Hundreds of students attend
Children’s Water Festival
By Isabel Rodriguez and Suzanne Michaels
At the 5th Annual Children’s Water Festival, 850 students and teachers from 5 local schools
converged on Young Park last Thursday to learn everything they could about water. It was all
part of a local event sponsored by Las Cruces Utilities (LCU).
“This annual event is all about hands on education of our youth. They need to know where our
water comes from and how it travels from deep in the earth to our homes,” says Rhonda Diaz,
the new water conservation
program coordinator for
LCU. “They need to
understand how people,
animals, and plants adapt to
conserving water in our arid
environment.”
Even though she’s always
been on the water
conservation “bandwagon,”
Diaz says, “My new position
has opened my eyes to even
more opportunities to save
water.”
The Children’s Water
Festival – featuring 20 different booths and presentations – is only possible thanks to the help of
volunteers from throughout LCU as well as other City Departments, in conjunction with the
Associated Students of New Mexico State University (ASNMSU), the Network Volunteer
Center, and the City of Las Cruces Museum System.
“A very important part of getting the water message to kids,” notes Diaz, “is they take home the
message and can share it with siblings, parents, and grandparents.”
If you have questions for Diaz, contact her at [email protected].
You can reach Las Cruces Utilities at 528-3500 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through
Friday. Las Cruces Utilities provides GAS – WATER – WASTEWATER – SOLID
WASTE services to approximately 100,000 Las Cruces residents.
CAPTIONS
PHOTO 1: Hundreds of third and fourth graders from five schools in Las Cruces attended this
year’s 5th Annual Children’s Water Festival, sponsored by LCU. The aim of the Festival is to
help youth better understand water topics and their importance.