South Plains Water Expo Teaches Water Conservation to all Ages

South Plains Water Expo 2016 Teaches Water Conservation to all Ages

From weather updates to wearable water cycles, there were attractions for every age during the recent

South Plains Water Expo at Frenship High School in Wolfforth. Approximately, 350 people attended the

event throughout the day.

Sessions for the adults included weather updates, Texas water law, an overview of the Wolfforth

Electrodialysis Reversal plant, rainwater harvesting and xeriscaping. Local vendors provided additional

resources relating to aquaponics, irrigation and groundwater.

As the adults listened to an array of topics, the younger crowd enjoyed their own “Walter Drop’s H2O

Discovery Tour.” Kids of all ages journeyed through the many activity stations where they learned about

the water cycle, water quality, water conservation and native wildlife with hands-on activities. The last

station on the discovery tour included a pledge to save water. Kids colored a cartoon “Walter Drop” and

signed their name to pledge their part in saving water.

While some stations were just for kids, two water taste test stations and one coloring contest station

featured voting for all attendees. Water samples from different treatment processes included filtered

rainwater, reclaimed wastewater and groundwater from a Wolfforth well. The reclaimed wastewater

won the taste test receiving 31 of the 62 votes cast. The second water taste station included flavored

water samples of apple cinnamon, raspberry orange, strawberry cucumber and cantaloupe. The favorite

flavor was cantaloupe. Visitors voted for their favorite art piece in the local elementary school coloring

contest. Winners of the coloring contest included:

People’s Choice Award: Brenlyn Wilson (Age 9)

Ryan Baker (6), Max Jeffreys (6) and Jocelyn Payne (6), Peyton Matschek (7), Kaitlyn Villarreal (8) and

Jack Tucker (8), Adisyn Elrod (10), Tammy Pham (10), Chandler Wilson (11), Lili Halsey (11) and Jacob

Maldonado (11).

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Walter Drop and Biscuit the Dog mascot also made special appearances.

The grand finale was the performance by “The Green Magician Kevin Barnes.” While performing magic

tricks, Barnes stressed the importance of water conservation and reuse for a sustainable future.

Thank you to everyone who attended the event, and the planning committee looks forward to next

year’s expo.

Learn more at the website www.spwaterexpo.org.