Local realty’s goal: a water station in every Newport-Mesa school

A Newport Beach-based real estate agency is raising money to try to install water bottle filling stations in all schools in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.

Arbor Real Estate collaborated with the Rob Machado Foundation in May to install its first water station at Newport Elementary School as part of the Clean Water for Kids program.

The Newport Beach campus now has a FloWater filling station outside its cafeteria. It dispenses cool water directly from the school’s water source.

Kristin Barry, a partner and broker at Arbor Real Estate, said she wants schools to have access to clean, cool, filtered water. The bottle-filling station also may help reduce the number of plastic bottles used, she said.

“It was something I wanted to bring to the community,” Barry said. “We’re using Newport as the model school.”

During the installation ceremony in May, professional surfer Rob Machado, who established his foundation in 2004 to support environmental programs for youths, showed students how to use the water station. The children also received stainless-steel water bottles adorned with logos from the foundation and Arbor Real Estate.

“The idea is to reduce and eliminate single-use plastics in schools because it inevitably will end up in the ocean,” Machado said in an interview Wednesday. “There isn’t a better school to do it at because the end result will end up in their backyard.”

The station has been used by virtually everyone on campus, said Debbie Kandel, an administrative assistant at Newport Elementary.

“We’re so thrilled that this important message is taking hold,” Kandel said. “Everybody is using it — even some parents use it while they’re here on campus.”

Barry said Arbor Real Estate also turned to the city of Newport Beach to install outdoor water stations, though they wouldn’t provide cool water. Several have been installed throughout the city, including on 15th Street and at the Wedge.

Each water station costs about $4,500, Barry said. Each fundraiser has raised nearly $20,000, she said, and “it’s just the beginning.”

Newport-Mesa parent Vanessa Armstrong said she hopes parents and administrators will get involved to help bring water stations to more schools.

“This isn’t just for the Newport schools; it’s going to be everyone,” Armstrong said. “The goal is to get in every school for every child.”

Priscella.Vega@latimes.com

Twitter: @vegapriscella