Water Companies Donate Water Bottle Filling Stations To Schools

MADISON, CT —To both cut down on the use of plastic bottles, and to provide safe drinking water, two water companies teamed up to bring touchless water fountains to Madison schools.

The Regional Water Authority and Connecticut Water are donating four water fountains equipped with touchless water bottle filling stations to Madison Public Schools and a community sports facility, according to a news release. The fountains are designed to reduce single-use plastic bottle use and "offer a safe alternative" to the traditional water fountain, which the coronavirus pandemic has made unsafe.

Indeed, according to Madison schools Superintendent Dr. Craig Cooke, the district has been forced to "turn off our water fountains due to COVID-19 safety restrictions, but these touchless filling stations will allow our students to stay hydrated and safe.”

Connecticut Water provides water service to more than 12,000 people in Madison and the RWA owns "and protects" more than 27,000 acres of land in south central Connecticut, from which it sources its high-quality water supply, including Madison lakes Hammonasset and Genesee, which it's noted "also serve as popular hiking locations for members of the RWA's Recreation Program."

The touchless water bottle filling stations will be installed at Brown Middle, Daniel Hand High and Jeffrey Elementary schools as well as Madison’s Town Campus Gym.

According to a news release, the filling stations are being provided through a match donation from the RWA and from Connecticut Water’s School Water Bottle Filling Station Grant Program, which is available to any school served by Connecticut Water.

"In addition to supporting the needs of Connecticut Water’s service communities, the program also aims to support the utility’s commitment to the environment by promoting the use of reusable bottles," the release reads. "It is part of Connecticut Water’s commitment of $120,000 annual charitable giving to support municipal and non-profit organizations in our service communities."

Connecticut Water president Maureen P. Westbrook said the donation of the touchless water fountains "can help schools as they navigate the best health and safety options for students in 2021.”

“As we’ve seen during the pandemic, the need for high-quality water has never been greater,” RWA president Larry Bingaman. “With Madison being one of the RWA’s land towns, we were pleased to partner with Connecticut Water to match two of the grants and give back to the community in this meaningful, environmentally-conscious way.”