T.R.U.E. Blue (Teaching Rivers in an Urban Environment)

T.R.U.E. Blue is a proactive, hands-on watershed literacy and a water quality monitoring curriculum targeted to students in grades 5-12. BRWA currently works with public, private, and parochial schools and school districts around the KC metro area on both sides of the state line. T.R.U.E. Blue is a four lesson curriculum which has been aligned with both the Kansas and Missouri state science standards.

T.R.U.E. Blue begins in the classroom or lab where BRWA staff teaches students and teachers about the geography of the Blue River Watershed and how land elevation impacts the flow of water within the watershed. Students and teachers learn how stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces can not only lead to flooding but can also contribute to pollution in Kansas City creeks and streams. Sources and effects of pollutants such as nitrates, phosphates, and fecal bacteria are explored and discussed.

In the second T.R.U.E. Blue lesson, students are trained to perform 9 chemical tests to determine water quality. Tests include phosphate, nitrate, fecal bacteria, pH, conductivity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and biologic on demand. Students are also taught testing protocols as well as testing safety procedures.

The third lesson takes place at a water site at or near the school. Students are placed in small teams of three or four with a T.R.U.E. Blue trained adult to conduct the chemical tests. Students collect and record the data of the tests and a site survey is conducted.

T.R.U.E. Blue’s final lesson teaches students how to analyze the collected data. Students find a class average for each test and standardizing charts are used to calculate a Water Quality Index number. These numbers are then uploaded on the BRWA website and can be compared with WQI numbers obtained by other students throughout the watershed. Using the collected data, classes are encouraged to plan and implement water quality improvement projects.

The four T.R.U.E. Blue lessons can be modified to fit a 45-minute class schedule or block scheduling. All lessons of the T.R.U.E. Blue program are free of charge (pending funding) and all supplies and equipment are provided. BRWA staff also recruits, trains, and schedules adult volunteers to help with student groups at the water site.