"San Diego's Water, from Source to Tap," a 20-foot-long interactive display and learning experience that traces the path of our water and the technology required to deliver it to our homes and businesses, is a big hit at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.

The Fleet Science Center is open

• Sunday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Created by the City of San Diego Water Resources Management Program and the San Diego County Water Authority, the display is the second installation of the Fleet's new TechnoVation exhibit, showcasing the technological and scientific breakthroughs being made in San Diego as we enter the new millennium.

"This hands-on exhibit will be visited by more than two million TechnoVation guests during the next three years, educating them about the technological and physical challenges we face in bringing water to this semi-arid region," said Water Department Director Larry Gardner. "It's an excellent educational tool, with buttons and knobs and flashing lights that draw the kids to it. The display explains the need for promoting water conservation practices and developing new sources of water."

The exhibit, designed by Powerhouse Exhibits, begins with a question: "Do you know where your water comes from?" The map below the query reveals California's water system, marking the long path our water takes from Northern California and the Colorado River to San Diego. To answer the question in more detail, visitors are presented with the challenge of tracing the path traveled by the water we use every day.

Beginning high in the mountains, a thunderstorm is brewing. With the push of a button visitors activate a virtual thunderstorm, flashing lightning across the sky and pouring rain down to streams, lakes and reservoirs. Colorful panels above describe the hydrologic cycle. As the water flows from the reservoirs through large aqueducts, it approaches the challenge of getting up and over mountains in order to reach San Diego. To get it there, visitors have to use some muscle to turn a crank, pumping water by hand over steep mountains.

Once the water is successfully transported to San Diego, visitors must process the water through the water treatment plant. An interactive quiz leads players through each step of the treatment process. Photos on the panels above show biologists and chemists at the City of San Diego Water Quality Lab conducting tests to monitor the quality of our water, and technicians working at water control centers. A detailed chart lists the numerous elements and contaminants that our water is tested for, ensuring the safety or our domestic water supply. Finally, the journey from source to tap is completed as the potable water is distributed through underground pipelines to homes and businesses throughout San Diego - an act we all take for granted each day.

By gaining a better understanding of the technological feat required to deliver water to taps each day, museum visitors can appreciate the need for conservation and careful management of this previous natural resource. The final exhibit panel demonstrates the benefits of water conservation practices, offers tips on how to save water at home, and presents the work being done by the City of San Diego Water Department and the County Water Authority to manage demands. Visitors observe the water use habits of a water-wasting cartoon family and a water-saving cartoon family. Lights flash and run up the scale measuring water usage as various household water fixtures are selected, comparing traditional models to new, high-efficiency models.

After successfully mastering the challenge of providing water to San Diego, visitors are once again reminded of the scope of this job - the exit through a simulated cross-section of large diameter pipeline.

"San Diego's Water, from Source to Tap" was made possible by a generous grant from the Hans and Margaret Doe Charitable Trust. This interactive display is one component of the Water Resources Management Program's efforts to educate the public about the need for conservation efforts, water reclamation and planning to meed demands.