West Basin offers partners indoor and outdoor water bottle filling stations like this one located the Hermosa Beach Green Belt. Photo courtesy of West Basin Municipal Water District.
Water bottle filling stations are water fountains, indoors or outdoors, that pour tap water from a top spigot into a standing container, usually part of a drinking fountain. They are ideal for health clubs, offices, airports, schools and parks – places where people commonly use water bottles. Here are seven key reasons for installing them. Water bottle filling stations:
- Are quick and easy
- Are extra clean and sanitary (contactless)
- Eliminate excuses for buying bottled water
- Inspire trust in the quality and safety of tap water
- Encourage hydration
- Can filter out aesthetic chlorine, taste, odor, lead and certain types of particulate matter and
- At no charge to the user, the public has greater access to healthy water in public areas and schools
West Basin Municipal Water District has installed more than 80 water stations in or on the premises of public facilities throughout its service area through grant programs. In doing so it is estimated that approximately 110,000 plastic water bottles annually have been
removed from the local waste stream, decreasing the harmful environmental impacts of single-use plastics while also providing access to free, high-quality water at South Bay schools, civic buildings, community centers and parks.
South Bay agencies which have participated in West Basin’s grant program to date include: cities of Carson, El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills Estates; schools, including California State University, Dominguez Hills, El Segundo Unified School District, Mychal’s Learning Center (Hawthorne), Environmental Charter Middle School (Inglewood), Lennox School District, Los Angeles Unified School District, Manhattan
Beach Unified School District, Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, St. Philomena school (Carson), and the El Segundo Public Library.
Grant Funding Available
West Basin has new funding available to install additional stations. Eligible
grant applicants must be public facilities (city buildings, schools, community centers, parks, recreation areas, etc.), located in the district service area that meet all criteria specified in the application guidelines. As in the past, grants are available in the amounts of $1,000 for indoor stations and $2,000 for outdoor stations as they can be more costly to install.
Applications will be received and reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted. Up to two grants may be awarded to a single tax identification number per fiscal year.
More detailed information and application forms are available at www.westbasin.org/filling stations. Applications can be submitted to: Tammy Hierlihy, program manager, Re: Water Bottle Filling Station Program Application; [email protected]; phone 310-660-6274.