The Crescenta Valley Water District created a science fiction competition for middle and high school students to imagine a world without water in the year 2050.

Students were asked to write about the effects of climate change and what they would do if a water shortage were to occur. “Other competitions in California were talking about the importance of water, but none were addressing what could happen in the future,” says Patrick Atwater, regulatory and public affairs manager for the district, 25 miles from Los Angeles.

“Our general manager, James Lee, who is very forward-thinking, challenged us to engage the next generation of leaders who will have to deal with the problem.” Atwater and Armine Sargsyan, project coordinator for the district, hatched the idea for the competition.

The Crescenta Valley district serves a four-square-mile area in relatively rough terrain, home to about 8,000 residents, primarily residential with a few commercial customers. The population of the entire valley is about 35,000. The water source is 40%-60% groundwater and the rest from the Colorado River Aqueduct.

Rules of Engagement

The contest, launched in 2024, began when the students returned to school in mid-August. The entry deadline was Sept. 15. Essays ranged from 500 to 2,000 words. Students were encouraged to include artwork, but doing so was not required; about half of the entries included it. Entries were open to public-school, private-school and homeschooled students in the district. Students from the Glendale, Tujunga, and La Canada residential areas were also invited to participate.

Promotion included social media posts on Facebook and Nextdoor. Flyers went out in billing statements. An email blast was sent to customers and school principals to encourage teachers to promote the contest. The contest was also publicized on the district website, in the local newspaper and at the district’s quarterly Q&A sessions at the local library.

Atwater, Sargsyan, and Carla Dillon, director of engineering and operations served as judges. Prizes were gift cards: $100 for first place, $50 for second, and $20 for third.

Winners Recognized

A Day Without Water event was held at the Judy Tejeda Reservoir on Sept. 28 with activities for the children including face-painting and animal balloons. District and community emergency responders were on hand to answer questions and distribute free gift items.

At the event, first-place winner Nicolas Dermardirosian received a certificate from State Sen. Anthony Portantino, and from district board member James Bodner. His entry appeared in the Cresenta Valley Weekly newspaper.

His story, “The Last Orange Tree,” tells how a young man named River is caught up in the struggle of the last days of freshwater in 2050, and how he tries to keep the last orange tree alive in the valley. In the 1940s, agriculture and especially orange trees were a thriving business in Los Angeles County. Dermardirosian’s mother told him about that, inspiring his entry.

The second-place winner was “Infinite Oasis” by Margaret Clark. Third place went to “The Last Reservoir” by Mia Alvarez.

Lessons Learned

“One takeaway from the contest was that we should have different age categories and expand it to other grades,” Atwater says. “Creativity spans all ages.” Expanding the contest to other areas has also been discussed. Sargsyan presented the competition to some peer agencies in the area and saw interest in growing it geographically.

Sen. Portantino said at the event, “We make all these plans for the future and a 10-year plan for our water supply. It is only fitting that we engage kids early on, because they are the ones who will need to tackle the problem down the road. We need to get them in on the ground floor.”