Portland, ME — 08/29/13
Today the Portland Water District (PWD) announces the creation of a grant program which offers free water bottle filling fountains to local entities. As this week marks the two-year anniversary of the first PWD-funded fountain installed at the Jetport, 3,000 local businesses and non-profits will receive a mailing detailing the program and inviting them to apply for a grant.
The partnership with the Jetport was spurred by PWD’s interest to expand access to Greater Portland’s superior tap water and the Jetport’s ongoing sustainability initiatives, desire to reduce waste, and interest in providing customers with a convenient service. The two Jetport fountains are near recording 100,000 water bottles saved.
“Response to the water bottle filling fountains has been overwhelmingly positive,” stated PWD Board President Guy Cote, “So we have created a progressive program to further encourage easy access to tap water within our community. This is a first, I am not aware of another water utility doing this.”
Grant applications are due October 31 and can be completed online at www.pwd.org. Grant recipients will be notified in January, then will have twelve months to install the unit. For longer term projects, applicants can designate the year in which they are applying for the grant and expecting to install the unit. Preference will be given to those organizations that provide the largest exposure and benefit for public use. Complete criteria and eligibility requirements can also be found online.
