Temecula Students Author And Illustrate Water Conservation Book

The following is a news release from Eastern Municipal Water District: 

Eastern Municipal Water District is proud to announce the release of its latest student-produced children’s book that focuses on the role that recycled water plays within our community.

“Professor Purrkis Ponders Purple Pipes” is the sixth book authored by area middle school students as part of EMWD’s award-winning “Write Off” contest. The program encourages students to create books for grade school students that focus on water quality and conservation.

EMWD partners with Rancho California Water District to present the annual contest.

Professor Purrkis will soon join the other EMWD books as being available for download for the iPad, Kindle Fire and Nook Color from www.emwd.org/ebooks. EMWD is the only water agency in California to produce e-books.

“Professor Purrkis” was written and illustrated by Temecula Middle School students Iliana Reyes and Alyssa Rossi. Temecula Middle School teacher Susan Sarkis served as their mentor/advisor.

Rossi and Reyes, who were honored at an EMWD awards ceremony, presented author readings at their former elementary schools in May. Roughly 350 students from eight different schools participated in the “Write Off” contest in 2012-13.

“These girls worked really hard for weeks on this,” EMWD Education Specialist Malea Ortloff said. “It was important to them to turn in a perfect project, and they did an amazing job.”

In the book, three students – Otis Turtle, Claire Bear and Presley Peacock – are given a homework assignment to create a poster about recycled water.

To learn more, the trio seeks the assistance of Professor Purrkis, who helps the students understand the process of turning wastewater into recycled water that can be used for beneficial purposes.

EMWD’s series of books, which focus on water quality and conservation, began in 2009 as part of a “Write Off” contest among area students. Since then, five of the previous six books have been written by area middle school students and all six have been illustrated by students from schools within EMWD’s service area.

The other books include “Gobi’s Adventure,” “Bartholomew Investigates how to Use Water Wisely,” “Otis the Turtle gets Water Wise,” “Cody the Crocodile Contemplates his Water Wise Propensity,” “Mabel the Mouse and Breezy Bird Learn About Tap Water Quality: It’s Good!” and “Gobi and Aguat Get Savvy about Water Quality.”

Eastern Municipal Water District is one of the state’s largest suppliers of recycled water, with more than 90 percent of its reclaimed water being recycled for beneficial use on agriculture, golf courses, parks and public landscaping. Recycled water is the high-quality effluent from the wastewater treatment process that has been disinfected and is safe for landscape and crop irrigation.

“As all water agencies face the reality of a limited water supply, it is important for us to help educate our stakeholders about the value of recycled water,” EMWD President Phil Paule said. “Bringing the message of recycled water to classrooms allows us to educate our students on this important topic and provide lessons they will carry with them for years to come.”

In conjunction with the release of the book, EMWD designs grade-level appropriate curriculum that will be used in classrooms across the region as part of EMWD’s extensive classroom education program.

EMWD’s Education Department will reach roughly 60,000 students throughout the school year with educational opportunities in classrooms and at EMWD facilities.

For more information on EMWD’s educational programs or to download the e-books, please visit www.emwd.org.