The Portland Water Bureau is happy to welcome the New York-based TapIt to Portland. TapIt provides Portlanders with a new and inventive way of refilling reusable water bottles with tap water, while on the go.

Through TapIt’s website (tapitwater.com), mobile website, and a GPS enabled iPhone application (‘TapIt Water’ in the Apple application store) users are able to locate the nearest participating business that acts as a water refill location. Users simply stop into a TapIt location with a refillable water bottle and fill up by using a self serve station or asking behind the counter.

TapIt founder Kylie Harper said, “Portland is known for having some of the best quality water in the country and a commitment to sustainable practices. This is a perfect match for what we are trying achieve with TapIt. Using technology and the help of the community, we aim to make it easy for people refill their reusable water bottles anywhere in the city.”

TapIt currently has more than 50 Portland area partner cafes signed on to the project. Partners can be identified by a TapIt sticker posted in the business window.

“TapIt provides our customers with a unique way to track down a source of our pristine Bull Run water while interacting in our community,” said Water Bureau Administrator David Shaff. “I welcome their presence in Portland and hope that Portlanders will check out their Web site and iPhone application. This is really cool.”

TapIt was founded in New York in 2008 with the mission of building a comprehensive network of partner businesses across the U.S. that makes clean tap water accessible to the public and along the way, create a community of citizens who are making conscious decisions for a sustainable future.

In the past year, TapIt has partnered with over 475 businesses in 10 states to provide clean and sustainable water to the public. TapIt has worked in conjunction with city agencies in New York, San Francisco and Des Moines, IA to bring a comprehensive network of refill locations to these cities.

Own a business and want to get on board with TapIt? Visit the TapIt web site to find out more!

You can also learn more about TapIt on their Facebook and Twitter (@tapitwater) pages.

View Article at The Portlander