Engage your students in learning about water pollution through hands-on activities and field trips. To learn more about the free classroom presentations and field trips available through Santa Barbara County or your city, please call (805) 568-3546.

Creek Kids (4th - 6th)
is a series offered to eligible schools in the County. The series includes two in-class lessons, a half-day field trip to a watershed center and a local creek and an optional service-learning project. Through the series, students will learn:

• about watersheds
• where water comes
  from and where it goes
• what makes a creek healthy
  
• sources of and solutions to
  water pollution
• the dangers of plastic debris
  in the ocean
• what students can do to
  protect water quality
  

Call (805) 568-3546 to learn if your
school is eligible for the Creek Kids Series
adminstered by Art From Scrap.

A number of other fun and educational field trip opportunities are available in Santa Barbara County. For information on the following destinations, please call the number listed.

Water quality and watershed related tours and presentations:

South Coast Watershed Resource Center (K - 8th)
The Center features interactive exhibits, a computer center, a resource library, a watershed model and a water quality lab. The Center is supported in part by Project Clean Water and is available as a resource for teachers, student science fair projects and volunteer projects focused on creek restoration, beach and creek clean ups, and water quality monitoring. Hours are Thursday and Friday 12 to 5 and Saturday and Sunday 10 to 4:30. For more information call Art From Scrap at (805) 884-0459 ext 16.

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (K - 12th)
Have fun with your students exploring the Mission Creek Nature Trail. Interpretive signs introduce key ecological concepts, highlight seasonal changes and encourage natural resource conservation. Call (805) 682-4711 to make an appointment.

Growing Solutions Restoration Education Institute (K - 12th)
Restoration topics may include soils, integrated pest management, nutrients and fertilizers, watering, landscape benefits, human uses and native plant propagation. Students may participate in native plant propagation in a greenhouse or restoration at an outdoor site. Call (805) 452-7561.

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden (4th - 6th)
On this tour, students learn about local plant communities and habitats. To schedule a tour, call (805) 682-4726 ext. 102.

Wastewater treatment plant tours and presentations:

City of Santa Barbara El Estero Wastewater Treatment Plant (3rd - 12th)
During this one-hour tour, students will learn what happens to water when it goes down the drain or the toilet and into the sewer system. To arrange a tour, call Rebecca (805) 897-1910. To set up free bus service, call Alison Jordan at (805) 564-5574.

Goleta Sanitary District wastewater treatment classroom presentation and lab (4th)
In this presentation, students will learn about the water cycle and the functions of the treatment plant. The hands-on lab will teach students about microorganisms, pH and different kinds of solids. To schedule a presentation, call Kathleen Warner at (805) 967-4519.

Goleta Sanitary District Wastewater Treatment Plant (3rd - 12th)
On this tour, students will learn about the wastewater treatment process. Tour content and length are adjusted to be age appropriate. Call Kathleen Warner at (805) 967-4519 to arrange a tour.

Carpinteria Sanitary District Wastewater Treatment Plant (6th - 12th)
On this tour, students will learn about the history of the District, the collection system, and the equipment used to maintain the system. Staff will lead students through the plant so that they will become familiar with the steps required to produce clean water and the laboratory analyses that are conducted to ensure proper treatment. Pre-trip information describing wastewater treatment is available from the District office. To schedule a visit, call Mark Bennett, Treatment Supervisor, at (805) 684-7214 ext. 18.

Montecito Sanitary District Wastewater Treatment Plant (6th - 12th)
Students will see live "sewer bugs" under a microscope, view a video of the inside of a sewer pipe and take a close-up look at the water treatment process. Tours will be tailored to the specific grade level. Call Diane Gabriel, Principal Engineer, at (805) 969-4200 to schedule a visit.

City of Lompoc Wastewater Treatment Plant (6th - 12th)
For students from K-4th, the tour includes a video outlining the water cycle and an overview of the treatment process. For older students, the tour includes a detailed discussion of treatment process and plant operations. To arrange a tour, contact Dale Ducharme at (805) 875-8405.

City of Santa Maria Wastewater Treatment Plant (K - 12th)
Students will have the opportunity to view the wastewater treatment process first hand. Call (805) 928-5022 to schedule a tour.

Laguna County Sanitation District (3rd - 12th)
This one-hour tour includes an overview of each step of the treatment process. Call (805) 739-8750 to schedule a tour.

To learn about available presentations on the topic of water conservation, call Len Fleckenstein at (805) 568-3545.