Operation Water Drop (OWD) is available to Elementary and High School teachers

New for 2009-2010!  Every OWD kit will come with a complimentary "Downstream" DVD.  For more information about "Downstream" please click here

Elementary teachers can demonstrate eight scientific tests on their own community drinking water: Alkalinity, Ammonia, Colour, Residual Chlorine, Copper, pH, Sulphate and Total Hardness. The students learn the basic need for testing their water to avoid health concerns and how bugs can grow in their water. Elementary teachers can compare the results of their own community drinking water to the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines, and to US and European Drinking Water Regulations.

High School teachers can guide their students to work in groups and test for the above eight compounds, as well as an additional five analytical tests: Arsenic, Heterotrophic Plate Count, Iron, Manganese and Nitrate. Students can compare their local water to three other sample waters as well as to a control medium. The other water samples should include an Urban treated drinking water, a Rural treated drinking water and a Raw untreated source water, and then to compare results from these waters to their own community drinking water. If teachers are unable to obtain these other sample waters, SDWF will supply them with the OWD kit for an additional $20 to cover postage. High school students test all of these waters for a total of 13 different parameters, and compare the results of their own community drinking water to the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines, and to US and European Drinking Water Regulations.

How it works

Lesson plans are available online, for review and for teachers to print prior to receiving or ordering the OWD kit – OWD analysis kits are available on the following distribution dates and are time sensitive, the teacher should plan to have students conduct all tests as soon as possible after kits arrive.

Operation Water Drop Dates for Distribution of kits - Elementary and/or High School kits

2010: September 20, October 4, October 18, November 1 & November 15.

2011: March 7, March 21, April 4, April 18, May 2, May 16 & May 30.

Cost

Operation Water Drop is available for a cost recovery fee of:

Elementary (Grades 4 - 8): $70.00
High Schools (Grades 9 - 12): $140.00

*Please note CAD funds for Canadian schools and US funds for US schools.

Green Street provides sponsorship for Operation Water Drop to Schools/Teachers. There are a limited number of kits available through this sponsorship. Visit the Green Street website for more information.

Please note: ordering through Green Street is available to Canadian Schools only.

Many chapters of TD Friends of Environment have provided funding for schools to receive Operation Water Drop . Email the SDWF to request your school be funded by the TD Friends of Environment chapter nearest you. There are a limited number of kits available through this sponsorship. Please note: requesting a kit through TD Friends of the Environment Sponsorship is available to Canadian Schools only.

How to Order a Water Quality Kit for Operation Water Drop

If you are ordering from the USA or are a group/individual that is not associated with a school: Currently SDWF, does not have sponsorship for kit orders from the USA or for individuals/groups that are not associated with a School. To order an OWD kit please fill in an Order Form

Please make payment by cheque or money order to:

Safe Drinking Water Foundation
#1-912 Idylwyld Drive North
Saskatoon, SK S7L 0Z6

If you subscribe to online banking you may like to send an email transfer which is very secure, fast and efficient, and available under "transfers" from all leading banks in Canada, in which case we ask that you email our communication department. Payment of the kit must be received prior to shipping. If you are ordering from the USA or from Canada, please ensure that payment is in Canadian funds. If you are ordering from the US please send an additional $8.00 to cover shipping and handling.

*Reminder: Many of the reagents and standards in the test kit have a limited shelf life. Some of the reagents are also light sensitive. For best results, keep test kit in a cool and dark place until you are ready to use it. Use your test kit as soon as possible upon receiving it.

This project has been made possible by the generous support of the following donors: