Solar Cup 2006

Warren High School of Downey Won't be Beat

Central Basin sponsors a local high school at the 4th Annual Solar Cup event

Carson, CA - For the first time, Central Basin Municipal Water District got the opportunity to sponsor a local high school at the annual Solar Cup event, hosted by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

Six months ago, a group of students from Warren High School volunteered to take part in the Solar Cup program. Each high school team built boats from kits supplied by Metropolitan and then used tools donated by their local water agencies to equip the boats with solar-collection panels, batteries, motors and steering system, culminating in a three-day event at Metropolitan Lake Skinner reservoir located near Temecula.

With no prior experience, the students dove into the opportunity to build a boat from scratch and represent their school at the local competition. This year's event drew more than 800 students from 34 high schools throughout Southern California and was attended by an estimated 1,000 spectators.

"Solar Cup is the kind of event that these kids will never forget. It gives them the opportunity to meet students from other schools and learn how to be successful team players," said Dir. Bob Apodaca, President of the Central Basin Board of Directors.

The experience made such an impact, that the students plan to major in engineering in the fall as they embark on another adventure; college. "Next year I plan to return to mentor other students in the program," said Arby Argueta, one of the student participants.

Central Basin is proud of these seniors and look forward to sponsoring local high schools again next year.

For more information about this event, visit the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California website www.mwdh2o.com.

Warren High School Solar Cup 2006 team from left to right: Brian Knox, Brain Nord, Robert Webster, Arby Argueta, Ally Cole, Jonathan Cueller, Anthony Ramirez, and Diego De La Cruz

Central Basin is a public agency that wholesales imported water to cities, mutual water companies, investor-owned utilities and private companies in southeast Los Angeles County, serving a population of more than 1.5 million. In addition, Central Basin provides the region with recycled water for municipal, commercial and industrial uses. Formed in 1952, Central Basin is committed to ensuring a safe and reliable water supply for the region.

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