The Enviroscape watershed model is just one tool we use to teach students about water pollution, our rivers, sewer systems, and stormwater.

This summer, Pittsburgh Water dove headfirst into a season of dynamic educational outreach and engaging community presentations, bringing topics like the water treatment process, stormwater management, our sewer system, and environmental stewardship to learners of all ages. From hands-on experiments to televised presentations, our mission was to connect our community with our experts and the work they perform daily.

Stormwater Comes to Life at Camp: At the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, summer campers discovered how water and land are connected using our hands-on, 3D Enviroscape model. Students added various forms of mock pollution and simulated a sizable rain event to understand how pollution travels. Together, we learned how simple behavioral changes can prevent pollution and protect waterways and the environment. At Allegheny RiverTrail Park, Winchester Thurston School summer campers turned stormwater and sewer learning into play, with a sewer detective game that modeled how we identify and resolve sewer issues buried under ground.

Broadcasting Watershed Wisdom: We were excited to return to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s Dream Big Studios again this summer for another televised presentation. Young patients tuned in from their rooms to learn how watersheds work with fun demonstrations and discovered amazing facts about our sewers and stormwater.

Library Labs and Community Collabs: The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh hosted our popular Color Changin’ Chemistry Workshop at two branches, giving kids a chance to test and analyze water samples using a fun and safe color-changing indicator liquid.

Learning with Pittsburgh Water isn’t limited to school students; during collaborative community workshops this summer, Pittsburgh Water brought stormwater, drinking water, and the sewers to life for all ages.

Pittsburgh Water teamed up with the Pennsylvania Resource Council and Allegheny Cleanways for “Eco Scouts,” a community presentation focused on waste, watersheds, stormwater management, and the journey of river water through the water treatment process.

Attendees of the inaugural “Pittsburgh’s Got the Runs” event, hosted by the Mon Water Project, joined us for a keynote presentation about the city’s sewer history, current infrastructure, and ongoing improvements.

Education and Outreach Associate Holly Bomba

Dive Deeper Summit: Capping off a season of impact, Holly Bomba presented at the Dive Deeper Summit in Harrisburg this September. This biennial water education conference brings educators from across the state of Pennsylvania together for a gathering dedicated to water education, networking, and innovation. Holly’s presentation, titled Hometown H2O Heritage: Connecting Diverse Audiences with Shared Water Stories, explores how place-based, hyper-local water narratives can foster connections in communities. Using Pittsburgh’s infrastructure and waterways as a case study, attendees discovered how a hometown water story can build bridging capital, meet educational standards and goals, while inspiring water stewardship across diverse learners.