Eastern Municipal Water District installs water bottle fill stations in Hemet and Menifee schools

Perris-based Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) has completed the installation of water bottle fill stations in all Hemet and Menifee schools within EMWD’s service area. In total, 10 Hemet schools and nine Menifee schools have had the safe drinking water fill stations installed in their schools.

The Hemet Unified School District and Menifee Union School District completed the installation of the fill stations in late December and EMWD now provides the water service. The water bottle fill stations are similar to drinking fountains but include an overhead filling system to easily fill an individual’s reusable water bottle.

“We are incredibly proud of our partnerships with local schools,” EMWD President David Slawson said. “Our hope is that every school within our service area has a water bottle fill station available to their students and staff. These fill stations have not only been incredibly popular, but allow students to see the benefits that tap water provides while also promoting healthy lifestyles.”

Late last year EMWD announced the installation of a dozen community safe drinking water fill stations within the district’s service area. The sites included three parks, the Moreno Valley Public Library, both the Menifee and San Jacinto campuses of Mt. San Jacinto Community College (MSJCC), several community centers, the DropZone Waterpark in Perris and the Western Science Center in Hemet. EMWD actively promotes the use of refillable bottles as part of its commitment to conveying both the value of tap water and environmental stewardship.

Additionally, each fill station has a display screen that tracks the number of plastic bottles that have been avoided by using the fill station. This results in less plastic in the land fill.

Forty-one schools in EMWD’s service area now have the safe drinking water fill stations including schools in the Temecula Valley, San Jacinto, Moreno Valley, Val Verde, Romoland and Nuview Union school districts and the two MSJCC campuses. EMWD anticipates additional drinking water fill stations will be installed in 2018 in order to promote both healthy lifestyles and environmental sustainability.