BlueTriton Brands steps up to water access challenges by supporting DigDeep's mission of bringing running water to Texas communities

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Mar 23, 2023, 09:00 ET

The $1.1 million donation allows DigDeep to bring clean, running water to families in Texas communities

STAMFORD, Conn., March 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As we honor World Water Day, BlueTriton Brands, through its Ozarka^® Brand 100% Natural Spring Water and Pure Life^® Water brands, is responding to water access challenges by supporting human rights nonprofit DigDeep. BlueTriton is committed to donating $1.1 million over the next two years to DigDeep's Colonias Water Project, which is bringing clean running water to families living in under-resourced communities along the Texas-Mexico border. The Texas colonias are located outside city limits and often lack basic infrastructure, including water, sanitation, trash services and streetlamps.

"BlueTriton has a long history of donating drinking water as a safety net for communities in their times of need. With the Colonias Water Project, we are proud to extend those efforts beyond emergency relief by helping DigDeep to develop longer-term solutions which provide more Americans with safe, easy access to clean, running water," said Ed Ferguson, Chief Sustainability Officer for BlueTriton Brands.

Texas colonias residents purchased homes from developers who sold them on the promise of installing paved roads, water and electricity but then disappeared. With the support of private funds, including a prior $400k donation by BlueTriton Brands, DigDeep broke ground on project work in the Cochran colonia, near El Paso, Texas in July 2022 to install piped water lines and fire hydrants for the entire community. Cochran was connected to municipal water in December 2022.

"This has been a long fight," resident Jack Duran said. "I remember that, for years, my parents would go fight for this dream of having running water. They asked for help, and were told they'd receive it, but in the end nothing would happen. It was all false promises. Growing up in Cochran, I always wanted to know: why is it that they won't help us get water? Never once did I think less of myself because of the lack of water, but I did think it was unfair."

Duran grew up in Cochran. He has been fighting to get water for his family and community members for decades. When DigDeep's project manager, Kathryn Lucero, began exploring plans to bring tapped water to Cochran, she hired Duran to help with community outreach and project assistance.

With the completion of work in Cochran, DigDeep has already begun laying the groundwork to bring running water to five more Texas colonias.

World Water Day, an annual United Nations (UN) observance day held on March 22, 2023, raises awareness, and inspires action to solve the global water crisis that affects 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water.

ABOUT BLUETRITON BRANDS: BlueTriton Brands offers an extensive portfolio of highly recognizable, responsibly sourced, and sustainably packaged spring water and other water brands including Poland Spring^® Brand, Deer Park^® Brand, Ozarka^® Brand, Ice Mountain^® Brand, Zephyrhills^® Brand, Arrowhead^® Brand, Origin™ Natural Spring Water, Saratoga^® Spring Water, AC+ION™ Alkaline Water, Pure Life^®, Splash Blast™ Flavored Water Beverage and Splash Fizz™ Fruit Flavored Sparkling Water Beverage. BlueTriton Brands also owns and operates ReadyRefresh^®, a customizable water and beverage delivery service that has been certified as a CarbonNeutral^® business.

Based in Stamford, Connecticut, BlueTriton Brands and its affiliates in the United States and Canada employ approximately 6,600 associates. BlueTriton Brands manages resources for long-term sustainability, and conserves more than 20,000 acres of watershed area. The Company has 28 production facilities across the United States, 13 of which are Alliance for Water Stewardship ("AWS") certified across 12 sites, with eight of the certified facilities being AWS Platinum, the highest-level certification.

ABOUT DIGDEEP: DigDeep is a human rights nonprofit working to ensure every American has access to clean running water and sanitation. Its community-led and region-specific solutions have helped install clean running water inside hundreds of homes through its award-winning Navajo Water Project (Arizona, New Mexico and Utah); Appalachia Water Project (West Virginia); and Colonias Water Project (Texas). DigDeep is leading the U.S. WaSH sector in research, workforce development and advocacy that informs public policy. It has authored two groundbreaking reports, "Closing the Water Access Gap in the United States: A National Action Plan" and "Draining: The Economic Impact of America's Hidden Water Crisis," which revealed over 2.2 million Americans live without a toilet or tap at home, costing the US economy a staggering $8.65 billion each year. For more information, please visit www.digdeep.org and follow on Twitter (@DigDeepH2O), Facebook and Instagram (@DigDeepWater).

Media Contact:
BlueTriton Brands
Courtney Zieller
Manager of External Communications
[email protected]

SOURCE BlueTriton Brands