Operation Water Drop (OWD)

Order OWD kits now!

Every OWD kit comes with a complimentary "Downstream" DVD.

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 Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality, and to U.S. 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 water samples, 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 Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality, and to U.S. and European Drinking Water Regulations.

The Operation Water Drop program is available in English and in French.

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 Remaining Dates for Distribution of Kits 2012-2013 School Year

 2013: May 13 and May 27

Cost

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

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

Imagineaction provides sponsorship for Operation Water Drop kits to be sent to schools/teachers. There are a limited number of kits available through this sponsorship. Visit the Imagineaction website (http://www.imagine-action.ca/) for more information.

Please note: ordering through Imagineaction is available to Canadian schools only.

Other sponsors such as TD Bank Group have provided funding for sponsored kits to be sent to schools. E-mail the Safe Drinking Water Foundation to find out whether a sponsored kit is available for your school.

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 complete and submit an Order Form available here: http://www.safewater.org/sales-order?lang=eng&program=owd.

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 want to send an e-mail 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 e-mail info@safewater.org. Payment of the kit must be received prior to shipping. If you are ordering from the USA please ensure that payment is in U.S. funds or if you are ordering from Canada please ensure that payment is in Canadian funds.

*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 the test kit in a cool and dark place until you are ready to use it. Use the kit fairly soon after receiving it.

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