Here’s what attendees learned and saw at City’s ‘Water Discovery Day’

The City’s Department of Utilities recently posted a video of activities from the Sept. 7 “Water Discovery Day”

Crowds of families, couples and individuals braved the late-summer heat on Saturday, Sept. 7, to attend the City’s “Water Discovery Day,” where staff gave tours of the Sacramento River water treatment plant and showed off some of their heavy equipment.

Hosted by the Department of Utilities, the event was part of ongoing efforts to make residents aware of the work that goes into creating drinking water, as well as providing flood management and sewer services.

“We don’t get the opportunity to offer large tours like this very often, so we get pretty excited when we can invite the public at large to take a peek into our operations, especially the massive undertaking of producing and distributing drinking water,” said Utilities Director, Pravani Vandeyar.

Attendees learned how the City collects water from the Sacramento River and — through a series of settling basins, filters and disinfection steps — makes it safe to drink. About 80 percent of City drinking water comes from the Sacramento and American rivers and up to 20 percent comes from groundwater wells.

A young attendee helps City water distribution staff “repair” a pipe at the event demonstration area.

Alfred Wong, who attended the event with his family, said he was shocked at the amount of work that goes into making drinking water.

“It was amazing,” Wong said. “I think these types of events should happen more often. It was a great opportunity to educate our kids.”

Other attendees were surprised by the sights and environment of the treatment plant.

“My favorite part was watching the colors of the water change; you could see it change foot by foot,” said Christian Johnson, who attended with his family of three. “You really get a sense and feel connected to the process.”

Johnson’s partner, Kim, said she was impressed by demonstration stations, which included a pipe repair, trucks that “vacuum” out clogged storm drains and drones that inspect levees during storms. Dozens of informational booths also helped educate attendees about other water-related topics, such as conservation and protecting stormwater quality.

Bob Thomas, who attended with his wife, said he was impressed by the staff hosting the event. “Everyone was friendly and knowledgeable,” he said.

Vandeyar says she hopes to be able to offer more events like Water Discovery Day, but the secure nature of a water treatment plant means attendance will always be limited.

“Our event was actually full within an hour of it being announced, so the demand is there,” she said. “We just need to figure out how we can offer more opportunities like this in the future.”

The Department of Utilities is scheduled to host a water conservation event in late-September and the annual Highwater Jamboree flood preparedness event in October.