The author, an instructor of lower division general education (G.E.) geography courses, describes how to incorporate high-impact practices into courses that allow for experiential and project-based learning. Often, these experiences can be framed through a service learning component, which provides students an opportunity to partner with the local community to address regional issues. In this article the author describes a project where students collected water samples from within their own community, which were then analyzed for biological and chemical indicators of water quality. The students subsequently used the results to pose questions within their local community and share knowledge about water management and sustainability.