Schools Give Water Fountains the Touchless Treatment

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 02/23/21

Alongside investments in personal protective equipment, sanitation stations and distancing shields, some schools are earmarking a portion of their federal CARES Act funding to replace their water fountains with touchless versions that don't need continual cleaning.

According to FloWater, one company that makes refill stations, business is gushing. In the past year, CARES Act funds have been used to install "hundreds" of “touchless” refill stations. Just a few of the installation sites include California's Colton Joint Unified School District, the Cherry Creek School District in Colorado, the Minersville Area School District in Pennsylvania and the Z.E.C.A. School of Arts and Technology in North Carolina.

Touchless variations of traditional water fountains may use foot pedals or sensors for operation. All require students to use their own containers.

Touchless water fountain
A touchless refill station replaces the standard school water fountain.
Source: FloWater

The company stated that more than 750 of its refill stations have been installed in schools, including 400 with the touchless technology. The refill stations are free-standing and connect to any potable water line within 100 feet. According to the company, most facilities can replace old fountains in the same location without having to obtain building permits or do additional construction.

"This is a 'win' on so many levels for our school community," noted Frank Miranda, superintendent at Colton, in a press release. "We have provided clean drinking water, met the pandemic-driven safety challenge for a safe reopening and provided easy access to the healthiest drink possible."

"Before COVID, we were seeing a high demand as schools looked to eliminate plastic waste and contaminants, like lead, from their drinking water," added FloWater CEO Rich Razgaitis in a press release. "Now, with our fully touchless drinking water solution, we are able to meet the national challenge to replace outdated water fountains."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • i-PRO, NovoTrax Partner for New School Emergency Response Solution

    i-PRO Americas, Inc., which manufactures edge computing cameras, recently announced a partnership with NovoTrax, provider of end-to-end life safety and mass notification solutions, to address gaps in emergency response workflows at K–12 schools, according to a news release.

  • Image courtesy of Armstrong International

    The Modern Hot Water System Approach to Keep Higher Education Buildings Safe and Operational

    Higher education campuses face unique structural and operational demands. With a range of old and new buildings, a variety of facility types, and ambitious sustainability goals, it's essential that no aspect of infrastructural performance is overlooked. Facility managers must be equipped to provide a safe, reliable and efficient space for students, faculty and guests.

  • Embry-Riddle Breaks Ground on New Office Building

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced that construction has begun on a new office building for its campus Research Park, according to a news release. The university partnered with Hoar Construction on the 34,740-square-foot Center for Aerospace Technology II (CAT II), which will be used for research and lab purposes.

  • S4L Launches 2025 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey

    Spaces4Learning recently launched its 2025 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey, which gathers information on K–12 and higher education construction projects nationwide from the previous year. The data we get from you, our readers, forms an industry report offering an overview of current trends in school facilities.

Digital Edition