The Henry County Water Authority (HCWA) was one of five metro Atlanta water utilities to be recognized by the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District (Metro Water District) with its annual STREAM Award. The Authority was honored for its Rain to Drain education program for local teachers.

The Metro Water District’s STREAM Awards salute programs and projects of excellence put on by water utilities across the Atlanta Region. Utilities honored with a STREAM Award have demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovative water resource management.

STREAM Awards honor projects completed by Metro Water District members that are Sustainable, Thoughtful, Regional, Engaging, Applicable, and Measured (STREAM). Each year, the Metro Water District applies the STREAM Award to different planning areas, with this year reflecting the best projects and practices by members in water resource management.

The HCWA received an honorable mention STREAM Award for its Rain to Drain workshops, which are held annually during the summer for a select group of teachers from Henry County Schools. Since the start of the program five years ago, Rain to Drain has educated approximately 70 teachers on how STEM curricula can be enhanced in their classrooms by introducing students to the water treatment process. As a result, teachers and HCWA staff attest to the value of experiential learning that can take place through the use of HCWA facilities and operations to bring STEM curricula to life.
The HCWA Rain to Drain Workshops began in 2017, through a partnership between the Authority and Henry County Schools. During the week-long workshops, teachers tour the Authority’s Tussahaw Water Treatment Plant, the Walnut Creek Water Reclamation Facility, the Engineering Division, and the Cubihatcha Outdoor Education Center.

During the Rain to Drain Workshops, the Authority provides teachers with hands-on activities that can be used in the classroom. As a result of the Rain to Drain Workshops, the Authority also extends invitations for teachers to bring their students on field trips to HCWA facilities throughout the school year, to further highlight applied science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

These most recent STREAM Awards come on the heels of the Metro Water District’s 20th Anniversary in 2021, which celebrated metro Atlanta communities working together to address the region’s water challenges.