Drinking Water Week is May 6-12

Contact: Jeff Grubbs 502-564-3410

FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 9, 2007) -- Attention educators! Governor Ernie Fletcher has proclaimed May 6-12 as Drinking Water Awareness Week in Kentucky, providing an opportunity to teach both children and adults the importance of protecting and conserving our water resources.

Get students involved in learning about “The Wonder of Water,” which is this year’s theme. Teachers can find units of study that correlate to Kentucky Education Reform Act standards on a variety of environmental themes through the Environmental Education and Outreach Web site maintained by the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet at /educationoutreach/.

Water Sourcebooks, available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, contain 324 activities for grades primary-, middle- and high-school age students in the areas of drinking water and wastewater, surface water and groundwater, and wetlands and coastal waters. Activities help students learn about the water cycle, water conservation, pollution prevention and the process of water purification. Learn more about these resources at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/wsb/.

The American Water Works Association, Discovery, Lesson Planet, National Geographic, the Geological Society of America, the Peace Corps and many other organizations have materials available and ready for you to use. For a list, visit http://www.water.ky.gov/dw/consumer/dwed/ or call the Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.