World O Water event challenges Omaha residents to think about how they protect the local water

OMAHA, Neb. — Omaha residents got a closer look at the water they rely on every day — and what it takes to keep it safe — at the World O Water event.

From learning about water quality to seeing how everyday choices can impact local waterways, each station at the event focused on education.

The goal of the event was to remind people that protecting water doesn't just happen at a treatment plant — it starts with the things people do at home and in their neighborhoods.

Jim Kee, quality control manager for the City of Omaha Public Works Department, said the planet's water supply is finite.

"We have a limited amount of water on the planet, and so we want to make sure that the water we do have, we protect, because we'll need it for drinking, for recreation, for various needs in our life," Kee said.

Kee said one of the biggest ways people can help is by preventing pollution — including something as simple as picking up litter.

"Litter, that stuff that, uh, not only is it visually something we don't want to see in our, in our neighborhoods, but when it rains, all of that, all of that stuff's gonna wash down into a storm sewer, and eventually get to either a creek or a river or a pond," Kee said.

Organizers said they hope visitors leave with a better understanding of where their water comes from and how they can help keep it clean.

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