The Water Wheel - Coachella Valley Water District

The Water Wheel
Published by Coachella Valley Water District to develop responsible water users for tomorrow.
 Spring 2016
Excellence in water science awards presented to valley students
This year, educators again had the privilege of judging and selecting students whose projects demonstrated excellence in water science.
Generally, there is no shortage of projects that include some aspect of water. We truly enjoy the diversity of projects that we see annually
and this year was no exception. Part of the focus in judging this year was to see if the students had truly followed the scientific process by
stating a specific problem and hypothesis with one variable that changed while keeping all others constant, to observe changes in their
outcomes. We are pleased to share with you the winners of CVWD’s Excellence in Water Science awards.
Private Schools
Danna Ruppel, 7 grade at Desert Christian Academy. Project: Cups to Clouds. Danna put together a
solid, straight forward science experiment that asks the question, “Do all liquids evaporate at the same rate?”
Her hypothesis was that liquids with additives would evaporate at different rates. To test the hypothesis,
Danna poured equal portions of different liquids: Monster Energy Drink, apple juice, soda, green tea and
water into uniform sets of cups. The cups were placed outside and measurements were recorded daily. Data
confirmed Dana’s hypotheses. Liquids containing sugars and sodium evaporated at different rates than water.
Science Teacher: Vivy Mathews.
th
Coachella Valley Unified School District
Esperanza Figueroa, 5 grade at Westside Elementary School. Project: Which freezes faster, cold,
hot or warm water? Esperanza was testing a theory she read about called the “Mpemba Effect” where a
Tanzanian student discovered that, when making ice cream, hot water froze more quickly than cold water.
Although she was aware of the Mpemba Effect, Esperanza believed that cold water would freeze more
quickly than hot water and stated that in her hypothesis. After several tests using cold, warm and hot
water, her hypothesis was not proved but rather the opposite, that hot water freezes faster than cold water.
Science Teacher: Vidal Tafoya.
th
Desert Sands Unified School District
Bryan Chang, 6th grade at Sacred Heart Catholic School. Project: Can the Moringa Oleifera Seed Save the
Salton Sea? Bryan investigated the Moringa Oleifera seed’s ability to reduce hydrogen sulfide (the rotten egg
smell) and desalinate Salton Sea water. He created a filter medium by removing the seed’s husk and pulverizing
the seeds. After running several tests with different amounts of pulverized seeds, and checking for hydrogen
sulfide and salinity levels, Bryan was able to demonstrate that the Moringa Oleifera seeds were an effective filter.
The project was thorough, detailed and complete with extensive, valid research and multiple tests.
Science Teacher: Pattie Dickenson.
Palm Springs Unified School District
Alexa Gamble, 8th grade at Raymond Cree Middle School. Project: Think Before You Drink. Alexa
observed someone at a public park holding their dog up and letting it drink from the drinking fountain.
She began to wonder what the optimal time would be for household bleach to disinfect drinking
fountains. Her hypothesis was that the longer the bleach was in contact with the fountain, the greater
the disinfection would be. She tested samples taken at two, five and ten minutes. Her hypothesis was not
proven because the data revealed that five minutes was the optimal time to disinfect the fountain, not ten.
Science Teacher: Clint Wyatt
Palm Desert Charter Middle School students get on the road, lear
In February, nearly 500 7th grade students
from Palm Desert Charter Middle School
(PDCMS) had the opportunity to learn
about what began as the economic
backbone of the Coachella Valley – farming
and agriculture.
A quick walk through the David Harbison
Lush & Efficient Garden lead the students
to the Control Room where they were able
to see how every aspect of water within
the district’s boundaries is monitored and
controlled through microwave telemetry.
done in the Coachella Valley. Many of the
students had never seen this part of the
valley before.
Over the course of three days, nine buses
filled with students, teachers and parent
chaperones visited various agriculture-related
facilities. Before leaving PDCMS, the
students received a brief history of the area
surrounding their campus and how it was
once covered with date and citrus orchards
rather than all the homes we see today.
A visit to the Coachella Canal let the students
experience the wonder of how a 123-mile
long canal can flow exclusively by gravity to
its final destination at Lake Cahuilla in La
Quinta.
A visit to a farm gave the students a better
understanding of how micro-irrigation is
a highly efficient way to farm in the hot
desert climate of the Coachella Valley. From
the farm, they travelled to a refrigeration
and packing facility where lemons were
being packed and readied for shipment to
destinations around the globe.
The view from the canal, overlooking the
agricultural area, gave the students a greater
appreciation for how much farming is
A final stop at Lake Cahuilla gave the
students some time to relax, and have lunch
before heading back to school.
Buses were boarded and the students headed
to CVWD’s office where they learned about
how the salty desert soil has been transformed
into land that can produce high quality crops
and how Colorado River water is delivered
from the Coachella Canal to each 40-acre
parcel of farmland.
The Water Wheel
Published by Coachella Valley Water District
Spring 2016
Board of Directors
John Powell, Jr.
G. Patrick O’Dowd
Ed Pack
Peter Nelson
Cástulo Estrada
General Manager
Jim Barrett
Communication & Conservation Director
Heather Engel
Editor
Maureen Perry
Photographers
Maureen Perry & parent contributors
Contact information
P.O. Box 1058
Coachella, CA 92236
Phone: (760) 398-2651
Fax: (760) 568-1788
www.cvwd.org or www.waterfun4kids.org
Printed on 30% recycled paper.
Please recycle this publication.
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The Water Wheel

Spring 2016
Above: Students to take a stroll through the David Harbison Lush and Efficient Garden in Coachella.
Below: Bob Keeran explains how Colorado River water that is used for agricultural irrigation is delivered to
farms using gravity.
www.cvwd.org
rn about agriculture, farm water delivery and see a packing house
Top: Students hear about how micro-irrigation is a very efficient irrigation practice that uses only enough water to keep the plants alive without waste.
Middle: A view from the catwalk through the packing plant allowed students to see how complex the preparation, packing and shipping process can be.
Bottom: Students show off the free bag of lemons they received as they left the Bagdasarian processing, packing and refrigeration facility in Mecca.
www.cvwd.org
Spring 2016

The Water Wheel
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All artwork entries will be displayed in CVWD’s Operations Building
for most of May and June to celebrate Water Awareness Month
Prizes will be awarded to the winners at the Wildlands Conservancy’s Water Celebration event on Saturday
May 14, 2016. Wildlands Conservancy is located at 9160 Whitewater Canyon Rd., Whitewater, CA 92282
Winners should show up for the Awards Ceremony at 11:00 a.m.
(Prizes will be awarded to the best within the grades of K-2, 3-6 and 7-12).
Art contest guidelines:
Age limit: Open to K-12
Theme: Anything that makes people aware of our most
precious resource --- WATER
Art type: Drawing or painting
Paper size: Paper must be no larger than 18 by 20 inches.
Drawing/painting media: Crayon, marker, pencil, pen
ink, watercolor, finger paint or acrylic paint. (Mixed media
acceptable).
Submission deadline: To be considered for judging, artwork
must be submitted by Thursday, May 5th.
How to submit artwork: In person: Artwork may be dropped
off at CVWD offices: 75515 & 75525 Hovley Lane East, Palm

Entry form:
First & last name
(Student)
Phone Number
• The entry form at the bottom of this page must be
submitted with the artwork.
• Artwork will not be returned unless requested.
• Photos of winners with their artwork will be published
in CVWD’s newsletter, The Water Wheel. This newsletter is
published for educators.
• Artwork will be displayed at CVWD’s Operations Building
located at 75525 Hovley Lane East, Palm Desert 92211.
For more information call CVWD at (760) 398-2651.
• Submission deadline is Thursday, May 5, 2016. Artwork
submitted after May 5 will not be considered for judging.
• Artwork will be displayed at CVWD’s Operations Building for
most of May and June to celebrate Water Awareness Month.
Grade level
Email address
By mail: PO Box 1058, Coachella, CA
• This entry form must be submitted with artwork.
Name of school
First & last name
Desert or 51505 Tyler St., Coachella.
(Parent)
(Parent)
(Parent)
• Please note: Artwork will not be returned unless requested.
• Photos of winners with their artwork will be published
in CVWD’s newsletter, The Water Wheel. This newsletter is
published for educators.
2
All artwork entries will be displayed in CVWD’s Operations Building
for most of May and June to celebrate Water Awareness Month
Prizes will be awarded to the winners at the Wildlands Conservancy’s Water Celebration event on Saturday
May 14, 2016. Wildlands Conservancy is located at 9160 Whitewater Canyon Rd., Whitewater, CA 92282
Winners should show up for the Awards Ceremony at 11:00 a.m.
(Prizes will be awarded to the best within the grades of K-2, 3-6 and 7-12).
Art contest guidelines:
Age limit: Open to K-12
Theme: Anything that makes people aware of our most
precious resource --- WATER
Art type: Drawing or painting
Paper size: Paper must be no larger than 18 by 20 inches.
Drawing/painting media: Crayon, marker, pencil, pen
ink, watercolor, finger paint or acrylic paint. (Mixed media
acceptable).
Submission deadline: To be considered for judging, artwork
must be submitted by Thursday, May 5th.
How to submit artwork: In person: Artwork may be dropped
off at CVWD offices: 75515 & 75525 Hovley Lane East, Palm

Entry form:
First & last name
(Student)
Phone Number
• The entry form at the bottom of this page must be
submitted with the artwork.
• Artwork will not be returned unless requested.
• Photos of winners with their artwork will be published
in CVWD’s newsletter, The Water Wheel. This newsletter is
published for educators.
• Artwork will be displayed at CVWD’s Operations Building
located at 75525 Hovley Lane East, Palm Desert 92211.
For more information call CVWD at (760) 398-2651.
• Submission deadline is Thursday, May 5, 2016. Artwork
submitted after May 5 will not be considered for judging.
• Artwork will be displayed at CVWD’s Operations Building for
most of May and June to celebrate Water Awareness Month.
Grade level
Email address
By mail: PO Box 1058, Coachella, CA
• This entry form must be submitted with artwork.
Name of school
First & last name
Desert or 51505 Tyler St., Coachella.
(Parent)
(Parent)
(Parent)
• Please note: Artwork will not be returned unless requested.
• Photos of winners with their artwork will be published
in CVWD’s newsletter, The Water Wheel. This newsletter is
published for educators.