EBMUD's new WaterSmart Home Survey Kit is a great take-home activity to augment water education curricula. This free kit includes dye tabs, a flow meter bag, and step-by-step instructions for identifying leaks and inefficient indoor and outdoor water use.

Students will learn how to read a water meter and test for leaks. Indoors, they will check the efficiency of fixtures and appliances by measuring faucet and showerhead flow rates. Outdoors, they will check irrigation hardware and watering schedules. Results are recorded on a worksheet that is returned to EBMUD. EBMUD will provide free water-saving devices, if needed.

Students should get parental permission before accessing the water meter, turning off water, and using dye tabs, and parents should supervise the activity. Since students in apartments won't have access to water meters, teachers might pair them with a student from a single-family home, or instruct them to complete only the indoor section of the survey.