Council's new water refill station just in time for current hot spell

Water refill stations are starting to appear around the district following a Council initiative kick started by Crotlieve Councillor Mark Gibbons. Warrenpoint Municipal Park now hosts the facility just in time for the current hot spell. It aims to help discourage what Cllr Gibbons refers to as 'the scourge of single use plastics'

It follows a Motion put before Council in July 2019 proposed by Cllr Gibbons and seconded by Cllr Barra Ó Muirí "That this council will introduce a pilot scheme, similar to the NI Water led initiative #Refillution, and will actively promote the personal use of reusable water bottles and facilitate water refill stations - initially in Warrenpoint and Rostrevor and then throughout the district as part of its ongoing committment to the environment."

Cllr Gibbons said "In 2019 (seems a lifetime ago) I proposed my first motion to the Council chamber with a help and guidance from the excellent Olivia McCartan of Love your Lough. It was to introduce a pilot scheme to actively promote the personal use of reusable water bottles and facilitate and install a number of water refill stations across the district."

The Crotlieve Councillor added "The scourge of single use plastic has been more prevalent now than ever. Now with the first water station installed at Warrenpoint Park-I hope that these fountains will help with the ongoing battle against the use of single use plastic and hopefully inspire a little change for the better in all of us."

The scheme will see a number of stations installed at Warrenpoint Municipal Park, Kilbroney Forest Park, Newcastle Promenade and Cranfield beach. On the other side of the border Louth County Council have installed a similar facility on the Carlingford Lough Greenway.