The Suffolk County Water Authority and the Village of Sag Harbor last week unveiled a partnership designed to reduce the waste of plastic water bottles and raise public awareness about the safe and constantly tested public water supply.
At the village’s annual Harborfest celebration, village and SCWA officials officially opened a new reusable water bottle refilling station—commonly known as a “hydration station,” located on the windmill at Windmill Park on Wharf Street and available to the public. Under the arrangement, SCWA paid for the station, with installation, maintenance and electricity provided by the Village.
The hydration station is the first donated by SCWA to be located outdoors in a public area that sees considerable pedestrian traffic. A second station donated to the village was also installed downtown, in a nearby rest area.
“The residents of Sag Harbor are very grateful to the SCWA for the addition of the two hydration stations. They are a great example of some of the simple steps that can be taken to change the community’s habits to be more environmentally-friendly and conservation forward,” said Mayor Kathleen Mulcahy. “Sag Harbor welcomes ideas like the stations and partnerships like the one with SCWA that can benefit our village in such an effective fashion.”
"We’re proud to join forces with the Village of Sag Harbor to demonstrate our mutual commitment to sustainability," said SCWA Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey W. Szabo. "This hydration station will remind village residents about the high quality of their public water supply and allow them to conveniently refill reusable water bottles right downtown.”
The Suffolk County Water Authority is an independent public-benefit corporation operating under the authority of the Public Authorities Law of the State of New York. Serving approximately 1.2 million Suffolk County residents, the Authority operates without taxing power on a not-for-profit basis.