Fifth Annual Lee County Water Festival – "Water Is Life"

By Dana Sizemore, Lee County SWCD District Administrative Coordinator, Auburn, AL

The 5th Annual Lee County Water Festival, with the theme "Water Is Life," was, once again, a big success. The Lee County SWCD/NRCS staff and community partners coordinated and implemented the plan to make this year’s event an exciting one for students and teachers.

The Lee County Water Festival is FREE to all Lee County 4th graders and is a non-profit educational event. Over 2,000 students attended this year. Participating students, teachers, and volunteers received a Water Festival t-shirt that was designed by a Lee County student.

The mission of the Lee County Water Festival is to educate students and their families about all aspects of surface and ground water and other related natural resources and to instill a general environmental awareness and stewardship ethic in participants.  Both students and teachers left with an increased knowledge and awareness of the importance of our precious water resources and how to become better environmental stewards of these resources.

The 5th Annual Lee County Water Festival could not have taken place without the help of community volunteers, Lee County governmental officials, utilities, local businesses, and the Haley Center staff. Earth Team Volunteers were essential in getting the supplies counted, bagged, and ready for each class.

Not only is the Water Festival beneficial to students and teachers, it is also helpful to the local community. This event assisted the city of Auburn in meeting the Phase II Storm Water Educational requirement established by the Federal Stormwater Management and Permitting Program.

We look forward to planning and implementing the Lee County Water Festival next year!