A unique education program is taking students out of the classroom and down to the river to learn about the ecosystem and for many it’s an adventure and eye-opening experience.

RiverWatch was created by three Calgary teachers who felt it was ironic that students were learning about aquatic environments from a text book when there were real rivers just kilometres away.

Cal Kullman is one of those teachers and since the program began in 1995, he has brought thousands of students down to the Bow River for a science lesson.

“In 1995 we rented rafts and we hired guides from the University of Calgary and we borrowed equipment from the provincial fish hatchery and away we went,” he said. “It’s the most widely used and sought after environmental science program for Alberta secondary schools so from a humble beginning in 1995 with 90 of my students, it’s now 10,000 students a year.”

The students embark on a rafting trip down the river and they also take a tour of the Bonneybrook Wastewater Treatment Plant.

“For most students this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the silent partner in a city,” said Kullman. “It’s flush and forget for most of us and this is their chance to see what’s being done on their behalf to manage the river and if they come away with messages that the toilet isn’t a garbage can, that the sink is not where you dispose of fats, oils and grease, that’s helpful downstream when it all has to be removed at the wastewater treatment plant.”

"When we use our water at home we just know it's going down somewhere. Here you see where it's going, how it affects the river and if it's healthy or not,” said student Karen Chermous.

The program is now in more than a dozen towns and cities and combines science with real-life adventure to give students a unique experience.

“It’s pretty unique to be on a river during a school day and that’s the real magic,” said Kullman. “Because RiverWatch is occurring in the real world, we see examples of engineering in the wastewater treatment process and students have no idea that there are jobs like this. There’s a bit of a career and technology exposure here that there is work for engineers and environmental scientists and all the trades and in monitoring too.”

The students take water samples to determine the health of the river and organizers say they come away with a new understanding and respect for the province’s waterways.

“Our students are measuring the chemistry, the dissolved oxygen, phosphorous, nitrogen, PH and they’re also looking at biological indicators of health, the invertebrate insects that live in the water, under the rocks, and we don’t tell them if this river is healthy, they take samples above the wastewater treatment plant, tour the plant, and go downstream again and in essence we’re doing a report card on the efficacy of this treatment process. And then we ask them at the end of the day, is this river healthy?” said Kullman. “I sometimes refer to it as a precious gift to education in Alberta, there’s nothing like this anywhere else.”

The program will be back again in 2017 for its 23rd year.

For more information on the RiverWatch program click HERE.