With Bottle-Fillers in Mind, The Water Fountain Evolves:
- The basic drinking fountain—requiring you to bend over, press a button and slurp—was a steady seller for decades.
- Then, nearly 10 years ago...More people were toting plastic water bottles. Rather than drinking from the fountain, they wanted to refill those jugs. It wasn't working.
- In recent years...[various companies]...have introduced new types of fountains designed to refill bottles.
- But Americans are picky. Many consider fountains unsanitary.
- Fountains also could be dangerous. In some schools, kids leaning down for a drink were shoved by bullies and ended up with broken teeth.
- In focus groups, some women said bending over a fountain made them feel vulnerable, or the pose was unflattering.
- The result was a machine that fills 16 ounces in about five seconds if the water is at room temperature, or about seven seconds if it has to meander through refrigeration pipes on the way out. The traditional fountains needed at least 20 seconds.
- Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., began buying Elkay fountains after students campaigned against what they saw as plastic-bottle waste. The college has installed 49 of the devices and says more than 1.4 million plastic bottles have been refilled by them over the past two years. Incoming freshmen receive a free stainless-steel water bottle.
- David Rabold, capital projects manager at Muhlenberg, says sales of bottled water on campus have fallen 90% since EZH2O fountains were installed.
The article states that the cost of the fountains range "from about $700 to $2,075, depending on the model." We have them in a few locations at UVA...and in my opinion they are worth every penny.
