Last Friday was the last day of this year’s third grade
Science Experiences project that focuses on the water cycle.
Students visit a local water treatment plant and study how
water flows from local reservoirs to
city faucets.
Every third grade class in the district spends a day
learning about the science behind local water.
The students are guided through a tour of the treatment
plant and do hands-on experiments that illustrate how the plant functions.
“We show them how science is used here, from the technology
that runs our computer tracking system to the chemistry lab work that tests the
water to the math used in the water quality checks,” said Doug Buxton, the
plant’s supervisor. “The experiments
they do mimic how the plant works.”
The students rotate through four stations that include:
- Hiking up to the lake that serves as the water source to see
gravity-based water delivery in action - Testing a gravity flow station that illustrates the how
slope affects water flow - Creating a water filter to see how water is cleaned
- Building a PVC pipe funnel to show how water is directed
from the source
The stations were run by students in the McMinnville High
School’s Education Pathway, giving the high school students real-life
experience in managing hands-on science projects.
The district-wide program is funded by McMinnville Water & Light and is part of the science enrichment program of the McMinnville
Education Foundation (MEF).