Agua4All Program Splashes Into Scranton School District, Ensuring Safe Drinking Water Access

Millions of people across the country do not have access to reliable, healthy drinking water and many of these people are located in rural communities. Lead pipes, which are commonly found in older school buildings and childcare facilities, can contribute to elevated levels of lead in drinking water, which is toxic to humans.

Children are especially impacted by poor drinking water quality. When safe water is not available, children often turn to unhealthy sugary drinks. In addition, when reluctant to drink the public water supply, many families resort to drinking bottled water, which can be expensive. Plastic water bottles also harm the environment; in fact 80% of plastic water bottles used in the United States end up in landfills.

Agua4All is a program that helps increase access to clean drinking water in schools and communities by building partnerships to install water filling stations where they are needed the most. This program also raises awareness and develops long-term solutions to issues that many communities face concerning safe drinking water access.

Through this initiative, RCAP; funds bottle filling stations in schools and key community sites to deliver clean drinking water, funds reusable bottles for students and staff use to further encourage increased water consumption, reduces disposable plastic bottle waste, and provides student and community education on water quality issues and healthy beverage choices.

This work is made possible because of the generous support from The Chris Long Foundation’s Waterboys initiative and Liquid I.V., and through collaboration with the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP).