A scientist-in-training checks the pH of their mock water sample.

We love a good book and a fun science experiment, especially when we can share them with our community. 

Last month, we joined Reading is Fundamental (RiF), a children’s literacy organization working to bridge literacy and achievement gaps, to host a day of water-themed reading and learning at Pittsburgh Weil K-5 in the Hill District. 

Throughout the day, PWSA and RiF combined story time and reading with hands-on activities. Students were also offered the opportunity to select a book to take home and keep.  

Our activity with students involved some science role-play, as students imagined themselves as PWSA laboratory professionals testing a water sample with a fun color-changing pH indicator liquid. 

At PWSA, pH is one of the characteristics of water that we pay close attention to during the treatment process. It’s a measure of how acidic or alkaline the water is, and it’s important to make sure that our finished water is within the expected range. 

We discussed that pH is just one of many tests PWSA does every day to make sure that our drinking water is safe. Ultimately, our dedicated staff conducts over 100,000 tests on our drinking water each year. 

At the end of the day, students were encouraged to head home, fill a glass of water from their tap, and hydrate. They had done a hard day’s work of testing it, after all!