Students have some concerns about the water fountains at Archbishop Riordan, even though they acknowledge the best water they’ve ever had is from the fountains at school. 

The water fountains are manufactured by Elkay, a company that sells water coolers, water fountains, and water dispensers. Each of their products is specialized to have a filter status and a count to help keep track of the waste that was prevented by reusing water bottles. 

There are three of these water fountains located on the Riordan campus. One is located in the main lobby, one outside the cafeteria, and one in the gym. Each of these water fountains is used every day so students, teachers, staff, and visitors can stay hydrated. 

Recently, students have recognized that the filter status is constantly on red. Elkay has designed these water fountains to indicate the filter status so the filter can be replaced every time it has reached its top capacity. 

The filter status on red does not mean the water is unhealthy. “The red light just means the filter isn’t at 100 percent,” Head of Maintenance Brandon Ramsey said. “The water we drink is pretty healthy so there is nothing to worry about.” It may seem scary seeing the little red light, causing people to automatically think the water has gone bad. 

There are three lights on the water fountains: green, yellow, and red. However, these colors do not indicate the safety of the water, they determine the amount of life the filter has left. 

The water fountain is like a phone battery: green means it has a lot of time left before the filter fails, yellow means there is 1 to 20 percent of the battery left, and red means it needs to be replaced. 

A red light does not necessarily indicate “bad water,” but rather that the water is akin to drinking straight from the faucet, without the added filters. The Elkay Website further explains the filtering system, stating, a “filter has reached 100 percent of its life or been in use for 12 months” if a red light is indicated. 

The water fountains in the gym, lobby, and the cafeteria have been fixed after a long time of being out of order. The filters have also been replaced and if you take a look at the Filter Status, it will show up as green. With these fountains being fixed, water is now more accessible to the student body so everyone can be hydrated throughout the day.