The Water Wars team formed in June 2019 and created on an amazing project!  Students implemented their project during the 2019-2020 school year. 

Watch the Water Wars Project Video on YouTube.

Team Members: Kedarius Hill, Tionna Clowers, Gavin Jacobs, Zion Weise, Spencer Hamblin, Julia Proctor, & Nykeria Greene

Team Coaches:  Ms. Proctor & Ms. Garvin 

This team competed in the Lexus Eco Challenge and won 10,000 as the Southeast Regional Winners.  Lexus Region Map

The team advanced to the National competition.  The team placed as one of the top 4 teams in the Nation. The team was awarded $15,000 by Lexus Eco Challenge as National WINNERS!  

Project Summary

For the first challenge, this resourceful group learned that: 80% of Atlanta’s water comes from the Chattahoochee River—one of the smallest rivers serving a major city; there is a moratorium on drilling wells in South Georgia; and that Georgia’s water issues are not an official part of state educational standards. In addition, they discovered 2019 data that showed Atlanta at the medium-to-high water stress level, which means the state of Georgia needs to prevent a water crisis. They decided to take action. Their answer: education. They predict that, in the next decade, water rights between Georgia, Florida, and Alabama are going to be a hot topic in the court system. Their theory: If students are educated about local water issues in school, they will be more involved with creating water-usage solutions and conservation efforts to prevent future shortages. After researching Georgia educational standards, the students concluded that this topic could be taught easily in Science and Social Studies curriculums for second, third, fourth, sixth, and eighth grade classes. The team strove to teach younger students the background of water issues in their state, featuring historical information about the Tri-State Water Wars, the basis of much of the current problem. They used Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube—as well as the classes they visited—to get the word out about their research. They prepared educational materials and had them translated into Spanish so teachers could help inspire English Language Learners to participate too. In the final challenge, the team got their message out further, and presented their project to the Department of Education, future high schoolers at a High School Your Way event, at regional science and social studies fairs, to the local Civic Club, and to the State Curriculum staff at the Georgia Department of Education. They also led a water activity at their local elementary school parent night, linking local and global water issues. The students visited the state capitol and learned about the legislative process and the legal issues surrounding water rights, and researched water concerns in other states, like California, to study how they have addressed water scarcity.