ANAHEIM : Students Filled With Water-Saving Tips

Water Works, a water conservation program designed for elementary school-age children, has finished its first semester in which nearly 1,500 youngsters learned about the importance of saving water.

“We try to make these young people more aware of the water shortage and the importance of changing the way we use this valuable resource,� said Phyllis Robertson, program coordinator.

The program is sponsored by the Metropolitan Water District and the County Sanitation Districts of Orange County. Water Works teaches conservation to sixth-grade students through a 45-minute presentation that explains the sources of water, how it is treated and how it can be saved.

Additionally, the students are getting water conservation kits including information booklets, seeds for drought-resistant plants, a low-flow shower head and a water-saving device for toilets.

To encourage youngsters to take the kits home and teach their parents what they learned in school, they were asked to complete a survey about water conservation in their home.

Students in classes that had 100% participation in the surveys received Water Works sports water bottles as rewards, and schools reporting full participation were given a drought-resistant tree. So far, eight schools have earned a tree.

This fall, the city hopes to expand the program to other local schools.