(January 31, 2020) – The intent of a hydration station is to replace a normal water fountain with a plumbing fixture that also refills bottles with filtered water. This gives many benefits to the students, staff, faculty, and visitors to the campus and the environment, such as:
• getting water quickly and easily to take with you on the go
• drinking water that has been filtered of contaminants
• reducing the amount of disposable plastic bottles going in the landfill
• choosing to use lower cost filtered tap water instead of expensive bottled water
• altering nutritional habits to consume more water and less sugary beverages for better health
• encouraging positive social interaction via “the water cooler effect”
Hydration stations are being retrofitted in campus buildings every year. There are currently 41 hydration stations on campus. Facilities Planning and Development has a five year plan to install 53 more units throughout campus, beginning with the busiest areas of campus. The University Architect, Ben Perry, is meeting with departments as requested to explain this plan and implement it as funding is allocated.
