EUGENE, Ore. — The Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC), in partnership with the City of Springfield and the City of Eugene, will host Clean Water University, an educational event for fifth-grade students, on October 7-8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Clean Water University is a field trip event supported by wastewater, stormwater, and drinking water agencies from Eugene, Springfield, and Lane County. The program, which includes an online curriculum available to teachers, educates children about the water cycle, water treatment for human use, aquatic wildlife, pollution, and more.
The field trip event is hosted at the MWMC Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant in Eugene, where students take a tour and participate in a variety of activities and games that teach them more about water science related to drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater. Public and private schools from Eugene and Springfield are invited to participate. This year, seven schools with a total of more than 400 students will be present.
Clean Water University was originally conducted as an in-classroom outreach program. In 2018, water utility staff transitioned the program to a field trip event to use time and resources more efficiently. In 2020, an online curriculum was developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has been updated and used annually since then.
More information on Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission:
The mission of the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission is to protect the community’s health and the environment by providing high-quality wastewater services to the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area in partnership with Eugene, Springfield and Lane County. Local representatives from each regional partner–Lane County, City of Springfield and City of Eugene–serve on the Commission.