Donation Funds “Hydration Stations” Project

August 2, 2011

Long Beach Township first community to install tankless water coolers for public use

Hydration Stations Project - image of stationThe Alliance for a Living Ocean (ALO), whose mission it is to “promote and maintain clean water and a healthy coastal environment” in the Long Beach Island and local Barnegat Bay areas, was awarded a generous anonymous donation to fund tankless water cooler installations along the Island.

Better known as the “hydration stations” project, it is a year in the making and Long Beach Township (LBT) installed the first of its three stations on Friday, July 29. The unit is located at the beach entrance of 68th Street. ReClam the Bay, LBI Foundation of the Arts and Sciences and Kapler’s Pharmacy have also joined in the effort.

Kristin Stahler, ALO’s Executive Director explains, “Refilling just one reusable bottle is equivalent to keeping 167 single-use bottles from entering the environment. ALO is extremely proud to be heading up the project and we hope LBI will serve as an example to other coastal communities.”

While the problem of plastics starts on land in the form of litter, everything eventually winds up in the ocean. So, ALO coined the saying: “Put Water in your Bottle, not Your Bottle in the Water” to go along with the hydration stations and easily illustrate their benefit. The hydration stations allow all beachgoers, walkers, and bikers and anyone on the Island to fill their reusable water bottles with cold, filtered, re-mineralized municipal water.

“The stations will help promote the use of reusable water bottles and reduce the need for plastics,” said Stahler. “Plastic can be extremely detrimental to our environment and, when not recycled, it often ends up in the ocean. There it breaks into billions of pieces that look like food to marine life. Tens of thousands of creatures die every year from ingesting plastics. And this just one example of its devastating effects.”

“We are thrilled to offer this refilling station to our community,” said Angela Andersen, LBT Recycling Coordinator. “Plastic litter is a real problem on our beaches and in our waterways, and promoting the use of reusable water bottles will help diminish that problem.”

Kellie Karolkowicz, President of ALO said, “ALO would like to thank Angela Andersen and Andy Baran from LBT Public Works, along with Commissioner Ralph Bayard, Commissioner Bill Knarre, Mayor Joe Mancini, PUR2O, and our very generous donor for helping to eliminate plastics in the fragile LBI ecosystem.”