Water refill stations provide chilled, filtered water to campus while tracking the number of plastic bottles kept out of the environment.
Since 2015, the Water Bottle Refilling Stations strategically placed around Jefferson Lab’s campus have collectively kept the equivalent of 84,000 plastic water bottles out of the landfills and oceans, and that number grows every day.
“We want our people to stay hydrated,” Facilities Operations and Maintenance Manager, Bob Sperlazza, said. “And we want to keep unnecessary plastic bottles out of our environment.”
According to Sperlazza, Jefferson Lab’s Facilities Management & Logistics personnel sat down in 2015 to figure out a cost-effective way to provide water to everyone while simultaneously reducing the lab’s footprint.
“We wanted a continuous stream of fresh, filtered water to benefit people,” Sperlazza said. “And it’s environmentally prudent that we keep plastic out of the landfills.”
With these two goals in mind, Sperlazza instituted the Elkay Water Bottle Refilling Stations. The refilling stations provide chilled, filtered water as well as a convenient shelf to place your reusable water bottle for filling.
There are currently nine water bottle refilling stations throughout the campus, with plans to install five to six more in designated locations, as budgets permit. At the cost of $1,000 plus installation, a single water refill station saves Jefferson Lab thousands of dollars in bottled-water purchases every year.
The Water Bottle Refilling Stations can currently be found in the following areas:
Support Service Center - Bldg. 28
North Access Building - Bldg. 67
South Access Building - Bldg. 38
2nd floor C-Wing CEBAF Center - Bldg. 12
Cryo Maintenance Building - Bldg. 89
General Purpose Building - Bldg. 36 (magnet test area)
LERF (2nd floor) - Bldg. 18
Forestry Building - Bldg. 19
Hall D Counting House (water dispenser only) - Bldg. 202
Future plans include installing stations in the following proposed areas:
EEL Building - Bldg. 90
Other wings in CEBAF Center - Bldg. 12
Counting House - Bldg. 97
Sperlazza said the water bottle refilling stations serve their people and the environment, while only requiring the occasional and minimal maintenance. He said he’s seen the benefits of the refilling stations and hopes to continue finding environmentally friendly solutions to satisfy the needs of Jefferson Lab staff.
By Sheena Jeffers
For more information, contact the Jefferson Lab Communications Office at jlabinfo@jlab.org.