Arizona Water Resource Volume 12 Number 1

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July - August 2003 Arizona Water Resource 3 Water Education, Purveyor of Harsh Realities Education has various goals including the exposing of false premises that, if pursued, might lead to folly or even worse. Disabus- ing folks of their misperceptions can be a thankless task, however, since beliefs often reflect a person's faith in the workings of the world. The deflating of a seemingly benign belief can make the world that much less hospitable. That situation notwithstanding, the JWC Environmental Company, which manufactures equipment to process sewage, introduced children to the harsh realities of wastewater treatment, to discourage them from expecting that releasing pet fish down the drain provides them safe passage to the ocean as shown in the movie "Finding Nemo." A company press release reported that although drain pipes do eventually lead to the ocean the fluid first passes through powerful machines that "shred solids into tiny particles." The statement continued, "In truth, no one would ever find Nemo, and the movie would be called `Grinding Nemo. "' Lest any feckless youth still decide to temp fate, the company adds for good mea- sure that in the unlikely event Nemo sur- vived the deadly machines he would prob- ably be killed by the chlorine disinfection. Water Education is Main Event at Water Festivals Education takes on a kinder, gentler role when the University of Arizona's Water Resources Research Center's Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) conducts its water festivals. This year, Project WET will be conducting, not one — as was done in previous years — but two Arizona Water Festivals on Sept. 26, National Water Edu- cation Day. Project WET - coordinated water festivals are an annual occurrence, this year's dual event the fourth in the series. Last year's festival was in Scottsdale. What are water festivals? Water fes- tivals are exercises in water creativity, with participants expanding their awareness of the uses, value and importance of water. But above all, water festivals are fun as well as educational, as students and their teach- ers participate in interactive water activities and demonstrations. Participants gain an increased appreciation of water in its varied uses and come away with a better under- standing of an ethic of stewardship for preserving and protecting the state's water resources. One of the festivals is scheduled for Surprise, Arizona at the Surprise Recre- ation Campus and will involve about 1,000 fourth -grade students from the Dysart and Peoria unified school districts. The Surprise festival is a collaborative effort, with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Salt River Project, Arizona Department of Water Resources Phoenix AMA, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Central Arizona Project and cities of Surprise and Peoria working with Project WET to ensure the success of the festival. Persons interested in the Surprise Water Festival can contact Dana Flowers, Arizona Project WET co- coordinator, at 602 - 470 -8086, X 335 or dflowers@ag.arizona.edu A water festival also will be conducted on the same day in Safford at Firth Park. The event will involve about 600 fourth grade students, from Graham County Schools as well as the communities of Alpine and Bonita. Sponsors of the event include the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Gila Resources and Valley Tele- com. Gila Resources and the UA Safford Agricultural Center are assisting Project WET in coordinating the event. For infor- mation about the Safford Water Festival contact Kerry Schwartz, Arizona Project WET coordinator, at 520 - 792 -9501, X 22 or kschwart@ag.arizona.edu.