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this page Well Wise Builds Giant Awesome Aquifer in Downtown Orono. Orono, ON - What do decorative stones, a four foot plexi-glass tube, and a rainbow of coloured sand have to do with the water cycle? Nothing, usually - but on June 30th these were the main ingredients used in building a giant Awesome Aquifer at the Well Wise Centre as part of Orono's 175th birthday celebration.  An aquifer is usually made up of water, sand, gravel, and rocks. More importantly, it is usually located underground since an aquifer is where groundwater comes from. Water moves through the underground layers before getting to water wells that rural Ontarians rely on for their drinking water supply. The Awesome Aquifer built on June 30th at the Well Wise Centre may not look like a traditional aquifer, but it is effective in demonstrating how the groundwater cycle works by showing how water traveled through the layers of red, green, yellow, and brown to create pathways so it could continue moving underground. "The idea behind the activity was not to create an exact replica of what an aquifer looks like; it was to provide a fun and interactive way to show how an aquifer and a well works. Generating interest is the first step toward encouraging greater appreciation, conservation, and preservation of groundwater and the water cycle in general," said Well Wise Executive Director Mary Jane Conboy. The event took place after the Calithumpian parade went by on Orono's Main Street. Parents and kids stopped by to see what the bags of coloured sand, buckets of water and a plexi-glass tube were doing out on the sidewalk. As people passed by, kids were invited to help fill the four foot plexi-glass tube - giant by a five-year-old's standards - with coloured sand, stones, and water to show how water travels underground before getting to their taps. The activity is part of the Well Wise Centre's community outreach work in which it aims to provide education about proper well maintenance and groundwater source protection. "People realize that we are a resource centre about wells, but we also aim to encourage source water protection. Since water is constantly moving underground, the water that you drink today may be the water your neighbour drinks tomorrow. That's why an activity like building an Awesome Aquifer is important: it not only demonstrates how the water cycle works, it also demonstrates the need to care for the water we use every day and encourages us to do our part in protecting groundwater from contamination," said Conboy. The Awesome Aquifer activity comes from an activity included in the US-based Science Olympiad. This activity has proven to be a great learning tool in the United States. It's showing it has great learning potential in Ontario as well. The Well Wise Centre has used this activity on several occasions to demonstrate how the water cycle works to school classrooms, but the Awesome Aquifer built on June 30th is the first 'giant' model that the Well Wise Centre has attempted. The giant aquifer is currently on display at the Well Wise Centre, located at 5331 Main Street, Orono Unit 2. The Well Wise Centre is a new non-profit organization dedicated to helping private well owners improve the state of their wells and our shared groundwater resources. The focus is on educating the public, providing support to professionals working with well owners and researching key issues relevant to private well owners. |
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