The Team Waterworks Summer Experience is definitely a highlight of my summer. I saw the whole urban water cycle and learned how water went from the lakes and streams to our taps at home, and was amazed at how the dirty and hazardous sewage was transformed into clear, clean water that was actually cleaner than the Trinity River (which it flowed into). One of my favorite parts of the whole summer experience was going to Grapevine Lake where Ranger Chad Eller talked to the team about just what his job was and how fun it could be. The best part however happened right afterward, getting to take a dip in the lake. It was so hot that day especially that the water in the lake looked almost delicious and getting to swim in the lake was like heaven. That experience made me realize just how necessary water conservation is, since the Texas lakes and rivers are low already and it would be devastating to lose such great sources of beauty and recreation.
The Denton Recycling Center was really cool too. I and the rest of Team Waterworks toured the facility and learned how plastic and other items are recycled and converted to other types of material for different uses. The facility was really interesting in that I actually got to see giant bales of cardboard, plastics and aluminum cans that had been condensed into cubes to be sent to the next step in the process. Visiting the facility along with the landfill that was very close to the property really reinforced just how important recycling truly is in regards to waste management.
In total the summer experience was a ton of fun and very informative about environmental conservation and types of jobs that concern it regarding water. I really look forward to staying in touch with the Dallas EEI in hopes of learning more about water, and more importantly, more fun.
