Report Problem
Translate
We turn on the faucet several times a day, but how often do we stop to think about how fortunate we are to have safe, clean, reliable water? As we get ready to mark 10 years of Imagine a Day Without Water on October 17, Eminence Independent School’s field trip to Louisville Water Tower was perfect timing.
“We just finished a book called “A Long Walk to Water”, and students have read articles about water issues in Flint, Michigan and Martin County, Kentucky and various areas around the world,” shared Jennifer Montgomery, who teaches English and ESL (English as a Second Language) at Eminence.
“This is just a great opportunity for them to learn. We know there’s water scarcity in other places. Why are we “water rich” and how does our water get to us and become so clean for us to drink?”
The group of seventh graders learned about the history of Louisville Water and how it pioneered water filtration. They explored the WaterWorks Museum, got an up-close look at the Louisville Water Tower and a pumping station, and discussed some of the ways we use water: drinking, bathing, washing our hands, cooking, laundry, even making rubber tires for transportation.
Students jumped into action for the bucket brigade which helped illustrate one of the founding reasons for Louisville Water- fighting fires. Another timely exercise because the students visited the Tower during National Fire Prevention Week.
“This station stressed the importance water played in the early days from access to water and fire prevention. The bucket brigades pulled water from wells and neighborhood pumps sometimes in the dark of night,” explained Louisville Water Visitor Experience Specialist Petra Wesley. She told the class how Louisville Water is involved with fire prevention today, which includes crews who are responsible for “the maintenance of over 25,000 fire hydrants.”
For Montgomery, recently named Kentucky’s 2025 Teacher of the Year, bringing her students to Louisville Water Tower has become a tradition.
“We’ve been coming here for probably a decade. Our Eminence water company is smaller, so this is a larger space, and for them (students) to get to see the process; and we also usually team up with WaterStep.”
Coincidentally, part of Wesley’s lesson featured WaterStep’s WaterBall creation. The ball on wheels holds about 13 gallons (104 pounds) of water and makes it easier to collect and transport the vital resource in communities where women and children can frequently walk an average of three miles one way to get water.
“The school was leaving the Water Tower to take collected shoes to WaterStep. In natural disaster events like the recent hurricanes and tornadoes, these WaterBalls can be used to get water in compromised places. When I talked about the difference their WaterStep donations made, they were speechless. Some appeared sad but all became very aware of their impact.”
Another visible way students are making an impact, carrying reusable water bottles with them, like seventh grader Molly.
“A lot of people just bring their water bottle, and we use water fountains. I’ve been bringing a water bottle to school since kindergarten,” she said. “I can get water whenever I want and I just have it. I don’t have to go to the water fountain every time. I can just pull it out of my backpack or at my house and I can take a sip if I want to.”
And her favorite part of the field trip?
“I liked the old water tower out there. It was pretty cool to see how far it went up and all the pipes and everything; how they used to make water go into the city with steam.”
Louisville Water has made remarkable strides in innovation since it began operating on October 16, 1860, and we will keep striving to produce and deliver the high-quality Louisville Pure Tap® our community relies on.
