Education

Water Conservation Education

When the West Harris County Regional Water Authority (WHCRWA) was created by the Texas Legislature in 1999, they faced an epic challenge. WHCRWA was tasked to secure the future water supply, construct the new water delivery infrastructure, and generate the funding to accomplish it – all within a set timeframe. The enabling legislation also required the new agency to “promote water conservation.”

Back then, the residents within the WHCRWA’s boundaries knew very little about the changes on the horizon…in the source, delivery and price of their drinking water. A massive outreach effort – that included newsletters, brochures, Town Hall meetings, public forums and early editions of this website. Keenly aware that it wouldn’t work to fix just half the problem, along with the coordination and construction of a new infrastructure, the WHCRWA also addressed the “demand” side of the issue. Almost from day one, a strong “use water efficiently” message was included in all communications efforts.

For more than a decade, the WHCRWA sponsored water conservation education programs for area students. However, when the Covid-19 pandemic closed public schools, the on campus in-person assembly programs ended.

Irry Gator

Irry Gator came to life in 2020 as the face of the West Harris County Regional Water Authority’s effort to take the guesswork out of irrigation decisions. Alongside an evapotranspiration weather station installed at the Authority’s Pump Station No. 1, the character gave residents a plain-language version of what the data showed: in this region, most landscapes need no more than one watering a week, and none at all when the yard does not call for it.

The campaign has since grown into a fully animated series featuring Irry Gator and his friends JayB Blue and Wesley the Water Wasting Weasel, produced for the Authority through the regional conservation partnership it sponsors. The Water Less Save More message now reaches residents through billing inserts provided free to municipal utility districts, yard signs, neighborhood billboards, newspaper advertising, a dedicated website at IrryGator.com, and social media.

A full-size Irry Gator mascot appears at community events, school programs and Authority activities, and the Authority provides a complete event setup of tent, banners, displays and conservation materials to districts that request participation.

irrygator.com

Patty Potty

Patty Potty is a 1950’s housewife, a likeable messenger, armed with her pink plunger, and on a mission to put an end to “all kinds of things” being flushed down toilet.

Patty’s message — NO WIPES IN THE PIPES — might be set in the 50’s, but is vitally important in today’s water-conscious world.

Check out the reimagined Patty Potty animated cartoon character, as she continues her crusade promoting sewer-friendly behaviors, utilizing an assortment of materials available through the Save Water Texas Coalition. “People are flushing all kinds of things down the toilet!” Patty points out. “It’s not a trash can, you know! Some paper products and wipes are advertised as ‘flushable’ but they aren’t. Sure, they will flush down, but they won’t flush OUT. Wipes don’t decompose… they get caught up in wastewater treatment plant screens and filters — and that costs money to clear and repair!”