NO LONGER ACCEPTING ENTRIES.

Winners have been selected:

• High School Level: Aria K., a 9th grader from Lake Travis High School
• Middle School Level: Meera M., a 6th grader from Hudson Bend Middle School
• Elementary School Level: Elizabeth H., a 5th grader from Lakeway Elementary School

This year, in recognition of Imagine a Day Without Water, Lakeway Municipal Utility District (LMUD) is hosting an essay writing contest open to all Lake Travis Independent School District (LTISD) students as well as local private or homeschool students.

Three winners will be chosen, one to represent each level: elementary school, middle school, and high school. Winners will be recognized and awarded at an open house event on Thursday, October 20, 2022. Our open house will be held all week long, Oct. 17 – 21. Stop in anytime during regular business hours (Mon. – Fri., 8am to 5pm, closed from noon – 1pm for lunch) for freebies + treats for all ages!

Participating students:

Write an essay in which you imagine a day without water.

Word Count: About 300 to 500 words

Submission Deadline Extended:
Monday, October 10, 2022

Submissions can be legibly hand-written or typed.

Include student’s name, age, grade, and school as well as a parent’s contact information.

Send submissions to:

Lakeway MUD
attn: essay contest
1097 Lohmans Crossing
Lakeway, TX 78734

or

[email protected]

All essays submissions become the property of LMUD. LMUD has the right to display or otherwise use the submission for future promotions. Student’s first name and age will be credited.

[ Printable Version ]

WHERE TEXANS GET WATER::

video (under 5 minutes)

www.takecareoftexas.org/resources/where-texans-get-water

FACTS ABOUT WATER::

• Water is essential for all life on Earth: humans, animals, and plants all need water.
• Water covers about 70% of the Earth’s surface, but not all of it is readily usable or drinkable
  (such as glaciers or salt water).
• An important use for water is for growing plants and crops that are used for food. Everything we buy (from phones to clothing and cars) also uses water to manufacture.
• Even electricity can be created from water, known as hydropower: a process that uses water to drive water turbines connected to generators.
• Water is used by firefighters to put out fires.
• Clean water is needed to keep us healthy (such as for washing hands and cooking our food) and to stay hydrated. Most people around the world have access to clean water, but it is hard to find in poorer areas of the world.
• The water industry helps clean water to drinking standards and then deliver it through pipes to homes and businesses in their community. They also use other pipes to take wastewater out of your home (such as water used for flushing toilets or taking showers) for it to be cleaned and then reused for irrigation.
• Almost all of the water supplied for Lakeway originates from Lake Travis: your home’s water provider takes it out of the lake and cleans it at a water plant before it comes out of the faucets at your home.
• Water is also used for fun. Water sports include activities like swimming, surfing, and waterskiing. Ice and snow are also used in ice skating, ice hockey, skiing, and snowboarding.

WHY SHOULD WE CONSERVE AND PROTECT OUR WATER SUPPLY?::

We all need clean drinking water, but it needs our respect¹. Some people believe water is our first medicine², so if it gets dirty or we run out of it, you wouldn’t want to live on planet Earth³! With a little bit of effort to conserve water (not waste it) and protect it, we can make a big difference. Your actions (how you use water) have consequences for other living things⁴. Imagine what it would be like without water at home⁵. Knowing where that water comes from, how it gets to your home, and where it goes once you use it⁶ is a good first step to understanding wonderful, weird, wet water⁷.

Children’s books for more information: ^1. Why Water’s Worth it by Lori Harrison, ^2. We are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, ^3. You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Clean Water by Roger Canavan, ^4. Save the Planet: Water, edited by Paolo Mancini and Luca de Leone, ^5. Why Should I Save Water?, illustrated by Mike Gordon, ^6. How Does My Home Work?: Water, by Chris Oxlade, ^7. What on Earth?: Water, by Isabel Thomas and Pau Morgan, Geo Detectives: The Water Cycle by Anita Ganeri and Chris Oxlade, Saving Water by Rebecca Olien, Why Should We Save Water? By Tony Stead, Watch Over Our Water by Lisa Bullard