King County's groundwater education animation earns award in national competition

An animated video co-produced by King County to teach school-aged children about the importance of protecting groundwater has won national recognition in the AEGIS Video and Film Production Awards competition.

"The Groundwater Story," was developed in partnership with King County's Groundwater Protection Program and local groundwater protection committees, and distributed in May in conjunction with National Drinking Water Week.

"It's so rewarding to receive national recognition for this wonderful animated video. It conveys a complex topic in an easy to understand way and brings attention to the important work that our staff and our partners do every day," said County Executive Ron Sims.

The Aegis Awards is one of the oldest video/film production contests in the United States. It is the only competition that features true peer judging by fellow producers, directors, cameramen, editors and other professionals who work in the video/film industry every day.

The animated video, available online at http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/wq/groundwater.htm, was designed for distribution over the Internet and was created and co-produced by Leaping Media through Seattle Public Schools. Funding for the animation was provided by a King County Splash Grant, the City of Renton and the Water Tenders.

The animation shows how pavement and lawn care practices can put groundwater at risk, and provides information on how residents across King County can do a better job of protecting the resource.

King County's Groundwater Program administers limited groundwater scientific analysis and committee services on Vashon-Maury islands, and the Redmond-Bear Creek and Issaquah Creek Valley management areas. Services costs are shared with local and state agencies in those areas.