2025 Oxford Children’s Water Festival a Resounding Success

The Oxford Children’s Water Festival returned to Pittock Conservation Area from May 13 to 17, 2025, welcoming over 3,500 students for a week of hands-on environmental learning and outdoor fun.

Hosted by the ÌÇÐÄÖ±²¥ (UTRCA), the festival offered engaging activities focused on water conservation, environmental science, and community stewardship. Students from across the watershed explored interactive stations that aligned with Ontario’s curriculum, while volunteers and community groups helped bring each learning opportunity to life.

A highlight of the week was the Family Night held on May 15, which drew an impressive 1,500 visitors. Families enjoyed live demonstrations, paddling activities, exhibits, and food trucks—all in a festive, educational atmosphere.

The success of the festival was made possible thanks to the strong collaboration between many organizations including Oxford County, the Thames Valley District School Board, and the London District Catholic School Board, along with the support of dozens of local partners and 600 volunteers.

This year’s festival was a shining example of community partnership in action, inspiring the next generation to care for their environment and local waterways. For more photos, please visitÌý

Perth Children's Water Festival in St. MarysÌýÌý

The 2025 Perth Children's Water Festival on Sunday, May 25, 2025 was a great success with over 800 people attending. The ÌÇÐÄÖ±²¥ (UTRCA) would like to thank our sponsors, community partners and volunteers who helped make it possible.Ìý

Water Festival Organizing Committee:Ìý

• Avon Maitland District School BoardÌý
• Don GibsonÌý
• Huron Perth Public HealthÌý
• Ontario Clean Water AgencyÌý
• Ontario Federation of AgricultureÌý
• Pat DonnellyÌý
• St. Marys CementÌý
• Thames River Clean UpÌý
• Town of St. MarysÌý

Sponsors:Ìý

• Stratford Perth Community FoundationÌý
• The Annie and Isabelle Chesterfield Fund and the Jim and Laurel Laughton Family Fund through the Stratford Perth Community FoundationÌý
• McLean-Taylor Construction, andÌýÌý
• St. Marys CementÌý
• Don GibsonÌý
• Hearn's Ice CreamÌý

Students from St. Marys DCVI volunteered at the activity stations. For more photos, visit our ÌýÌý

Source Water Protection Attends Children's Water Festival!Ìý

From May 13th to May 16th, the Thames-Sydenham Source Protection Region proudly participated in the 2025 Oxford Children's Water Festival, held at Pittock Conservation Area. The event provided a fun and educational opportunity for students to explore the importance of drinking water protection and the science behind it.Ìý

Throughout the festival, students engaged in hands-on learning activities that focused on the sources of drinking water and the multi-barrier approach used to safeguard them. One of the highlights included a demonstration about the dangers of improper handling of hazardous household substances—especially dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs).Ìý

In a simple yet powerful experiment, students were asked to predict the behavior of a can of Diet Coke and a can of regular Coke when placed in a tank of water. The regular Coke, being denser due to its sugar content, sank to the bottom, while the Diet Coke floated. This visual experiment helped illustrate how heavier-than-water substances, like DNAPLs, behave when they enter the environment.Ìý

Students learned that DNAPLs are especially hazardous because they tend to sink through groundwater and settle at the bottom of aquifers, making them extremely difficult—often impossible—to clean up. These toxic substances can seriously compromise the quality of our drinking water sources. That's why preventing contamination at the source is not only vital for protecting public health but also more cost-effective than remediation after pollution has occurred.Ìý

Events like the Oxford Children's Water Festival play a crucial role in helping the next generation understand the science behind water protection and empowering them to become future stewards of our most precious resource.Ìý