Archive for “Education” Category

News & Events

Queen Creek Showcases Water Conservation at Library

July 2, 2019

On average, how much water do you think a person uses each day? If you guessed 120 gallons … you are correct! That figure alone may not be very impressive, but when standing in front of a 16-foot-tall tower equaling 120 gallons, it becomes much more impactful! During the month of July, you can visit the Water – Use It …

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Queen Creek: This little guy is very happy to be at the library!

Arizona Water Pioneers – Part 3 | Carl Hayden

June 18, 2019

Few people might equate silence with power but that’s just the sort of paradox that defined Carl Hayden. Known as the “Silent Senator”, on the occasions when Hayden spoke before Congress, it was always with brevity and impact. What little Hayden said usually spoke volumes to his colleagues. He was known as a man of “sterling character” and his solid …

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Celebrate AZ Water: American Wetlands Month

May 24, 2019

This month, we are celebrating American Wetlands Month! When you think of wetlands you might think of marshlands like the Louisiana Delta or the Florida Everglades. What might surprise you is that we do have wetlands in the Arizona desert. Some are natural and some are manmade. What is a Wetland? Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil or …

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Arizona Water Pioneers – Part 2 | William Beardsley

May 17, 2019

Like a late-blooming teenager, 19th century Arizona was still trying to define itself.  Soldiers, miners, and rugged pioneers gradually made their way to Arizona to begin life anew in a challenging landscape. These early pioneers quickly realized water was both the key to their survival and a powerful force to reckon with. Water, in the Arizona territory, was a double-edged …

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BE A WATER DETECTIVE BY FINDING AND FIXING LEAKS AND SAVE THOUSANDS OF GALLONS EACH YEAR

March 19, 2019

Minor leaks account for more than 1 trillion gallons of water wasted each year in U.S. homes. To the average homeowner, that means as many as 10,000 gallons wasted each year – enough to fill a backyard swimming pool. That is why the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense® program promotes Fix a Leak Week the third week of March each …

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What to do When You Have a Water Leak

March 18, 2019

When your home is faced with water damage, it is easy to become overwhelmed. Your initial stress will probably result from the fact that your pipe just burst and your basement is flooding, or that your faucet has been leaking for weeks without your knowledge and you can’t possibly wrap your head around how you didn’t notice. After that initial …

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Don’t Just Stand There … Plant Something!

March 12, 2019

Want to improve your quality of life? Plant Something. Seriously. How is a plant or tree possibly going to make life better, you ask? By lowering your heart rate, providing beauty and shade, improving your property value, lowering your energy costs, cleaning the air and water, and creating a more inviting yard and community…….whew…….that’s a lot for a landscape to …

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Green Parenting: 11 Ways to Teach Your Kids to Protect the Earth and Each Other

January 15, 2019

Reading and math are important, but there are equally important skills that kids aren’t taught in school. As parents, it is up to us to model healthy lifestyles for our kids, and we can do so with green parenting practices. By showing our kids that their family strives to make eco-friendly decisions with what we buy and eat, we can …

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Arizona Runs on Water: Scarcity, Challenges, and Community-based Solutions (2019 WRRC Annual Conference)

January 8, 2019

How do Arizona communities ensure that they have sufficient water to meet their future needs? The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center’s February 1, 2019, annual conference, Arizona Runs on Water: Scarcity, Challenges, and Community-based Solutions will examine answers to this question. Communities across Arizona are working to identify and implement solutions to water issues, both current and future. The …

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Journey Through the Pipes – What Happens to Wastewater?

December 4, 2018

When we think of wastewater, we usually think of sewage. However, it is also comprised of any used domestic water produced from showers, disposals, washers, and sinks. Furthermore, wastewater can include any used water and water-carried solids from a community that flows to a treatment plant, such as stormwater, surface water, and industrial water. Fact: 99 percent of wastewater is …

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Six Activities to Teach Kids About Water

October 30, 2018

Last April, I had my Water – Use It Wisely table set up on the back patio of a community center for an Earth Day event. A mom and her two young children were walking by and I heard the older one, about four years old, say, “Hey Mom, look, there’s a hummingbird on that tree.” I was shocked but …

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kids brushing teeth

APPRECIATING WATER BY SAVING IT IN SIMPLE WAYS

October 26, 2018

Just because you’ve heard that the Earth is made up of 71 percent water, it does not mean that you can go ahead and waste it. We all need to appreciate it. If you have not realized how lucky you are that you’re living in a country where fresh water seems to be unlimited, then how about some demonstration? In …

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