Several employees of the Peachtree City Water and Sewer Authority pitched in recently to help students learn more about engineering water-related projects.
Technical Services Manager Keisha Lisbon Thorpe and General Manager Stephen Hogan joined Brown and Caldwell Engineer Andy Patceg and 24 other volunteers to present the first state model water tower competition earlier this fall.
Middle school students from all over metro Atlanta built model water towers that were judged according to their structural efficiency, cost efficiency, hydraulic functionality, and design ingenuity.
Some 40 students participated in the effort to build the structures using household items. The goal of the friendly competition is to educate students about the water treatment process and the importance of properly designed and operated infrastructure, with the water tower serving as an example.
The Model Water Tower Competition was started by the Florida Section of the American Water Works Association in 2004. Since that time, a number of states have sponsored similar competitions, with the Georgia section of AWWA and GAWP joining the ranks in 2012.
“We were excited about the opportunity to help organize the first statewide Model Water Tower Competition in Georgia, because we saw this as an opportunity to educate our young people about what we do and its importance to their everyday lives,” says Stephen Hogan, PCWASA General Manager. “If we also can help them gain an appreciation for science and the water and sewer industry, they’ll be prepared to oversee the community’s infrastructure when that time comes in their future.”
