Sourced from NBC San Diego - The San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) board members “unanimously approved the recommendation to install the hydration stations district-wide during a meeting” just a month ago on the night of Tuesday the 25th of February 2020! This is an incredible step in the right direction for the safety of the children and young adults across the country. For almost 3 years now planning has been in place for the installation of these “hydration stations” - and over the course of the next four years, these will all be installed at a total expected cost of $12 million which will be funded by measure YY. Additionally, the cost for maintenance will be around $400,000 annually when the installation process is complete for the entire school district.

“This is all part of a goal to make drinking water safer for the students” said Lauren Coronado from NBC7 San Diego. In theory these hydration stations function as a traditional water fountain combined with a water bottle filling station, coupled with a filter that will set a new standard in safety of water, especially regarding lead levels. These stations were installed at Henry Clay El. School in Rolando San Diego, as a part of a pilot program implemented in 2017.

As Richard Barrera of the San Diego Unified School Board outlined, they “could have been dealing with a major crisis”. A majority of the SDUSD test results were below the federal guidelines of 15 parts per billion (ppb), but above the district standard accepted 5ppb. Now the district is switching to a record low 1ppb standard which is absolutely incredible and should in our opinion become a nationwide standard in school districts. Due to the correlation found between the childrens’ ages and the way in which the hazardous toxin harms the body, the installations of these “hydration stations” will start at elementary schools, followed by middle schools and then high schools.

Throughout this process, a total of 8000 water fountains will be removed district wide and instead, 2000 hydration stations will be placed. This will eradicate the risk of lead contamination and poisoning, from commonly used water sources, for over 120.000 students! Barbara Tucker from Henry Clay Elementary School stressed that the new hydration stations have been “going great” with students filling up their bottles at recess and lunches alike.

This is exactly what the school districts should be doing, and it is without a doubt setting a good example for the rest of the nation to follow. The health of the children attending schools across the country is a non-negotiable factor. The water that the kids drink, every single day - these need to be tested for harmful contaminants like lead, its really a no-brainer!

Nature 2 Tap is always looking to help larger areas especially where kids are drinking the water and could be exposed - whether this is water districts, school districts, or even individual daycares or schools. Please reach out to us - head over to our product page and send us a message - we are more than happy to work closely with you to cater to your specific needs and wishes.