Funding will help expand water education programs reaching more than 20,000 local students annually
PRESS RELEASE
Spartanburg Water
Spartanburg Water Supports Watershed Education Through Grant Funding
SPARTANBURG – The USC Upstate Watershed Ecology Center (WEC) was recently awarded a $14,000 grant by Spartanburg Water to help continue its mission of encouraging community watershed awareness.
Spartanburg Water presented WEC with a check for the grant in January, which represented equal contributions from both the Commission of Public Works of the City of Spartanburg and the Spartanburg Sanitary Sewer District Commission.
Grant Supports Hands-On Learning Opportunities for Students
“We are glad to once again help support the efforts of the Watershed Ecology Center and the amazing work they do to provide our area’s K-8 students with valuable experiences and hands-on learning opportunities,” said John Montgomery, Chairman of the Commission of Public Works of the City of Spartanburg.
“Their new ‘Water Works’ curriculum will help open the eyes of our future generations to how they can continue to preserve the health and vitality of our watershed, while following a career in the water industry.”
WEC annually reaches more than 20,000, K-8 students through watershed based educational programming. The organization also promotes programs related to watershed awareness in the upper regions of the Pacolet River Watershed, such as the Adopt-A-Stream program, a credentialed citizens monitoring network.
New “Water Works” Curriculum Focuses on Future Water Careers
Building on the success of their Teacher Assistance Program, WEC aims to use the grant to incorporate water career awareness into most of their existing programs. The center plans to create a “Water Works” curriculum that is specifically geared toward middle school-aged students and offers them opportunities to explore career options as future water professionals.
“The Watershed Ecology Center continues to provide significant education opportunities for students across our community each year, and supporting their work is an investment in future generations of environmental stewards,” said Louie Blanton, Chairman of the Spartanburg Sanitary Sewer District Commission.
The program will use the SC Graduate Competency Framework as a basis and will increase awareness of the importance of protecting water quality, while also inspiring future generations to value water as a resource and possible career field. WEC plans to present a dress rehearsal of the “Water Works” program in April 2026 for review, and aims to expand the programming to the high school level as the project continues to grow.
About Spartanburg Water
ABOUT SPARTANBURG WATER: Spartanburg Water, an industry leading utility, is comprised of Spartanburg Water System and Spartanburg Sanitary Sewer District. It serves a population of nearly 200,000 within Spartanburg County, as well as others in parts of Greenville, Union and Cherokee counties. With the help of its dedicated team of nearly 300 employees, each day it produces an average of 25 million gallons of drinking water and cleans 14 million gallons of wastewater for its customers and community.
