Honorable Mention: Watermark Award for the McAllen Public Utility Water Education Camps
McAllen Public Utility (MPU) works hard to educate the public, especially younger generations, on the issues surrounding water use and conservation. One way this is done is through water education camps for primary and secondary grade students. MPU has hosted educational programming for the community through tours and presentations for over ten years. In 2015, after a major drought, programming expanded with the addition of educational camps to increase water and conservation awareness to the youth of the community. In 2022, the camps have become more popular than ever. These camps are hosted throughout the year for ages 8 and up and are provided free to the public with lessons taught and created by MPU's Water Education and Communications Coordinator. The lessons use resources like Project and Aquatic WILD, Project WET, TAWWA, and the Texas Water Development Board. They emphasize the importance of water in daily lives through various STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Science) topics such as conservation, water use, aquatic science, careers, infrastructure, and much more. These lessons have influenced how participants conduct their daily lives.