Communicating How Water Works: Results From a Community Water Education Program

Based on feedback from attendees at an environmental summit who requested information about regional water sources, a team comprised of a local nonprofit, a state university, and a cooperative extension office created a community water education program. Undergraduate student interns worked with the author to develop a 20-minute science-based presentation that was delivered in 14 different venues in a three-county region of northwestern North Carolina. Following each presentation there was a discussion session that highlighted questions about how water works and community concerns about water availability and management. Program evaluations reflect that people believed they better understood the science related to water quantity and that the key messages in the program were important to their communities.