Community Outreach

WSSC is dedicated to providing our communities and schools with information, partnerships, educational resources and support. One of WSSC’s strategic values is proactively communicating and maintaining strategic partnerships and community relationships with our customers and other key stakeholders.

The office is a cornerstone of WSSC's commitment to this strategiv value, providing a vital link between services and communities. WSSC’s Communications and Community Relations Office provides several ways of communicating with our customers:

• staffing at community events
• school programs
• tours of our wastewater treatment plants
• environmental tours of Brighton Dam
• watershed protection programs
• community service projects to help the environment.

Please browse the opportunities below. We welcome any inquiries for more information or suggestions for our outreach programming. You may contact the WSSC Communications & Community Relations Office directly at 301-206-8100, or by email to communications@wsscwater.com.

Year-Round Opportunities

Community Events

Participating in community and civic activities, health fairs and charitable events helps WSSC provide information directly to community members, and we welcome invitations for participation or requests for brochures and other materials. To sign up for any of WSSC’s community events, tours or programs, please use our easy-to-use Online Registration Form

Educational Programs

WSSC is committed to providing students with educational information and experiences. We will provide a speaker for your classroom or after-school program.  Presentations can be aimed at students in grades K-12.  A variety of topics are available, including health benefits to drinking water, water conservation and careers in the water industry.  WSSC also provides science fair judges and presenters for career days.  Due to the large number of requests, there is a limit of one visit per school by WSSC personnel per school year.  Download the form to request a speaker. Please submit at least 30 days before the event.

Wastewater Treatment Plant and/or Water Quality Laboratory Tours

Here is an opportunity for your students, civic association and/or homeowner  association to learn about how wastewater is treated and safely released back into a river or stream.  Open to students ages 8 years or older/3rd grade or higher, students also get to learn more about these important careers.  For those students who are interested in chemistry or microbiology, a tour through WSSC’s award-winning Water Quality Laboratory will provide your students information about how their drinking water is tested and monitored. Download the form to schedule your free tour.

Environmental Tours - Brighton Dam

WSSC is committed to providing students, civic organization and/or homeowner association with educational information and experiences. Free tours of Brighton Dam are available April 1 to November 1 by scheduling through the Community Outreach Office.   The environmental tour takes you to both the upstream side of  Brighton Dam where you will see the Triadelphia Reservoir and discuss the Patuxent River and its watershed, to the downstream side of the dam to hear about how the dam functions and how WSSC provides drinking water fromthis source.  We also provide a water pollution demonstration that is age appropriate.    Download the form to schedule your free tour.

Green School Program

WSSC has created partnerships with approximately 20 schools to explore ways on how they can make a difference for the Chesapeake Bay.  This includes creating oyster reef balls that are planted in the Bay.  Learn how to create oyster reef balls in your classroom.   Download the step by step instructions -  Making An Oyster Reef Ball Powerpoint presentation or view them on this video.
 

Environmental Stewardship

WSSC offers environmental stewardship opportunities for middle school, high school and college students who need to earn class credits as well as neighbors and organizations who want to help the environment..  The projects range from removing invasive weeds to planting trees, from picking up trash to  watering seedlings.  For more information, call 301-206-8233 or email kknox@wsscwater.com.

An example of a project would be a Native Plant Garden at Brighton Dam. 
Another example would be our Streambank Restoration Project at Scott's Cove. 

Visit our Environmental Stewardship Opportunities page

Special Events

Annual Family Campfire

Enjoy WSSC’s annual Family Campfire on a special Friday evening in October.  This is a great fun-filled opportunity to learn about protecting our water supply. Thechildren will also enjoy roasting marshmallows on a roaring campfire. 

Earth Day Events

April is a great month for WSSC education. Environmental stewardship opportunities, tree planting, and fun activities help families discover new ways to protect water resources and conserve water around the home. WSSC offers student learning service hours to school children who participate in these clean-up efforts which include invasive weed removal, tree planting and trash pickup.

Adopt-A-Road

Join WSSC’s Adopt-A-Road Clean-ups and our Great American Clean-up with businesses partnerships on Sweitzer Lane.  WSSC adopted Sweitzer Lane through the Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW&T) Adopt-A-Road/Median Program. WSSC partners with local businesses, individuals, our employees and retirees to help gain a sense of achievement and a sense of pride in their community by volunteering to aid in its upkeep.

H₂O Fest

The highlight for April is our annual H₂O Fest.  This event is filled with interactive activities, music, exhibits from vendors and games for the children.  Each year, the H2O Fest is at a wastewater treatment plant.  So this is an opportunity to tour a wastewater treatment plant. These free event is a great way to enjoy a beautiful day while you are learning more about how WSSC helps the environment every day.
 

Children's Water Festival

WSSC holds an annual lottery to select the fourth grade classes that will take part in hands-on learning activities about water, wetlands, human health, aquatic life and much more. The lottery is held every December. More information and registration.

Helpful Household Information

Find informational brochures to answer questions about discolored water, leak detection, basic plumbing, water-wise landscaping, WSSC rates and services, and more. Order publications.

Advisory Committees

Customer Advisory Board

Residential customers of Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission are appointed to serve on the Customer Advisory Board (CAB).  They meet each month to advise WSSC staff on practices and proposed policies.  More information.

Kids’ Page

WSSC has created a fun-filled, information-filled Kids’ Page where our community’s future leaders can learn more about water, water treatment, wastewater treatment and Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission by clicking on this link:   Kids’ Page.

Retirees

WSSC's retirees are an important part of our service community.  To keep WSSC's retirees updated, the WSSC Retirees Association creates a bi-yearly newsletter.  Here is the latest newsletter.