Vineyard Conservation Society (VCS) announces several new water bottle refill stations across the Island, expanding access to convenient drinking water while helping reduce people’s reliance on single-use plastic.
The newest addition is an outdoor refill station at the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group’s John T. Hughes Hatchery in Oak Bluffs, made possible through a generous grant from the Edey Foundation. The station will be added to VCS’s island-wide Tap Map (bit.ly/VCS_TapMap), which helps people find locations to refill reusable water bottles.
Other new stations this year include a unit at the Information Booth in Oak Bluffs, next to the Flying Horses, and two stations at each of the Tisbury School playgrounds. VCS has also partnered with Oak Bluffs School to install a new indoor refill station in the school gym. The school’s eighth-grade students raised a portion of the funds as a graduation gift to their school, making the project a meaningful example of student leadership and community stewardship.
“On behalf of Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, I would like to extend our sincere thanks to VCS for providing PFAS-reducing water filters for our bottle-filling stations earlier this year. The filters were installed successfully, and have been in use throughout the school year, supplying our students, staff, and visitors with clean drinking water,” said Sean Mulvey, 2025–26 principal. “Thanks again for looking out for our students and providing us such a valuable resource.”
“Making it easier for people to refill a reusable bottle is a simple, practical way to reduce plastic waste while building a culture of conservation,” said Signe Benjamin of VCS. “We are so grateful to the Edey Foundation, Farm Neck Foundation, schools, and community partners who are helping make this effort possible.”
To find a refill station near you, visit the VCS Tap Map. Community members, businesses, and organizations interested in learning more about the program or helping fund a new refill station are encouraged to contact Signe Benjamin at signe@vineyardconservation.org.
