Festival Gives Schoolkids a Refresher on Drinking Water

To educate children about protecting and conserving water, more than 3,000 students this week attended the city’s first Drinking Water Festival.

The fourth- through sixth-grade students learned about a variety of water-related issues through games, presentations, hands-on activities and competitions.

The event was held in conjunction with National Drinking Water Week. Also, May has been declared “Water Awareness Month” by the City Council.

Anaheim Public Utilities General Manager Edward K. Aghjayan said the festival was a way to focus on water issues in a fun way.

“It’s important to work with our young people in terms of realizing the value of a clean and abundant supply of water,” Aghjayan said.

Sharon Lien, environmental services specialist, said 75% of Anaheim’s drinking water comes from local wells.

This week’s event, sponsored by Public Utilities, local businesses, and water and environmental agencies, was the first festival held on the West Coast, Lien said. Similar events are held annually in many other states as well as abroad, she said.

Other activities this month to create water conservation awareness include:

* Anaheim Beautiful Water Efficient Landscaping awards to recognize residents and businesses for water conservation landscaping and beautification efforts;

* A school fund-raising program in which local schools receive $5 for every low-flush toilet installed in homes;

* An elementary school student poster contest with winning drawings displayed in the lobby of City Hall Hall West beginning Monday, and;

* An education program at Canyon High School that requires students to conduct an extensive survey about water, energy, transportation and recycling usage and habits in their own homes. Later this month, 480 science students will complete the “In Concert With The Environment” program.