Children of all ages are learning about how we get our drinking water here in the city, thanks to a new hands-on exhibit at the Children's Museum of Manhattan on the Upper West Side. NY1's Natalie Duddridge has that story.
Making a splash, kids tested out the Children's Museum of Manhattan's new water exhibit — Dynamic H20.
"Learning about water and how not to waste it because everybody needs it," said one young girl.
With school finished for the summer, and kids looking for things to do, why not learn a thing or two? Including how New York City gets its water.
"Especially important to make sure that we understand that the environment is important gives a good chance for adults and kids to interact together," said Josefa Solana-Richante, with the museum.
The Dynamic H20 experience begins with the water cycle up in the clouds. Kids get to create their own water reserves, dams and aqueducts. And then trace the path of the water to the city.
"The water coming from the Catskills I didn't know it was able to flow up all the way to the top of some of these buildings that's kind of interesting," said parent Connor Duffy.
It's not just the kids learning. The adults are too. We are pumping water to the top of a tower learning how it gets to NYC's skyscrapers.
"Historically New York the building all of the buildings were five to six stories tall just through gravity the water pressure would make his way up as New York City started having more people moving in they started grading water towers and pumping the water into the water towers to help that," said Julie Marie Seibert, with the museum. "Now that we have skyscrapers we have mechanical pumps that force water to all the different apartments."
This project is part of a partnership between the Catskills watershed corporation and the city's Department of Environmental Protection. You could say, they are recruiting their youngest fleet of marine scientists, chemical engineers and sewage treatment workers.
The exhibit is open through September.
For more info, you can visit the museum's website.