said Byers. “Understanding the problem is the first step toward solving it.”

WaterPartners has created entertaining and informative lesson plans for students at all grade levels, all focused on the importance and relevance of drinking water in the developing world.

A “Mock Muck” lesson for high school students simulates the water treatment and purification process. It calls for students to purify a sample of dirty water using oil–water separation, sand filtration, and charcoal absorption–filtration. Students are then challenged to create the most effective filtration and treatment system with the materials provided. Their efforts are judged both on the amount of water they recover and the purity of the results.

But such lessons are not limited to science class. They are part of larger units that cover a broad scope of subjects including English, geography, art, civics, and economics.

The seventh grade class of East Garner Middle School in Raleigh, N.C., designed calendars featuring the winners of a water-themed art contest. Proceeds from calendar sales were donated to WaterPartners, which used them to complete “low-cost, high-impact projects for the poorest of the poor,” said Byers. 

“We do a lot of spring protection systems in countries like Ethiopia,” said Byers. “We’re also building a lot of containment and filtration systems to provide safe water for villages of 200 people.” 

Children in Keelakarthigaipatti, Tamil Nadu, India enjoy access to drinking water at their new school well. Photo courtesy of Gary White, WaterPartners International. Click for larger image

Educators, however, don’t want to leave the impression that water quality is a third-world problem that can be solved through creative fundraising.

“Areas like Raleigh have experienced their own severe drought,” noted Byers. “That has helped sensitize students to the idea that we’ve got problems here, too, that they can play a role in solving.”

MWH’s presentation to Kathryn Singey’s sixth grade class illustrated the predicted impact of climate change on the water cycle. It also included activities the students could do at home or school to reduce their own carbon footprint.

“It’s important that these programs focus on solutions,” said Singey. “Our students have to know what they can do to make things better. Otherwise, it’s just too sad or frightening.”

— Mary Bufe, WEF Highlights 

From the President: Getting Involved in WEF

I am often asked, “What is the most effective activity someone can participate in to be involved in the Water Environment Federation?” The answer is really quite simple. Join a committee that interests you.  The Water Environment Federation (WEF;Alexandria, Va.) is structured in an interesting fashion. By paying dues, we automatically become members of both WEF and the Member Association where we live or work. We then have the opportunity to become active at both the local and federation level, which is what I did.

Committees
WEF has three types of committees. Ad hoc committees are created for a single purpose and have a short duration (less than a year). Standing committees serve as the backbone of the committee structure with an ongoing life (subject to periodic review to ensure the mission’s ongoing relevancy). Communities of Practice (CoP), cover subject matter that crosses several standing committees’ areas of interest. The CoPs are intended to have a limited life lasting the length of time it takes to investigate the subject area. This column focuses on standing committees because that is where most actions get accomplished.

Not surprisingly given WEF’s strong orientation toward knowledge and technology transfer, most of our 42 committees are what we categorize as knowledge committees. These range from Collection Systems to Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Design to Laboratory Practices. Each committee is different, but the consistent thread is to find and develop knowledge of interest to water professionals and find mechanisms to share that knowledge.

The obvious ways that we share this knowledge include WEFTEC^® and specialty conferences, periodicals such as WE&T, Water Environment Research, and Water Practice, publications such as our highly regarded Manuals of Practice, and the latest tools such as webcasts and webinars. In addition, several less obvious ways WEF distributes information include finding the means to work with Member Association committees and to use and be used by them as a resource. We also partner with other organizations to enlarge the breadth of what we can share. All of these opportunities are very exciting and challenging and are limited only by the desire of committees to assess needs and develop programs, staff resources to assist with logistics, and volunteer time to make it all happen.

Delivery committees, another large group of committees, take knowledge and products and make them available to our members and the world. Thousands of abstracts are received, evaluated, selected, and ultimately sorted into the multiple sessions and workshops at WEFTEC through these committees. The Program Committee, responsible for the WEFTEC technical program, is an ultimate example of delivery. Other excellent examples of delivery include the Public Communication and Outreach Committee, which works to educate the public about WEF’s mission of protecting and enhancing the global water environment, and the Specialty Conference Committee, tasked with coordinating the specialty conferences developed by the knowledge committees.

Management committees, such as Audit, Membership, and Constitution & Bylaws, relate to how WEF functions as an organization. These appeal to individuals who enjoy process and are intrigued by the mechanics and dynamics of a complex organization such as WEF.

Something for Everyone
Such a vast array of committees means, very simply, that there is something for everyone. Committees have always been the backbone of WEF. Staff and governance exist to make sure our products and services address our mission and strategic plan, but committees always have developed those products for which we are so highly regarded in the industry. We know how important committee work is to WEF and constantly are seeking ways to enhance the links with and between committees. At the moment nearly every officer and trustee on the current Board of Trustees has been a committee chair or vice-chair.

Committee members have a direct opportunity to affect the future of WEF. While I have discussed the intellectual capital and the mechanics of our organization, another very important aspect must be mentioned. Committees are created because some particular aspect is considered important to WEF and our members, and individuals join committees out of personal interest in the subject. This gives our committees a voice, usually through their leadership, to offer opinions to the board and to offer suggestions on how the strategic plan might be modified and WEF’s priorities be shifted. This is a powerful tool and one I urge committees to make use of more frequently. All too often we get focused on the immediate task and don’t look at how we fit into the larger picture and how that picture might be improved. On a fundamental level, who has a better feel for what we need than our grass roots of committed committee members? Our passion for water makes us unique and healthy as an organization.

I recommend that if you are involved, stay involved. If you are not already involved, get involved with a committee. Participation brings meaning and fulfillment to membership and helps us improve the world. 

— Adam Zabinski, 2007–08 WEF President

Pro to Know: LaVene Brenden

LaVene Brenden, vice president and senior project manager for Bartlett & West Inc. (Topeka, Kan.), has dedicated his career to solving water and wastewater issues in the Midwest. Working in the industry for more than 36 years, Brenden draws on his regulatory knowledge as well as his engineering design and project management skills to improve city, county, and state water quality practices.

Brenden has earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering and a master’s degree in public administration. His experience includes 9 years of writing and issuing permits for wastewater discharges, 4 years with the U.S. Air Force, 3 years as a city engineer, and 20 years as a consulting engineer. He has extensive knowledge and expertise in the design of municipal improvements, including water supply, sanitary sewer, street, and drainage public works projects.

At Bartlett and West, Brenden serves as a wastewater technical advisor and quality control advisor to all of the company’s offices. Through recent projects, Brenden has provided technical wastewater process consulting to local and international governments, designed water and wastewater infrastructure improvements for an expanding industrial park, provided facility planning for wastewater improvements, designed a 13,250-m³/d (3.5-mgd)   ultraviolet disinfection facility, and planned and designed municipal water line replacements.

“He is committed and enthusiastic in his pursuit of ensuring access to affordable, clean water.”

— Nominated by Stacey Lamer, Bartlett & West

Know a wastewater “pro” who deserves recognition? Contact Jennifer Fulcher at jfulcher@wef.org for information on how to nominate a hard-working friend or co-worker.



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