Biology classes took part in Contra Costa Sanitation Center’s waste water treatment program for the 13th year.

Students contaminated clean water with common pollutants, including coffee grinds, pet food, and toilet paper and then went through the process of cleaning the water.

This lab teaches the process Central Sanitation does year round to provide clean water for citizens in Contra Costa County. It also touches on water conservation, and how taking shorter showers can reduce waste, especially during drought.

According to biology teacher Roxanna Jackman, this content is especially important for students in high school. “Sometimes you can just live in your house and not recognize how long you take a shower and what you put down the drains effects the bay and the local creeks,” she said.

“It’s just interesting to know how they make dirty water clean,” freshman Stone Mao said. Mao was looking forward to the bacteria that was added to the dirtied water and how it cleans the waste water.

However, freshman Mariah Brown found the class less interesting. “It was pretty slow at first, but Miss Katie [the instructor] was fun,” she said.

“I never realized how much work goes into cleaning our dirty water, and I will be much more conscious of what I put down my drain,” Brown said.

“I think the success of the week depends on how involved the actual teacher is in helping make connections to what they’re doing to what we do in our class,” Jackman said.

This year, Central Sanitation sent Miss Katie. “She’s more vivacious and really enthusiastic about the topic,” Jackman said.

“I just like it that everybody has that moment of recognizing how connected we are to the ecology around us,” Jackman said.