The following report is from the LSU AgCenter, which is sponsoring conservation presentations at fairs, festivals, and other events in the North and Central Louisiana areas served by the Sparta Aquifer

"Reduce the use." That's the mantra of a water conservation campaign spearheaded by the LSU AgCenter in North Louisiana, where people are dependent on the gradually disappearing Sparta Aquifer.

This aquifer, which is an underground layer of gravel and porous stone that holds water replenished through rain, is losing 12 million gallons per day that aren't being replaced. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, current use from the aquifer is 64 million gallons per day, while the break-even usage is 52 million gallons per day. And this is where the drinking water for 15 North Louisiana parishes comes from.

"We take water for granted, and we can't continue to do that," said Robin Bridges, AgCenter Agent in Claiborne Parish. "It's like a bank account. If you take more out than you put in, then eventually you run out."

To help stem the aquifer depletion, LSU AgCenter agents have mounted a major campaign to encourage water conservation. This campaign has involved many programs over the years, but a new initiative this year took aim at all the school children in the LSU AgCenter's North Central Region.

4-H Coordinator Karen Martin enlisted the 4-H agents to make contact with all the schools, kindergarten through high school. The agents distributed guides for the teachers and 55,000 fact sheets with a survey on the back for the students. The students took home the surveys to help assess water use for one week.

"You can conserve water without depriving yourself or changing your lifestyle," Martin said. "That's our message. Kids are a good vehicle for getting at their parents and other adults."

The teaching event took place during the second week of May, which is National Drinking Water Week.

"We were shooting for awareness," Bridges said. "People were surprised at how much water they were using.

Number One on the list was to turn off the faucet while brushing teeth. Leaving the water running uses an average of five gallons of water.

"The kids added this up for their families during one week and realized this was a lot of water wasted," Bridges said. "It's not unusual for a family to use 50 to 75 gallons of water per day."

Bridges has focused water conservation education on sixth graders for the past five years through a program called "Water Fest." Every spring for two days, the Claiborne Parish schools bus sixth graders to the Lake Claiborne State Park. Bridges involves educators from the AgCEnter and other state and federal agencies to teach the children about water conservation and water quality.

Martin introduced a new track at 4-H camp this past summer called "CSI: Wet and Wild," to teach about aquifers and water conservation. More than 1`,000 4-Hers took part over the course of the 10-week camp.

"The CSI stands for crime scene investigation, taken from the television show," Martin said. "The 4-Hers investigated where their water comes from and ways to conserve it."

Another new effort is executed through the use of the "Sparta Conservation" educational trailer. It was rolled out for the first time at the Ruston Peach Festival in June 2006.

More than 450 people visited the exhibit during the four-day event in Ruston as AgCenter educators and volunteers used the trailer as a backdrop for informing the public about conserving water and the importance of the Sparta Aquifer. The trailer was later used at the Farmerville Watermelon Festival in July and the Lincoln Parish Library in August. It will be scheduled throughout the year and beyond at festivals, fairs, and other events in the North Central Region.

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