WATER OPERATORS: DELIVERING SAFE WATER EVERY DAY CAREER DAY Help Jamie show her friends how her dad keeps our water safe every day! ------- ------- Today is career day at Springside Elementary School. Adults are here today explaining what they do all day long, from lawyers to bakers and teachers to electricians. Jamie sits down with her friends, Marcus and Kate, for lunch. Well, I want to be a doctor! When I grow up, I want to be a firefighter! What about you Jamie? What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a WATER OPERATOR just like my dad! Water operators are heroes! Have you ever imagined what would happen if we didn't have water, even for just one day? Don t you want to be a hero like us? Water Operators, like Jamie's dad, help make sure we have safe, clean water every day. ------- Crack the Code Decode the answers to the questions below. J U L ~ ~ c 1 A B C D E F G n r a lj l _d ~ H I J K L M N E F1 F V > < O P Q R S T U A V > < A V W X Y Z Question 1: What do police officers, firefighters and paramedics have in common with water operators? Answer: >niH< J F ~ JLk E F F V > FEIV^EHZIEFV Question 2: What do hospitals, first responders, firefighters, power plants, schools and homes need every day? Answer: > |"| ~ ~ 0 > T F ~ |_E_d_d<0r>< ~ ~ ~ ~ V vj cn ~ f r ~ lj r ~ ~i vj>d f j ~ ~ VJV>DVJ>DF V~FA T l_ ~ V c ¦S0OIAJSS J0}BM0}SBM pUB J9)BM Bu|>|uup sjbs spaau ytyuniuiuoo 0ji}U0 ai|i :z uopano 'sjepuodssj }sj|j ||e aie Asm: i uousano A3X y3MSNV J ------- Imagine a Day without Water At school, ^ the water fountain on the playground would not work. r And it would be ^ even worse at home! Without water, we couldn't shower, brush our teeth . or even flush the toilet! Without water, firefighters couldn't put out a fire. Without water we couldn't get our favorite flavors of ice cream from the shop in town, because they wouldn't be able to stay open. ------- Maze Follow your water through each step of the water system from start to finish. The answer key at the back of the activity book will allow you to review your responses. Tell an adult if you see a leaky faucet. 3 STORAGE TANK WATER SOURCE 41 HOMES-BUSINESSES ^¦1 L^, *|r, K 2 WATER TREATMENT PLANT 5 WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT 6 RIVER ------- Behind the Scenes: Delivering Water Services WATER TREATMENT PLANT * * * M Q My dad and other water operators test the lake water for POLLUTANTS before it goes to the water treatment plant. The water treatment plant gets our water from Springside Lake. Water sources include streams, lakes, rivers and underground water. Sometimes there are substances in this water that can make it unsafe to drink or to use for cooking or cleaning. These are called pollutants and are removed from the water before it gets to our homes. * drain and flows through pipes to the wastewater treatment plant. he water for cooking, cleaning and flushing the toilet, it is called WASTEWATER Wastewater is water that has been used to bathe, wash your hands, flush the toilet and prepare our food. Once the water is used, it flows out of our house in pipes on its way to the wastewater treatment plant. This plant takes water that people have used and removes the pollutants. ------- Spot the Difference Can you spot the six differences between these two pictures? Hint: One picture shows problems that can happen in a water distribution system. * * * Did you know? If wastewater isn t properly treated, it can pollute lakes and streams. ¦jsau painipd -g ¦}ue|d ]uaiu)eaj| j3)bms)sbm }e ||ids g ¦6u!>(jom )ou s| js^uuds J3)bm p ¦awoq Mopq >|eajq ady E >|ue) a6ejo}s j0)em pe6ewea z >|ue| sBejojs jejeM pue jue|d jusuneaj} jsjbm am uaa/vqaq >|eajq ujeiu ja)bm ' I A3X U3MSNV ------- Emergency Response and Recovery It sounds your dad is really busy! is, and when there are emergencies, he gets even busier! n Well, sometimes pipes can break and water can't get to our homes. Remember when Thomas' birthday party was canceled? Since the restaurant couldn't get water, they couldn't make pizza. What type of emergencies? My dad monitors the tanks and pipes and pumps to make sure CONTAMINANTS don't get into the water after it leaves the water treatment plant. He figures out where a problem might come from, then fixes it to make sure everyone's water is safe. Contaminants are things in the water that might make the water look funny or taste or smell bad, or might make you sick. They could be chemicals or germs. ------- Emergency Response and Recovery * What about that flood last year, Jamie? There was so much water everywhere; it was higher than our mailbox. Illilila Definitely! When flood water got into the water treatment plant, the power went out. Without power, water couldn't be treated. Some of the floodwater even mixed with clean water, making it unsafe to drink. 8 My dad got the electricity back on at the plant with a generator. Once he could power the machines and pumps, he was able to treat the water. ------- Crossword Complete the crossword by filling in a word that fits each clue. The answer key at the back of the activity book will allow you to review your responses. ACROSS 2. Items such as dirt, leaves and germs that water operators remove from drinking water. 3. Water that has been used by people for washing, flushing and cleaning. 6. Where water is held after treatment but before people use it (two words). 7. What everyone needs to do to make sure they are ready for a water emergency. DOWN 1. The person who provides safe drinking water for a community. 4. Pipes that take water from the treatment plant to homes, schools and other buildings (two words). 5. The number of gallons per person of bottled water you should have at your house in case of an emergency. 0 \ WORD BANK Water Operator Three Pollutants Storage Tank Wastewater Prepare Water Mains Community J 9 7 ------- Emergency Preparedness ------- Water Preparedness Quiz Test your knowledge by answering the questions below about water emergency response, recovery and preparedness at home and in your community. Work with a parent to help you find the right answers. 1. Do you know where your water comes from? A company or a well in your yard? 2. How much extra water should you keep at home in case there is a water emergency? 3. Who should you call if your water smells funny or tastes weird? Add this number to your emergency contact list. 4. How many gallons of water are lost every year due to water main breaks? A. 2.1 thousand gallons B. 2.1 million gallons C. 2.1 billion gallons D. 2.1 trillion gallons a Aep jad 'uosjad jad uo||e6 suo }sea| }e ajojg -3 A3X y3MSNV iy ------- Local Heroes Thanks for telling us all about what your dad does as a water operator, Jamie! I never knew how much he does to keep ^ us safe! ^ Your dad is definitely a hero! ANSWER KEY M3AM 9 iNvnd iNawivayi aaiwARLSVM S _LNV~ld iN3WiV3yi yaiVM t aoynos uaiVM x >1NV1 33VU01S £ pjOMSSOJQ 3Ze|/\| ------- ------- To learn more about the value of water visit: www.epa.gov/waterresilience. v> B>A Office of Water (4608T) EPA-817-K-19-002 December 2019 ------- |