Wanna see where your water comes from and where it goes when it's dirty?
Team up with a Tucson Water official and spend some hours touring their grounds for free, while learning about the area's water issues.
From Gates Pass, the Clearwater Renewable Resources Facility's huge ponds in Avra Valley resemble more a fata morgana than a part of the Old Pueblo's water supply.
But they become reality as soon as Joaquim Delgado, a Tucson Water spokesman, opens a large gate to enter the facility.
Delgado parks his van on a gravel lot between the round reservoirs, and whips out a colorful array of interactive teaching materials and folding chairs for the handful of people he brought along.
"If you don't mind to be the children today," he says to the mostly older audience before engaging them in a lecture that included hands-on activities, water tasting and a short detour into the hot and steamy inside of a covered reservoir.
People are also reading…
"Science education wasn't fun for me (in college), so everything I do has that in mind," he says after the tour. "I try to make it as interesting and as close to reality as possible to bring in some information that's relevant for people."
Delgado started his public education odyssey 6 1/2 years ago. It's part of his job to address not only fun and easy issues, but also to challenge people's opinions about water use.
"I want our kids to know that there is no way to sustain our community without changing our behavior and using water more efficiently," he says, adding that it's important to let the people know about the issues and problems Tucson Water deals with. Because it's part of the city of Tucson, the public has a right to be involved in decision-making processes, he said.
Most on the tour say they enjoy their time and learn a lot about water resources.
"I never anticipated anything like this. It was amazing," says Jeanne Strahorn. "Water is really the basis of life, and there are so many misconceptions about it."
All three members of the Strahorn family say they found the tour fun and educational. Daughter Kathy, mom Jeanne and dad Keith say they are glad they now know what those ponds are in the middle of Avra Valley.
An hour and a half after finishing at the Clearwater Facility, Delgado pulls up at the Roger Road Wastewater Treatment Plant for another tour with about a dozen Pima Community College students of the Humanity and the Environment anthropology class.
While talking about waste-water treatment, Tucson's water usage, chlorine and bacteria, Delgado guides the students from site to site, using fun anecdotes to teach them about the facility and nearby Sweetwater Wetlands.
As they hold their noses in disgust at the rather strong smell, he tells them the waste-water's methane accounts for 85 percent of the facility's energy needs.
At another place, the cleaned water is surging out of a large pipe, instantly turning the Santa Cruz's arid bed into a flowing river.
"A few hours after Super Bowl halftime we get the most effluent in a whole year," Delgado says.
The tour was a little smelly but informative for Jayson Arter, a PCC business management sophomore.
"It's very educational," he says. "We've gotten lots of insight. I'm impressed."
Arter says he's most impressed with the wetlands' biodiversity, adding that before the tour he had no idea how they really worked.
"It's beautiful. I'd come back if the smell wasn't so powerful," he says.
QUICK TAKE
Tour of Tucson Water facilities
When: Tours are available upon request, and reservations are required. To schedule a tour, call Joaquim Delgado at 791-5080, Ext. 1461, or visit www.ci.tucson. az.us/water/public_tours.htm online.
Where: Tours can be scheduled of the Roger Road Wastewater Treatment Plant and Sweetwater Wetlands, the Central Arizona Project Water Treatment Plant, or the Clearwater Renewable Resources Facility. All three sites can be visited or just one, depending on your interest. During the tour, you ride in a Tucson Water van.
Cost: Free.
Et cetera: The tours are outdoors and require a minimum amount of walking.