Twist the faucet. Flip the switch. Flush the toilet. Like magic, each action makes something happen in your home several times a day. But what and how? Each year, more than 4,000 grade-schoolers get to discover the utilitarian magic hidden behind each of these ordinary everyday acts.
From October until June, the Clark Public Utilities’ student education program provides free field trip opportunities for classes to tour the utility’s operations center and learn about electricity and water conservation. By reimbursing the cost of busing students, the utility helps stretch school district budgets.
Shortly after school starts so does the field trip season. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays the utility offers a two-hour tour starting at 9:30 a.m.
“We aim our tours at fourth- and fifth-graders, because their school science curriculums are highlighting water and electricity,” said Heather Allmain, communications services manage for the utility. “To tie the real world and classroom together, we make our tours as hands-on as possible.”
A video presentation provides background information about the utility, the types of jobs employees do and explains electric power generation. Students get a chance to pull back the curtains on the utility with a walk through the warehouse, recycling area and truck bays.
When students examine utility trucks up close, tour guides point out the “Safe Watch” logo, and explain that employees in those vehicles can offer assistance, first aid or can call for help on their cellphones and radios.
Electrical safety is an important theme. “If the students recall just one thing, I want it to be safety,” said Cory Phares, an energy-efficiency analyst who sometimes gives the electrical portion of the presentation and took the tour himself as a grade-schooler. He wants students to remember three things:
Downed lines are dangerous. When you see a wire down, don’t touch it. By looking at one, you can’t tell if it’s a phone line, electrical line or a “dead” line. Instead, find an adult to report the downed line by calling 360-992-8000, 360-992-3000 or 911.
Substations house dangerous equipment and high-voltage power lines. If a toy accidentally goes over a substation fence do not retrieve it yourself. Just call Clark Public Utilities, 360-992-3000, and we’ll retrieve it for you.
Never climb substation fences, power poles or even trees with power lines in them. You should also steer clear of the green utility boxes in your neighborhoods — maybe even in your own yard. They are called pad-mount transformers and they manage the flow of electricity from underground power lines for use in your home. A lot of electricity goes in and out of them, which can make them dangerous if played on or around.
Hair-raising experience
On the tour, students learn about power generation, electricity distribution and conservation. Kids even get a chance to experience electricity and magnetism firsthand with a hair-raising Van de Graaf generator.
Given that Clark Public Utilities provides water to more than 30,000 customers — as well as electricity — students also learn about drinking water and how to protect it through environmental stewardship.
To demonstrate how the water cycle works, students get to place grit and oil on a topographic map with farmland, streams, a dog park and a city. Instead of a Northwest shower, a watering can shows how waste matter filters into our water supply from all these areas if we are not careful.
The available tour dates go faster than a magician’s hands dealing cards. So teachers wanting to book a tour need to quickly put in their request on the utility website by going to the community involvement tab and then the student education program field trip on the website. Or teachers may contact Martha Foley, communications coordinator at the utility, and host for the tours by email at studenteducationprogram@clarkpud.com.
Energy adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
