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High school programs
The Wastewater Treatment Division offers free water education programs for high school students at our Woodinville and Renton facilities and in the classroom. Program descriptions are available below.
Registration is open for the 2024-25 school year!
Register for a field trip here.
Note: Please register for a program at the facility that is located closest to your school.
South Plant (Renton)
Water Systems and You
- Wastewater treatment plant tour: 2 hours
In this program, students will learn about what’s in wastewater, where their wastewater goes and how the modern King County treatment system came to be. Through an interactive walking tour of the treatment plant, students will gain an understanding of the process and challenges involved in cleaning wastewater, including the role they can play in protecting water quality. Surprises include learning about the resources recovered from wastewater and the variety of well-paying careers in the field!
Sustainable Water and Food Systems
- Wastewater treatment plant tour, CitySoil Farm tour, and service project: 4 hours
Students will complete the “Water Systems and You” program outlined above, then spend the afternoon in our sustainable agriculture demonstration farm. CitySoil Farm uses recycled resources (biosolids and recycled water) from the wastewater treatment process to grow over 4,000 pounds of produce every year for community food banks! Students will take a tour of the farm and learn about water conservation, climate change, and sustainable agriculture. Then, we’ll directly apply their new knowledge with a short, hands-on farm service-learning project.
Brightwater (Woodinville)
Water Systems and You
- Wastewater treatment plant tour: 2 hours
- Wastewater treatment plant tour with careers extension: 2.5 hours
In this program, students will learn about what’s in wastewater, where their wastewater goes and how the modern King County treatment system came to be. Through an interactive walking tour of the treatment plant, students will gain an understanding of the process and challenges involved in cleaning wastewater, including the role they can play in protecting water quality. Surprises include learning about the resources recovered from wastewater and the variety of well-paying careers in the field!
In-Classroom
Careers in Clean Water
- 50 minutes
Keeping waterways healthy within an urban environment is critical work, yet extremely challenging. From engineers to educators to electricians, it takes many types of jobs and skills to make it happen. This lesson will highlight the wide variety of careers available within wastewater treatment, including ones that are less obvious. The goal is to open more career possibilities and help students understand there’s a place for them in government and environmental work.