Arlington Fifth Graders Learn Water Conservation

Published on August 30, 2023

By Traci Peterson, Arlington Water Utilities

Thirteen Arlington elementary schools and a total of 892 fifth-grade students participated in a free water conservation education program sponsored by Arlington Water Utilities and Tarrant Regional Water District during the last school year, according to a recent year-end report.

The Conservation Captains educational outreach program was introduced in 2022 and will be offered again in the 2023-2024 school year. It is delivered by classroom teachers with a curriculum designed to fit seamlessly into the current classroom setting, including aligning with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, or TEKS, standards. It is offered to all cities that, like Arlington, purchase raw water from Tarrant Regional Water District.

Lessons encourage water-saving habits and educate students about the value of water in our community and our water supply system. All participating students received a Water Conservation Kit, which includes a bucket for catching shower water to reuse for watering plants, a digital shower timer, a pan scraper, a water flow rate bag, and toilet leak detection tablets. Arlington students also have Advanced Saver Kits available upon request, which included additional water-saving devices to use at home with their families.

A total of 3,786 students in Tarrant County participated in the program last school year. Some of the highlights included in a recent report from TRWD were:

• 81% of the students enjoyed the program;

• 90% of the teachers downloaded 2 or more lessons to teach in their classrooms;

• 95% of the teachers said they were motivated to conserve water after completing the lessons.

• 100% of the teachers would sign up to participate again

In addition to teachers, both parents and students have access to the Conservation Captains website which provides lesson exercises, kit activities, and water-saving resources in both Spanish and English.

Recognizing the popularity of the Conservation Captains program, Arlington Water Utilities has included an additional $6,000 in the proposed fiscal year 2024 budget to help fund school requests. The Arlington City Council will vote on the City’s budget for next year in September.

Arlington Water Utilities invites all fifth-grade teachers who are interested in participating in this free program to contact jenni@tinkerteach.com for more information.