Welcome, everyone! Thanks for being here today to learn more about the upcoming Model Water Tower Competition. We will give you an overview and then you’ll have a chance to ask questions.

Potable water is the lifeblood of any community. What is potable water? Water that has been treated so it is safe to drink. Did you know that 90% of Earth’s population lives within 6 miles of a water source? Why is that? Aside from air, water is the first thing we can’t live without! It’s important for all of us to realize the importance of water and to learn about and understand how it gets from the source to the faucet. When we understand what goes into producing and distributing potable water, we can see how important it is to protect and conserve our water resources.

[ inspire ] Water is inspirational! From the great Victoria Falls in southern Africa to a fountain in Centennial Park, it has an influence that captivates some and moves many.

Take a minute to tell a personal story of how you became interested in water, and how your career in water has shaped your life.

What is a… http://people.howstuffworks.com/water.htm Have you ever seen a water tower and wondered exactly what it’s for or how it works? http://people.howstuffworks.com/water.htm

What does a… Do? Ever have a water failure? Water is very reliable! When we have a bad storm or something like that, we often have power failures, the cable goes out, even the phone system can go out, but the water pressure to your home is very reliable. Why is that? Because of water towers! Water towers come in many shapes and sizes like the towers we just saw: - They can look like smiley faces, peaches, cans of soup, watermelons, or any number of other things. Most just look like buckets stuck up on stilts. In areas like Atlanta, the buildings can be very tall and they often need their own water towers on top. Water towers help us make sure we don’t ever run out of water from the treatment plant to use in our homes or buildings.

How does a… Work? How much water do they hold? Backyard pool can hold 20,000 gal. Can hold 50 pools or more! (1 million gallons!) The diagram on the left shows the basic setup of a water tower. Water is treated in a Water Treatment Plant to remove sediment and bacteria and other germs. The water then goes to a high-lift pump that pressurizes the water system and sends the water into the pipes. When the pump produces more pressure than is needed, the water flows up into the water tower. If the community is using more water than is able to be supplied by the pump, then it flows out of the tower, into the pipes, and out to your homes or apartments. How much water do you think a water tower can hold? An average backyard pool can hold 20,000 gallons. A water tower can hold 50 times that much water. Usually, a city will build a water tower or system of water towers that will hold as much water as the city uses in a day. This way, if the pumps go down, everyone will still have water for the day while they fix the pumps. Then, at night, when most people are sleeping, there is very little water being used. That’s when the pumps fill the tanks back up again to get ready for the next day. And that is why water towers are a big reason why our water supply is so reliable. When the pumps break down, the water towers and gravity still get water to the people. Pumps are nocturnal??? 

Water resource engineering. Infrastructure. Water treatment. Conservation. The purpose of this competition is to give students a chance to learn about water resource engineering, infrastructure, water treatment and water conservation in the hopes that some choose careers in water – the water profession needs talented and dedicated people to provide our population with one of life’s most basic needs.

Students Learn Teamwork & Critical Thinking Recycling & Conservation Clean Water & Related Issues The Water Profession The MWTC offers many benefits to students which include teamwork, critical thinking, and the opportunity to learn about recycling & conservation, clean water and water related issues, and the overall water profession.

[ how it works ] Now let’s talk about how this all works!

[ the rules ] Open to Middle School Students Models must be designed & built by students Coaching & advising by an adult is encouraged Team entries are acceptable (up to 4 students) The rules are simple: Open to Middle School Students – Model Water Towers shall be designed and built by students Coaching and advising by an adult is encouraged Team entries are acceptable (up to 4 students)

Tank base Tank Height Tank Volume [ model requirements] Support legs or pedestal must fit in a 1 ft wide x 1 ft deep space Tank Height 1.5 ft minimum (from base to tank bottom) 2.5 maximum (from base to tank top) <Let the students know that they will receive an information packet with all of these requirements listed. Get them thinking by going over the requirements and asking them why there are limitations on size/height/volume of a water tower.> Tank Base: Support Legs or Pedestal must fit in a 1 ft wide x 1 ft deep space Tank Height: 1.5 ft minimum ( from base to tank bottom) 2.5 ft maximum (from base to tank top) Tank Volume: 1.0 gallon minimum 2.5 gallon maximum Tank Volume 1.0 gallon minimum 2.5 gallon maximum