Area children splashed and adults learned more about the water they use everyday at the annual Athens Water Festival on Sept. 6. The event, held at Sandy Creek Park, aims to teach people more about where their water comes from and water conservation.
“I’m really glad that we get to take what we’re really passionate about, with water resources, and that we can provide that education and outreach to the greater Athens-Clarke County area,” said Sam Scalia, a University of Georgia water and soil resources major and volunteer at the festival.
The event drew around 1,300 people this year, which is larger than last year’s 1,100 attendees.
The water in Athens comes from three places: the Bear Creek Reservoir, the North Oconee River and the Middle Oconee River.
All of these water sources are surface level and are dependent on rainfall. This means even more conservation is needed when there is a drought.
“We need to work on getting a general community to just understand, first and foremost, that water is not unending,” said Clay Counts, a UGA Warnell College graduate student.
It’s a limited resource. And in fact, we are running out of drinkable water.”
The festival educates the local area on where the water in the community is from and what it does.
“From a toddler to someone you know in their 80s, everyone uses water every single day,” said Jackie Sherry, water conservation coordinator for Athens-Clarke County. “It’s one thing that unites us all.”
Sophia Stafford and Lauren Coughlin are journalism majors at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
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