Water Works!
A Drinking Water Institute for Educators Agenda

A Project of the Minnesota Department of Health Drinking Water Protection Section and the Education Committee of the Minnesota Section American Water Works Association in conjunction with the Hamline University Center for Global Environmental Education.

The agenda from the 2024 Drinking Water Institute is below. The 2025 agenda will be posted when it is available.

2024 Drinking Water Institute agenda

St. Paul Regional Water Services

Monday, July 29, 2024

• Welcome, Introductions, Institute Overview, Logistics, Course Requirements, and Action Plan – Lee Schmitt, Hamline University (retired)
• Prior Knowledge – Group work on pre-test, discussion, and question development
• Water Investigation and Debrief
• Water Plant Welcome and St. Paul Water Story – Racquel Vaske, St. Paul Regional Water Services (SPRWS)
• Drinking Water Is a Big Deal – Stew Thornley, Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)
• Primer in Water Treatment Chemistry – Justine Roe and Jeremy Erickson, SPRWS
• Tour of St. Paul Regional Water Services Treatment Facility
• St. Paul Water Distribution System – Todd Blomstrom, SPRWS
• Tour of Lead Replacement Site – Kirill Maloylo, SPRWS

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

• Debrief of Previous Day, Sharing Questions and Concepts – Lee Schmitt
• Lab Tour and Water Sample Testing – Justine Roe and Jeremy Erickson
• Well Drilling 101 – David Henrich, Minnesota Water Well Association
• Water Careers - Michelle Stockness, Freshwater
• Water Activities Rotation – John Olson, Minnesota Department of Education (retired) and Janine Kohn, Minnesota Project WET

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

• Debrief of Previous Day and All the Water in the World – Lee Schmitt
• Fluoride in Drinking Water – Ndekela Sakala, MDH 
• The Water Beneath Us: Minnesota Aquifers – Julia Steenberg, Minnesota Geological Survey
• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyls and Minnesota Water – Tannie Eshenaur, MDH
• Community Connections and Resources – Area Water Superintendents
• Tackling the Global Water Crisis through Service Learning – Judy Onufer, H2O for Life, and Mitchell Legrand, Educational Programs Manager
• The Urban Water Cycle: A Resource for Teachers
• Group Work on Action Plans
• Set Date for Follow-up Session, Evaluation, Closure