• Water that goes down a sink or toilet is treated and released to the Bay 12 hours later?
• That Palo Alto's Water Quality Control Plant processes 26 million gallons of water A DAY? (Ever wonder how we do that?)
• That nobody cleans the water that goes down storm drains to the Bay?
• That we bring fun, interactive programs to local classrooms?

Explore our FREE Educational Programs for YOUR Classroom

As part of our ongoing pollution prevention efforts, the Regional Water Quality Control Plant (RWQCP) provides water quality-related educational programs to public and private schools within our Service Area: East Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Stanford. (Check with your community's treatment plant for program offerings in other areas.)

The RWQCP reaches 100 classrooms each year. We work one-on-one with teachers to tailor our programs to meet student needs. The programs cover a variety of water-quality topics for grade levels ranging from elementary school to high school. (Inquire about bilingual programs.) 
 
Our programs meet California State Science Standards - ask us how!

In addition to classroom visits, the RWQCP offers educational materials and videos for use in the classroom.

We also have a great mural at the water quality control plant painted by local art students!

The information in these pages is also summarized in our Educational Programs Flyer (PDF). The High School Program (PDF) information is also available.

Contact Us to Schedule Programs or to Get More Information
 
Click on a link below to learn more about each program. Be sure to check back…each year programs are enhanced or added!

Water Education Programs:

Elementary

Creek Pollution Prevention (Grades 2-5)
Students learn about how water pollution affects the plants and animals in local creeks. They participate in activities to discover how pollution from urban areas ends up in the creek and how they can reduce water pollution in the vital creek habitat. The relationship between creeks, wetlands and the watershed is also studied.
 
Curriculum Objectives:

• What is a creek and how is it related to our watershed
• How pollution enters and effects the creek environment
• Harmful effects of urban development on creeks
• Pollution prevention for creeks
• Interactive classroom projects and games
   

Down The Drain (Grades 2 and up)
What is the difference between a sewer and a storm drain? Through hands-on activities, students learn about urban impacts on the natural water cycle and how they can help prevent water pollution. Other topics include recycling at home, sewage treatment, operation of wastewater treatment plants and how storm drains are connected to the San Francisco Bay.

Our Environment Up Close (Grades 3-6)
With the use of the EnviroScape® model, your students become detectives searching for pollutants in our environment. They will learn the sources of common pollutants, where these pollutants travel and how they affect our environment. The model includes houses, roads, industry, a farm, a construction site, a golf course, a partially logged forest, two creeks and a bay. Other presentations include a Watershed Mapping activity that uses self-directed learning techniques to demonstrate how pollution travels throughout our environment.

Flo, The Raccoon
Flo is the mascot for the Palo Alto RWQCP. Be sure to invite Flo to participate in your school parades, fairs, on-campus festivals and Earth Day events. Along with Flo, we will send coloring books, magnets, stickers and other goodies for your students to enjoy.

Mercury: Past & Present Grades 4-5)
Students travel through time, discovering how mercury has been mined and used in northern California since the time of the Gold Rush. They will figure out how this toxic metal is transferred throughout ecosystems, including that of our San Francisco Bay. Other topics include the history of mercury and what we can do to help limit mercury contamination in our area.

Curriculum Objectives:

• How mercury became a pollutant in our environment
• How mercury impacts ecosystems and water systems
• How mercury can accumulate in organisms of the food chain
• Mercury pollution prevention activities to protect the environment and people

Storm Drain Stenciling (Grades 4 and up)
Does your school have storms drains on campus? If so, let us help educate your students about pollution prevention near storm drains. Stenciling your campus storm drains with the DRAINS TO CREEK or DRAINS TO BAY logo can be combined with a video on creek pollution and prevention or with a presentation of the EnviroScape model.

Visit The Treatment Plant (Grades 3 and up)
At the RWQCP, students see and learn about the multiple treatment processes that wastewater undergoes before reentering the water cycle in the Bay. Tour content is modified to accommodate audiences from third grade through college.

Watershed Pollution Prevention (Grades 4-5)
What is a watershed? Why is it important?
Students learn how groundwater and surface water systems are connected. Other topics include common pollutants, drinking water supplies, the effect of urban development on our watershed and much more.

Curriculum Objectives:

• What is a watershed
• How pollution enters and affects the watershed
• Harmful effects of urban development on the watershed
• Pollution prevention
• Interactive classroom projects and games 

What's Bugging You?! (Grades 2 and up)
Students crawl into the world of common pests in our local environment and discover how control methods for these pests contribute to water pollution.

Through the introduction of IPM-Integrated Pest Management- students learn about the cultural, physical, mechanical and biological methods of pest control.

Interesting facts about common insects and bugs will be presented, with hands-on activities to introduce these concepts.

We'll answer questions such as
What do insects and bugs have to do with water pollution?
Is there such a thing as a "good bug"?
Which are the "bad bugs"?
Why should we leave spiders in their webs instead of killing them?
What do you do if you see one ant by itself?
What can I do to protect the water from pollution?

Secondary

Microbes In Sewage (Grades 6-8)
Students jump into the miniature world of the microbes that keep our water clean. They will investigate microbes and try to match what they see under the microscope with keys and charts. The biological, chemical and physical processes used in sewage treatment plants will also be explored.
 
Curriculum Objectives:

• How the Baylands are connected to the food web
• How to identify organisms through classification of structure
• How microbes reduce dissolved pollutants 

Sewer Science (Grades 9-12)
Wastewater Laboratory for High School Students

Sewer Science is a hands-on lab that teaches high school students about municipal wastewater treatment using specially designed tanks, analytical equipment, and a student workbook. Developed specifically to meet the needs of grades 9 through 12, this powerful tool can help wastewater treatment plants reinforce pollution prevention messages and introduce students to careers in the wastewater field.

Key Benefits
Meeting high school science educational standards while addressing the outreach needs of wastewater treatment agencies, the Sewer Science

Curriculum Objectives:

• Teaches students the basic concepts of how wastewater is treated prior to being returned to the environment
• Is interdisciplinary - microbiology, chemistry, physics, and environmental science
• Links science and technology to environmental impacts and issues
• Fosters an awareness about the fate of household chemicals
• Encourages students to take responsibility for the household products that they us

To schedule programs or for more information, contact cleanbay@cityofpaloalto.org or 650-329-2598.