MPW celebrates 'Drinking Water Week'

Mount Pleasant Waterworks (MPW) is joining communities across North America in celebrating Drinking Water Week, May 3 to 9. Led by the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the annual event highlights the importance of safe, reliable drinking water and recognizes the efforts of water professionals who keep it flowing around the clock.

This year, Mount Pleasant Waterworks marked the occasion by partnering with Kaleidoscope, the after-school care program administered by the Charleston County School District’s Office of Expanded Learning, to bring water education to students at elementary and middle schools in Mount Pleasant. Students participated in a hands-on laboratory visit led by Waterworks staff that explored how rare drinkable water is and how everyday choices can help protect it. They then put that learning into action through an art contest.

“Water is something Mount Pleasant residents count on every day, often without a second thought,” said Mount Pleasant Town Councilman and MPW Commissioner Jake Rambo. “Programs like this remind our youngest community members that clean water doesn’t happen by accident. It takes skilled professionals, careful stewardship and all of us doing our part. I’m proud to see Mount Pleasant Waterworks bringing that message directly to our kids.”

Students in kindergarten through fifth grade were invited to paint a board in response to the question, “How do YOU save water?” Art boards will be displayed outside Mount Pleasant Waterworks’ facility at 1619 Rifle Range Road during Drinking Water Week. Prompts for students included taking short showers, turning off the faucet while brushing teeth, using a rain barrel to water a garden, fixing a leaky faucet and running the dishwasher only when full.

“Drinking Water Week gives us the chance to connect with the next generation of water stewards right here in Mount Pleasant,” shared Piper Monk, a water quality and environmental scientist at Mount Pleasant Waterworks. “Partnering with Kaleidoscope allowed us to reach students where they already are, in a program built around curiosity and growth, and to have a real conversation about why water matters and what each of us can do to protect it.”

“Kaleidoscope exists to extend learning beyond the classroom in ways that connect students to their community. Partnering with Mount Pleasant Waterworks, this Drinking Water Week gave our students the opportunity to explore a real-world issue, water conservation, through both education and creative expression,” said Dr. Abigail Woods, Executive Director of Expanded Learning. “We were proud to be part of it.”