Nationwide, the water industry is experiencing a workforce shortage, which is has been heightened in recent years as seasoned employees are retiring. A recent study by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) estimated that 30-50% of the current workforce will retire in the next 10 years. Unless a concerted effort is made to address this problem, many communities could face a health crisis. History lessons such as the water crisis the citizens of Jackson, MS faced in 2022, taught us about what the ramifications of understaffing and underfunding a water system can be. Programs like the Water Model Tower Competition are needed to introduce youth to the complexity of the water systems and STEM applications. The mission statement of the Model Water Tower Competition is “From today’s youth come tomorrow’s leaders – let’s lead some to the water profession.”
The Model Water Tower Competition (MWTC) is a STEM-based, workforce development program that is supported by the Georgia Section of the American Water Works Association (GAWWA) and the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP). This competition involves students building functional water towers out of mostly recycled materials. This program was started by the Florida section of AWWA in 2004 and came to Henry County, Georgia in 2012. Since that time, the competition has expanded across the metro Atlanta area. To qualify, student towers must meet very specific specifications for dimensions and capacity they must meet. Some utilities partner schools with engineers who come into the classroom and teach students about concepts such as structural engineering and hydraulics. Once completed, the student towers are tested for dimension and hydraulics, and the students are interviewed at a local competition. The tower scores are compared to other towers and top performers are awarded cash prizes. The top 2 towers from each of the 12 participating counties in Georgia go to the State-level Competition which usually occurs annually in April.
Throughout the competition timeline, students are put in contact with many different water professionals to bring awareness to our crucial industry. On the day of the competition, many utilities teach students about careers through a Touch-A-Truck experience. Students get up close to vacuum trucks, leak trucks, backhoes, GIS camera trucks, backflow simulators, and more. Other activities such as building a functional water filter, taking apart a water meter, and constructing of water/wastewater infrastructure model enlighten students about other aspects of the water profession.
The 3rd annual State Competition will be held on April 12th from 9am -1pm at The Water Tower in Buford, Ga.
Please email mwt@gawwa.org for more information on starting your own competition or supporting the competition as a sponsor.
