case-study-OCWD-Water-Ed-Festival
Public Information Case Study
Category: Event
Title: Children’s Water
Education Festival
Summary: 2011 marks the
15th anniversary of the
Children’s Water Education
Festival in Orange County.
Since its inception, more
than 80,000 children from
schools throughout Orange
County have learned about
water and the environment
through the festival’s unique
interactive experiences.
Body: Presented by Orange County Water District, Disneyland Resort, National Water
Research Institute, Municipal Water District of Orange County, and Orange County
Water District Groundwater Guardian Team, the Festival educates fourth, fifth, and sixth
grade students about water-related and conservation issues. It is the largest event of its
kind in the nation. Because all activities must teach at least one of California’s science
standards, educators consistently rate the education value of the Festival very high.
In an entertaining and fun environment, children learn behaviors that they can adopt to
help conserve and protect natural resources. The event is created around the concept of
making learning fun through activities that focus on student participation and are staged
in a fair-like atmosphere.
More than 60 California
organizations devote time and
resources as presenters and
through sponsorships of various
levels. Interactive presentations
teach topics like the water
cycle, groundwater and surface
water protection, wetlands
preservation, recycling,
pollution prevention and water
treatment, distribution and
conservation, and local environmental
issues. The Festival teaches students to
make “blue” and “green” choices that will
make a difference in protecting water
resources for today and for future
generations.
Budget: Conducting a festival of this size
requires more than 400 volunteers, staff
and presenters, as well as in-kind and
cash donations. The Festival is provided at
no cost to schools, making public and
private financial support crucial to the
success of this educational event and its
continued growth. Contributions are tax
deductible.
Contact: More information on this event may be found on the Orange County Water
District website: www.ocwd.com or by contacting Amanda Gavin at (714) 378-3202 or
agavin@ocwd.com.