Community Service Project Ideas
You CAN make a difference in your town by educating people about the water they drink every day! Here are some ideas for projects that kids and adults can do in their hometown. The ideas listed here are just to start you thinking; you are encouraged to develop your own!
Groundwater Education Activities
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Teach the people in your community where their drinking water comes from, why it is vulnerable to contamination, and provide ideas for ways they can protect their water. Find out more about source water assessment and protection.
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Host a Test Your Well event for your community. This event allows well owners to have their water screened for common contaminants such as nitrates and offers opportunities to raise awareness on pollution prevention.
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Hold a “Mini-Groundwater Festival” for local residents. Teams could demonstrate groundwater concepts using activities in "Making Discoveries," The Groundwater Gazette, or by creating their own! Topics could include the water cycle, groundwater basics, local groundwater, and groundwater in other states and countries.
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Lead a groundwater education campaign. Activities could include: speaking to a local government board or council; creating and distributing educational posters, brochures, and newsletters throughout the community; being interviewed on a local TV station; and writing and recording a public service announcement for a local radio station.
Water Conservation Activities
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Design and install a rain garden for your school to capture rain water and reduce storm water pollution. Ask your local nursery for design help and the donation of plants.
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Check your home/school/business for leaky faucets, showerheads, and toilets. Calculate the amount of wasted water and have the leaks repaired.
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Research the availability and cost of water conservation equipment for the home/school/business. Replace appliances with environmentally friendly models when appropriate.
Pollution Prevention Awareness Activities
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Prevent groundwater pollution from occurring in the first place by teaching people how to keep water safe for all of us!
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Stencil messages on storm drains to help prevent chemicals and oil from being dumped down them. These chemicals pollute both surface and groundwater and are dangerous to aquatic plants and animals.
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Design and distribute posters or fliers in the community which educate residents about the hazards of abandoned wells and how they should be properly filled.
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Share conservation messages that encourage the wise use of groundwater supplies. Examples could include performing a play or writing a comic book about water conservation.
Community Water History Awareness Activities
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Investigate and share the history of your community’s successes and challenges in finding adequate and safe water supplies.
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Check local newspaper archives (at the newspaper’s office or at the library) to find stories from the past about your community’s water supply, including natural disasters which may have affected the supply.
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Interview senior residents about memories of your community finding safe water supplies through the years.
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Make a map showing your community’s water supply source. Display maps at schools, public libraries, and grocery stores.
