Fall semester at Bakersfield College will be a bit more refreshing for members of the student body, staff and faculty. The purchase and installment of two hydration stations on BC campus will provide cold filtered water in seconds. The hydration stations are expected to reduce the use of plastic water bottles, give students access to clean filtered water and promote healthy water consumption.

The Bakersfield College Student Government Association along with Kern Health Systems, Kern Schools Federal Credit Union, and the Office of Student Life collaborated to make the hydration stations possible.

The two stations that were installed in June are located in different areas of the campus. One is in the Collins Campus Center near the men’s restroom and the other station is in the gym in the area of the Athletics Office near the vending machines.

Several students have taken advantage of the stations. Julia Pinal, a freshman at BC, stated that she used the station because of the environmental concept of reduction in plastic bottle use. Sidney Fadden simply enjoys the lack of “tap-water” taste prevented by the filtration system. Luis Garcia as well supports the idea of access to clean filtered water for students.

Yuritzi Sanchez, a sophomore at BC majoring in Kinesiology said, “The water bottle fountain [Hydration Station] is very beneficial for students financially.”

The fountain also has a digital counter imbedded in its stainless-steel casing that keeps track of the number of plastic bottles that will not end up in landfills or melted by recycling centers.

The hydration stations align perfectly with the BCSGA celebration of Healthy Hydration Week from Sept. 5-7. Participating in this activity challenges students to consume half of their body weight in ounces per day. To promote the use of the hydration stations, BCSGA provided large reusable water bottles when students sign up for the monthly Food Pantry distribution.

The current heat wave in Bakersfield requires many who reside in the area to consume large amounts of water.

With the addition of the hydration stations to the campus of Bakersfield College, students, staff and faculty will have access to clean filtered cool water even if their resources are limited.