About WET | Program Planning | Events | Outcome and Evaluations
Project WET ( W ater E duca T ion for Alabama ) provides off-campus environmental and water-education activities designed to increase the appreciation, knowledge, conservation, and protection of water resources by K-12 students and teachers. WET is affiliated with the Auburn University Environmental Institute's ( AUEI ) Black Belt Environmental Science and Arts Program ( BBESAP ) . The project is structured around a variety of indoor and outdoor activities held at Auburn University 's E. V. Smith Center ( EVSRC) in Macon County . The hosting center has easy access to surface water (ponds, wetlands, streams)and groundwater (through nested wells facilities), and offers a facility to hold laboratory setups for basic hydrologic experiments (e.g., aquifer models, permeameter, water quality). In these educational events, students and teachers come to the EVSRC to learn about groundwater flow and its interaction with surface water in an aquifer tank, hydrologic properties (porosity and permeability) of different aquifer materials (sands, gravels, and clays), and ways to assess water quality (water quality probes, testing kits, and aquifer tests). Our ultimate goal is to help this educational audience become knowledgeable about surface water and groundwater so they can identify “safe” aquifer zones, where sustainable, clean water resources are available for long-term development and use. The project is designed and organized by the Department of Geology and Geography and Environmental Institute of Auburn University, with support from the AU Outreach Program.