Eco Scouts: Waste and Watersheds

Today was the last Eco Scouts session! 

Participants who attended all the sessions received certificates of completion, and there was cake for everyone as well.

This session focused on watersheds. We learned about where drinking water comes from in our area, how it is processed, and where water goes when it goes down the pipe or the stormwater grate.

Our first exercise was to guess where our water comes from and where it goes. I was a bit embarrassed that I have been living in Pittsburgh for ten years, and I wasn't 100% certain about the details. I could tell you a lot about water in Arizona, however.

In my drawing, I guessed that my water comes from the main rivers in Pittsburgh (Monongahela or Allegheny), and my wastewater is processed by a local treatment plant I have seen that is connected to a small stream (they are called "runs" here). I assume they discharge the treated water there. Here's my drawing:

What I found out is that my water actually comes from the Youghiogheny River, which feeds into the Monongahela River. We learned about the history of that river, which had a polluted past, and how the water from that river is treated so it is safe to drink.

Another exercise we did was to visualize how all water is connected. We wrote a personal connection to water on a piece of paper (like our cup of coffee in the morning) and used string to show how our touching of that water is connected to the environment and others' uses of water. This was connected to learning about the water cycle and how water moves through the environment and back into our water system.

Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County was the main presenter for this last session of Eco Scouts. They brought some swag, and we also got a few additional items for our last day of Eco Scouts, like a branded bandana, our remaining patches, and some leftover sewing kits.

Eco Scouts was a great experience. It was nice to connect with people in the community, and the Eco Scouts organizers, Laura and Lauren, went above and beyond to deliver an engaging and fun program for adults. I encourage anyone in the Pittsburgh area to attend the next time they put this together!