MARANA- Hundreds of students in the Marana Unified School District are learning about the importance of a critical resource in our state thanks to a partnership between the Town of Marana, Tucson Water and Arizona Project Wet (University of Arizona).
MUSD fourth graders participated in the 7th annual Marana Water Festival at Crossroads at Silverbell District Park on Thursday, September 29, 2022.
Booths set up at the 2022 Marana Water Festival at Crossroads Park
“All fourth graders in the Marana Unified School District will come through and learn four lessons about water. They’ll learn about Water Conservation and Technology, Watershed, Ground Water and Water Cycle. This is part of a ten-lesson unit their teachers are teaching in the classroom,” said Holly Thomas-Hilburn, Director of Arizona Project Wet.
“We’re talking water conservation technologies and we’re showing them how something as simple as a cup can be used as technology all the way to a low flow shower head and how those save water,” explained Mike Osborne, Operations Manager of Marana Water Reclamation.
Holly Thomas-Hilburn said Arizona Project Wet helps bridge the gap between water professionals and K-12 educators to teach students about water.
“We’re all talking about water right now and shortages on the Colorado River and what that means for our CAP allotment and building this sort of basic foundational water literacy for fourth graders is a really important first step toward making good water decision makers who understand the system that we rely on to get water to our community.”
Asia Philbin with Marana Water talking to students about conservation and technology
MUSD fourth graders at Marana Water Festival at Crossroads Park
Marana Water had several members of the team participate in the festival including Andrew Bahr (Water Operator 1), Tony Almader (Water Operator 1), Asia Philbin (Water Resource Coordinator), Paula Bluemer (Environmental Project Manager) and Mike Osborne (Water Reclamation Operations Manager). There were also several other Town staff members present to help with the event.
Marana Water Festival 2022
