Filtered water now in convenient locations on campus
Over the last year, Idaho State University has installed new water fountains in various locations across campus. These water fountains, present now in Reed Gym, the Student Union Building and other locatoins provide filtered water for students.
“We’ve had a lot of requests for filtered water,” says Jason Sperry, business manager at ISU. “So we did some research.”
Sperry comments that those planning for the water fountains “were trying to fill two niches.”
The new water fountains fill dual roles. A traditional water dispenser allows for students to drink directly from the fountain, while a separate dispenser on the fountain distributes water into water bottles held below.
Sperry says that the water fountains have incurred considerable positive response. “We’ve had a lot of feedback that people really enjoy them.”
“I do like filtered water,” says Kevin Rall, a junior level English major at ISU.
An interesting feature of the water fountains’ design is that each has a monitor displaying how many disposable water bottles have been saved from landfills. Every time a student chooses to fill a water bottle at a fountain rather than buying a disposable water bottle, the number goes up.
Some water fountains are displaying numbers in between four and five thousand, says Sperry.
Other locations on campus are currently considering installing these water fountains as well, according to Sperry, including student housing.
This move towards both a better tasting and a more eco-friendly water fountain is occurring on a large scale — all around the country, says Sperry. “More and more people are wanting good, filtered water available.”
