What do you remember about your school science projects? Have you had to help your own kids come up with an idea lately? The projects are getting more interesting—or at least more focused on water issues.  

A group of high school students in Texas recently received a $5,000 grant to create a rain garden on their school campus. They dug a trench, conducted soil infiltration testing, researched plants, and created the rain garden, which has so far captured an estimated 2,000 gallons of runoff, including runoff diverted from campus rooftops. At least one student quoted in the article says the project has made him consider studying civil engineering.  

Another recent article highlights a Florida student who won an international science fair—with a prize, coincidentally, of $5,000—for a project on phytoremediation to remove heavy metals from stormwater runoff.  

Last month, EPA announced the winners of the Campus RainWorks Challenge, now in its seventh year. The challenge asks college students to design green infrastructure practices for their campuses. Some, including a first-place winner from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, also involved the wider community, with plans to reduce flooding and improve resilience throughout the region. You can read more about the winners and find links to videos of the proposed projects here.  

Are you aware of educational projects at any level that focus on water quality? What do you think is the earliest grade level at which teachers can realistically start incorporating hands-on stormwater and water-quality projects into the curriculum?