A WATER refill station could soon be installed along Helensburgh’s esplanade if a request by community councillors is approved.
Scottish Water has placed more than 40 top-up taps in towns and cities across the country as part of the company’s Your Water Your Life campaign - and Helensburgh may be about to join the growing network.
Sarah Davies, a member of Helensburgh Community Council (HCC), spoke during the group’s May meeting about her efforts to convince Scottish Water to consider the area next to the new leisure centre and swimming pool as a location for a future refill point.
She said: “I sent a letter and got a reply to say that the next few that are being installed are already planned and we’re not on the list but that they would consider us highly in the next batch.
“They wanted to know a bit more, so I told them that it would be down near the new swimming pool. They also wanted to know about footfall, and I have to say I don’t have a clue what the footfall is along the front of Helensburgh but I’d have thought it’s as good as many of the places that have got these taps.
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“They want to know if there are any long distance paths, so of course I’ll tell them about the John Muir Way and the Three Lochs Way, so I would think we can push ourselves quite high up the list, but it won’t happen tomorrow.”
Scottish Water estimates that the equivalent of more than 400,000 single use plastic bottles have been saved by people using the public tap network for their refillable bottles.
There are currently two top-up stations in Argyll and Bute - in Inveraray and Oban - with Helensburgh’s nearest point, as the crow flies, in Greenock.
Sarah added: “I’ve looked at the map and our closest one is Oban or Greenock, so we definitely ought to have one.
“There are very few over on the west coast or in amongst Argyll and Bute, so I’ll continue pursuing this.”
A map of the top-up tap locations can be found at yourwateryourlife.co.uk.
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