It was out with the old and in with the new at several elementary schools served by Rowland Water District (RWD) where drinking fountains were replaced with water bottle filling stations during the last winter break.
The upgrade is part of the District’s “What’s in Your Bottle?” initiative, which promotes the value of tap water. Students and staff were provided with reusable bottles to fill with cool, clean water so they can enjoy the full benefits of their refilling station.
Each filling station has a ticker that displays how many plastic bottles are expected to be saved by using a reusable water bottle. By choosing a reusable water bottle, individuals could save an average of 156 plastic bottles per year, according to Beyond Plastics, a nationwide project based at Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont.
“Our filling station program helps students reduce their dependence on plastic bottles, eliminating waste and cultivating an appreciation for the convenience and great taste of tap water,” RWD General Manager Tom Coleman said.
RWD has partnered with the local school district to make sure that each school will receive the retrofit from the old drinking fountain to the new filling station. They have used the same plumber to do each retrofit, and that same company has done hundreds of retrofits all over Southern California. With that, RWD funds 100% of the program, which includes the entire retrofit, the reusable metal water bottles and the stickers that each student, administrative staff member and teacher will receive once the filling station is completed.
"The first change we noticed right away was the decrease in water bottle trash on campus," said Jellick Elementary School teacher Nancy Buck. “Bottles had a tendency to roll away and multiply all over school and were such an eyesore. But now, it is a rare occasion to see a stray water bottle on campus!”
“What’s in Your Bottle?” started in January 2020 at two schools. There’s no cost to the schools since RWD covers the equipment and installation costs. Two new school sites are selected for the fill stations each year and the program is expected to have converted all schools within the RUSD and RWD service area by the end of the 23-24 school year.
“While we have two other basic water stations in our school. Our Jaguars prefer to get the cool and refreshing water from the Rowland Water Station, and continue to marvel at how many water bottles they are saving by watching the clicker grow,” said Buck. “The first year we reached 600 by the end of June, and this year we have already surpassed that with 3,158 bottles on the clicker!”
The program complements the “What’s Your Water Footprint?” campaign, which provides home conservation resources online at yourwaterfootprint.org.
For more information about the “What’s in Your Bottle?” program, visit www.rwd.org.