WEST Center and Partners Pilot Citizen Water Academy

On March 22, 2019, UA WEST and partners piloted the new Tucson Citizen Water Academy!  With the event timed to celebrate World Water Day, Water Campus partners UA WEST Center, Tucson Water, and Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department (RWRD) - with great support from Arizona Project WET - provided a dynamic program of presentations, tours, and activities for students from nearby Flowing Wells High School. 

The three-and-a-half hour Academy kicked off with an introductory presentation by Trevor Ledbetter, Director of the UA Office of Sustainability.  The class and teachers then split into three groups for break-out sessions at one of the Water Campus partner facilities. 

Tucson Water provided a tour of the Sweetwater Wetlands and explained local water supply, including potable and reclaimed distribution systems, water quality monitoring, and more.  Pima County RWRD provided students with a tour of the nextdoor Agua Nueva Wastewater Reclamation Facilility, explaining steps in treatment, regulatory compliance, and wastewater's important role in the water cycle.  UA WEST gave students a glimpse into water purification challenges, and ongoing research and innovations developed at the University of Arizona.  The WEST group toured WEST Center labs, learning about risks from water-borne pathogens, methods for addressing emerging contaminants, and opportunities at the water-energy nexus. 

After break-out sessions, students worked in groups to develop presentations about what they'd learned.  Each of the three groups shared information from their experiences with peers using photos they'd taken during
their tours and a social media platform (twitter).

The goal of the Citizen Water Academy is to provide an inside look at how citizens are part of the local water cycle, examining drinking water supplies, the wastewater reclamation process, and research and innovations for the future.  The Academy also provides citizens a better understanding of water-related businesses and what it takes to run water and wastewater utilities.  UA WEST Center and partners hope to offer the program regularly to local students as well as launch a longer version of the Citizen Water Academy for others beginning in Fall 2019.  Stay tuned for more news!

Many thanks to UA WEST partners Pima County RWRD, Tucson Water, UA Project WET, and the UA Office of Sustainability, as well as to Cheryl Terpning and her Honors Chemistry Class from Flowing Wells High School, for the success of the pilot Citizen Water Academy on March 22, 2019!