Wags and Water Festival Brings Canines and Water Conservation Together
The Vallecitos Water District and the City of San Marcos will celebrate the installation of five new hydration stations at local parks while also supporting pet adoption. The “Wags & Water Festival” takes place at Woodland Park in San Marcos on Saturday, May 7, from 10 a.m. to Noon.
Water conservation
San Marcos and Vallecitos partnered on the new project to encourage water conservation. Five hydration stations have been installed in San Marcos parks to facilitate easy refilling of reusable bottles during outdoor activities instead of using purchased bottled water. Both the City of San Marcos and the Vallecitos Water District are committed to reducing single-use plastics. Each station features a quick-fill mechanism to encourage reusable water bottle use alongside a regular water fountain spout.
In addition, at the suggestion of San Diego County Water Authority Water Resources Specialist Joni German, each station also has a water bowl for pet owner use.
“I’m a dog lover who knows that hydrating is just as important to dogs as it is to their humans,” said German. “Adding the dog water bowls to the bottle filling stations makes our walks to the park more enjoyable.”
Preview video about Wags and Water Festival
Dog rescue groups featured at Festival
Find your new best friend and save a life at the Wags and Water Festival. Photo: Tatiana Tati/Pixabay
San Diego County dog adoption agencies will be at the event with adoptable dogs and adoption information. Participating groups include A New Life Rescue, Labs and More, Operation Greyhound, Paws 4 Thought Animal Rescue, and Tragic to Magic.
The hydration station project received $25,000 in grant funding from the Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to cover the purchase and installation of the stations and educational signage informing the public about the benefits of tap water over bottled water. The signage also offers several additional steps people can take to conserve water.
The new hydration stations help conserve water and avoid the production of single use plastic bottles. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
Vallecitos worked with the San Marcos Public Works Department to install hydration stations at Mission Sports Field Park, Bradley Park, Connors Park, Buelow Park, and Woodland Park.
Reusable water bottles and free dog treats will be provided while supplies last. Dogs must be leashed.
More event information: https://www.facebook.com/events/
Bottled water is a wasteful convenience. According to the Water Footprint Calculator, it takes 1.5 gallons of water to manufacture a single plastic bottle holding 16 ounces of drinking water. All plastic drinking bottles are made from new plastic material, so there is no recovery due to recycling.
(Editor’s note: The Vallecitos Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)
