Earth Day education event takes school outside for 125 students

King County Executive talks about clean water, environmental priorities

It was a day of field surveying, soil sampling, water testing, freshwater insect identification and lessons on forest ecology for 125 students.  As one young student said, it was a day “to practice being a scientist.”

The students were visited by King County Executive Dow Constantine, who shared with them his memories from the first Earth Day in 1970, when he was an elementary school student in West Seattle. Students presented the Executive with some of their wishes for Earth Day and their top priorities for protecting the environment.

The Brightwater education event was organized by King County Wastewater Treatment Division and Friends of the Hidden River, a community group of local teachers dedicated to environmental stewardship, energy independence and sustainability education. For the past nine years, Friends have worked to ensure that Brightwater would have a positive impact on our community and this event provided a glimpse into how it will serve local students and teachers.
The Brightwater Education Center and “North 40” habitat site will officially open Sept. 24, and will be open to the public from dawn to dusk.

The 125 students are just a few of the visitors visit the region’s wastewater treatment plants to learn about water quality and how their actions impact the environment.  More than 3,000 students a year tour King County’s plants. To schedule a tour call 206-263-6028 or go to http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Education/PlantTours.aspx

The Friends of the Hidden River is a dynamic educational organization dedicated to developing and enhancing citizen understanding and community action in environmental education issues in the Puget Sound and surrounding regions. The group works to balance community interests with environmental sustainability by creating educational opportunities and service learning projects related to environmental and ecological stewardship, energy independence, water quality, conservation, and technology. They have raised nearly one million dollars to help create a LEEDs platinum environmental center at Brightwater.

The county’s Wastewater Treatment Division protects public health and water quality by serving 17 cities, 17 local sewer districts and more than 1.4 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Formerly called Metro, the regional clean-water agency now operated by King County has been preventing water pollution for more than 40 years.

People enjoy clean water and a healthy environment because of King County's wastewater treatment program. The county’s Wastewater Treatment Division protects public health and water quality by serving 17 cities, 17 local sewer districts and more than 1.4 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Formerly called Metro, the regional clean-water agency now operated by King County has been preventing water pollution for more than 40 years.

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Note to editors and reporters: Visit the WTD Newsroom, a portal to information for the news media about the Wastewater Treatment Division, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks.

Related infomation

Brightwater Project

King County Wastewater Treatment