Water Conservation Education

Education is the best way to conserve water. The Greeley Water Conservation Program has sponsored and participated in many water festivals and other water events. The Water Conservation staff is available for classroom presentations in Greeley. Please call 970-350-9874 or e-mail water@greeleygov.com for more information.

The State of Colorado State Science Standards ask students to "know major sources of water, its uses, importance and cyclic patterns of movement through the environment." This page is designed to be a resource for teachers and parents with water information for K-12 students.

2010 Children's Water Festival
History of Greeley's Water
Greeley Water Speakers Bureau
Greeley Water Facility Tours
Conservation Videos for Check-Out
The Story of Drinking Water Web Tutorial
How Water Works: An Interactive Tour
Water Links for Kids and Teachers
Links to Online Water Games

Greeley Water Speakers Bureau

The Greeley Water & Sewer Department provides speakers for students, civic clubs and other groups by request. Below are the names and contact information of staff that is available for presentations. These presentations can be tailored to a specific time, age group, interest or concern. If you have a specific topic that is not listed below, please call 970-350-9204 or e-mail water@greeleygov.com .

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Greeley Water Facility Tours

Tours of some of our water facilities can be scheduled for groups of 10 or larger. Please use the phone numbers below to book a tour or to request additional information.

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Videos & DVDs for Check-Out

The Water & Sewer Department now has a variety of water conservation videos available for check out. These videos can be used for presentation, speaking engagements or educational functions. Call Ruth Quade at 970-350-9874 to make arrangements to pick up and return the video.

1. Written in Water
   DVD 25 Minutes 2005
   This artistic documentary film displays the importance of water in our semi-arid environment and the passion shared by the people of Greeley for this precious resource.
   Watch online!
   
   
2. Windows of Time: No. 3 Ditch
   DVD 40 Minutes 2006
   Windows of Time is a series produced by the Greeley Historic Preservation Commission. This show gives us a glimpse into Greeley's past and those people and structures that helped write the pages of our city's history. The No. 3 Ditch was built in 1870 as an agricultural canal. Today, the City of Greeley uses the ditch as a source of non-potable water to irrigate parks.
   
   
3. Reflections on the Colorado-Big Thompson Project: A Conversation with W.D. Farr
   VHS 16 Minutes 2001
   The video is a interview with Mr. Farr where he describes the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, his involvement and how this project supported agriculture and made development in Northern Colorado possible. The program, produced in 2001 by The Storytellers Project and All Video Production Inc., was created in conjunction with the City of Greeley Museums, City of Greeley Water & Sewer Department, Colorado Historical Society, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, The Greeley Tribune, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, University of Colorado Libraries, and Western State College of Colorado.
   
   
4. Xeriscaping
   DVD 25 Minutes 2007
   This DVD was produced by Douglas County through a grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board. The DVD provides practical do-it-yourself information, ideas and visual examples of what works in Colorado and ways to save water and still have a beautiful yard.
   
   
5. Waterhog Haven
   Grades: Preschool
   VHS 6 minutes 1992
   This comical video stars that most porcine of pests-the common waterhog doing his thing:wasting water. Led by this infamous waster, the Town of Waterhog Haven eventually faces a dilemma-they run out of! The effects are comically disastrous.
   
   
6. Down the Drain-3-2-1 Contact
   Grades: 4-9
   VHS 30 minutes 1990
   An investigative news format is put to good use in this video that teaches kids about the water cycle, water pollution and water treatment. This video explains the importance of water to all living things. Narrated by Stephanie Yu, the well-known child spokesperson.
   
   
7. Professor Water: Fantastic Facts About H2O
   Grades: 4- adult
   VHS 28 minutes 1995
   A video overflowing with information about water! Wacky fun for kids of all ages! “How much water is on earth?” “How do we treat drinking water to ensure it’s safe?” “Where do we get out drinking water?” You’ll find the answers to these and other questions in this terrific video. Watch Professor Water and his wily sidekick in action.
   
   
8. The Hydrologic Cycle: Water in Motion
   Grades: 7-12
   VHS 20 minutes 1993
   This video describes how water moves through the hydrologic cycle and shows how natural events affect evaporation, condensation, precipitation, run off and storage. Developed for kids but adults can learn from it also.
   
   
9. Always Pure Never Runs Dry
   Grades 7- adult
   VHS 15 minutes
   Real-Life situations dramatically show what it takes to provide safe, reliable drinking water.
   
   
10. Awesome Lawns for Water Smart People
    Grades 7- adult
    VHS 20 minutes
    Video gives smart cultural practices for healthy turf without excessive water.
    
    
11. The Adventures of Ethyl Mermaid and Tad Pole
    Grades: 4-6
    VHS 8 minutes each
    Ethyl Mermaid and Tad Pole live in Ezra Pond, but their adventures take them around the globe. In this five-part series, grade-schoolers can learn and laugh along with this splashy due as they set out to discover everything they can about water. Complete with live-action video, computer animation, and special effects. View individually or as a set.
    • Part I: The Hydrologic Cycle--Kids learn about water storage, evaporation, cloud storage, transpiration and precipitation.
    • Part II: Water Treatment--Covers water treatment from pretreatment through distribution
    • Part III: Source to Tap--Follow a water drop from its source to the tap.
    • Part IV: Source Water Protection --See how different types of pollution can impact drinking water supplies
    • Part V: Fun Facts About Water and Conservation--Kids tap into their knowledge of water with this entertaining guessing game.
    
    
12. Water Gift of Life
    VHS 50 minutes 1990
    This delightful video is narrated by Gregory Peck. The splendor of water is given due treatment in this stunning video. That blends imagery, music and natural sounds Superb production quality.
    
    
13. Underground Sprinklers
    VHS 60 minutes
    You can do-it-yourself with help from Dean Johnson, home improvement expert, and host of the “Hometime” TV series. Steps covered in the video include: Mapping your property, designing the system, tapping into the water supply, installing PVC pipe, sprinkler heads, controller, using polyethylene pipe and blowing out the system.
    
    
14. Trees and Shrubs
    VHS 60 minutes
    Steps covered in this video are: choosing plants, laying out beds, planting pruning trees, pruning shrubs, transplanting shrubs. You’ll learn how to choose the right tools, save on materials, avoid costly mistakes. . .and complete you project on schedule.
    
    
15. Cadillac Desert: A PBS four part series
    VHS
    Cadillac Desert relates the story of the epic quest for water and the role it has played in the vast transformation of the American West and many parts of the world.
    
    
16. Mulholland’s Dream
    VHS
    This episode tells of William Mulholland’s search for water for the people of Los Angeles. Evoking the real-like visionaries, scoundrels, and dark intrigues behind the fiction of the motion picture Chinatown, the film weaves the past and present together to illustrate water’s role in the history of Los Angeles, as well as the city’s challenges for the future.90 minutes
    
    
17. An America Nile
    VHS
    This episode charts the dramatic transformation of the Colorado River from a wild desert waterway with a mind of its own into the most controlled, litigated, domesticated, regulated, and over-allocated river in the history of the world. From the heroic construction of the Hoover Dam during the Great Depression to the bitter political and environmental battles over the potential damming of the Grand Canyon, this program illustrates how the Colorado became so diverted that by 1969 it no longer reached the ocean. 60 minutes
    
    
18. The Mercy of Nature
    VHS
    This episode traces the fierce political and environmental battles that raged around the transformation of California’s Central Valley from semiarid desert into the most productive and environmentally altered agricultural region in global history.60 minutes
    
    
19. Last Oasis
    VHS
    This episode opens with the story of how America’s large dams became examples of water projects abroad, particularly in developing countries. The film goes to India and China, where big dam building continues in full force, and to Mexico, the Middle East, and back to the American West to explore how, in the face of water needs, conservation may be humanity’s “last oasis."60 minutes

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Below are a few links that may be of interest to you for more information concerning the environment and water conservation for kids. For links outside the city web site, we are not responsible for their content.

Poudre Learning Center
Environmental Kids Club by EPA
National Geographic Kids
Colorado Water Knowledge by Colorado State University
Colorado's Water - Headwaters of the West - by 7News
How NASA Studies Water
National Wildlife Federation Kids Page
Educational Resources by Colorado Foundation for Water Education
Science & Tech Standards Based Resources by PBS Teachers
Lesson Plans by Water.org
Fix a Leak Week Lesson Plans by WaterSense

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Below are some links to some water online games and activities.Have fun and learn about water at the same time. E-mail us to suggest a link to a online water game; we may and the link to our list. For links outside the city web site, we are not responsible for their content.

WaterSense by the EPA
Bert & Phil's Water Busters! by Seattle Public Utilities
The Great Water Odyssey by St. Johns River Water Management District
H2O University Games by Southern Nevada Water Authority
Tip Tank by Water Use It Wisely
Zipper's Pipe Panic by National Geographic Kids
Story of Water Vocab Game by AWWA
Story of Water Meter Reading Game by AWWA
Water on Earth Game by AWWA
KnowH2O Water Quiz by PlayPumps International