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“We put a lot of work into this,” Gallegos, 13, said. “ It’s very good that it’s going to help the community save water.”

Their teacher, Susan Pritchard, proposed the contest to all of her science classes, but the six were the only ones who took interest. They dub themselves the “Water Guardians.”

Pritchard said the girls put hundreds of hours into the project, working at lunch and after school.

“They’re pretty amazing girls,” she said.

It’s not just a theoretical project either. On Jan. 19, the Water Guardians plan to share their project with the City Council, hoping council members can give them feedback about implementing it.

“I like making a difference in the community. It makes me feel happy,” Dequit, 13, said. “I also like science and I knew that this project would help me learn a lot of things.”

From the $10,000 prize, $7,000 was distributed equally among the students,$1,000 went to the teacherand $2,000 went to the school. Pritchard is donating her $1,000 prize to the school to help fund the students’ plans.

The grand prize winners will be announced on March 7, 2016.

Contact the writer:jclay@ocregister.com