Saving Groundwater at Schools

Gasps of excitement and broad smiles are common when students explore the groundwater system using APW’s 3D student models. APW is very excited and eager to expand this success through a multiyear grant from Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR), which provides funding to educate West Valley students on Arizona’s groundwater conditions. 

 

To successfully protect Arizona’s groundwater supplies, we need to build an understanding of the solid foundation provided by the 1980 Groundwater Management Act, and the 100-year Assured Water Supply Rules. We need to learn about the groundwater system and how it interacts with other earth systems. Prioritizing sustainable water management has enabled us to thrive here in the desert, and we will continue that legacy with help from a knowledgeable populace.

 

The Groundwater Education & Conservation (GEC) program further will enable students to make a difference in their communities by performing school water audits and installing water-efficient technology. Last year, a school in Goodyear performed a school water audit and installed new aerators, which resulted in a projected savings of 1.2 million gallons of groundwater per year. Liberty Utilities estimated that conserving that much water could save the school between $3,000-4,000 each year; real savings that could be directed to other important uses.

 

Program development and integration are ongoing this semester, and full delivery of this three-part program will begin in the 2021-22 school year. Soon students will have more reasons to smile when they take action to save Arizona’s groundwater!