St. Johns River Water Management District

News Release

nr09-065

Environmental Education Center opens in Palatka on Sept. 20

PALATKA, Fla., Sept. 17, 2009 - After 10 years in the making, a new center for environmental education will open on Sept. 20 in Palatka.

The old Palatka Water Works facility, which closed in the mid-1980s after providing drinking water to the area for 100 years, has been renovated to create the Water Works Environmental Education Center.

The center will be used for educational school programs and community events. Trained volunteers from the St. Johns River Water Management District's Watershed Action Volunteer Program will conduct programs for school children and adults to educate them about water resources, focusing on water conservation and protecting the St. Johns River.

The public is invited to join the opening celebration and participate in a tour of the facility from 2-5 p.m. The tour will include the old pump house with educational displays, nature trails and an outdoor amphitheater.

The center is a cooperative project among the District, Georgia Pacific Corp., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and local volunteers. These groups have contributed funding to renovate the building, and the city of Palatka received a $250,000 grant that was used to strengthen the structure and replace the roof.

The Florida Recreation and Development Assistance Program also provided $130,000 to add restrooms and the amphitheater.

The center is located at 1101 Whitewater Drive, off 15th Street, near Palatka's Ravine Gardens State Park.

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