Phoenix students help conserve water by auditing school's faucets

PHOENIX - More than two hundred Arizona junior high school students are working to make the water faucets at their school more efficient.

This Friday, teams of seventh graders at Orangedale Jr. High Prep Academy in Phoenix’s Balsz School District will audit their school’s water system by testing and installing aerators to help conserve water.

The project, which will be conducted under the guidance of the Nature Conservancy , Arizona Project WET , and volunteers from Salt River Project, will also help teach students about the rivers from where their tap water originates.

According to a March Nature Conservancy poll , 77 percent of Americans do not know from where their tap water comes.

Students will check for leaky pipes and measure water flow from the faucets. They will use pliers to remove existing aerators and install new, low-flow aerators to improve efficiency and conserve water.