WaterMonsters are a great way to save money and waste for large outdoor events at UVA. WaterMonsters are water refill stations available for University-related outdoor events. Any UVA student, faculty, or staff member may reserve between one and six WaterMonsters for an event.

What is a WaterMonster? The WaterMonster is a self-serving bulk water dispenser that is lightweight and stackable. One WaterMonster can hold up to 125 gallons of filtered, iced water. That is the equivalent to 3,000 paper cups. Each unit comes with one stand, six spigots, one hose rib, a drain valve, and compostable cups.  

What kind of events is WaterMonster good for? 

WaterMonsters are well suited for outdoor, on-grounds events that are expected to host 250+ people. Some events where you might see WaterMonsters include farmers markets, graduations, Lighting of the Lawn, and other major events.  

WaterMonsters are also a great option for Zero Waste events as they save on the cost of purchasing single-serve beverage cans for crowds over 250! For events less than this, we recommend buying aluminum bottled water that complies with the UVA Single-Use Plastics Policy. 

How much does WaterMonster cost? 

Because WaterMonsters require special services for delivery and pick-up due to their size and weight when filled with water, the set-up fee for each WaterMonster is $200.  

WaterMonster also comes with enough compostable cups for your attendees at an additional cost of 10 cents per cup. 

For longer events spanning multiple days, events on the weekend, and those that need additional support from Facilities Management, additional service costs may be necessary. 

What are the acceptable forms of payment I should have ready? 

BEFORE YOU BEGIN, make sure you have either your organization/department Worktag information OR a Customer Service Transaction Number (CST#).  

If you are a student organization or community partner that has not yet acquired a CST#, email Facilities Management Finance with your ORGANIZATION’S 

• Name 
• Main point of contact 
• Address 
• Phone or Email 
• Billing Method Preference (Mail or Email)

 

Upon receiving this information FM Finance will generate a unique CST# for your organization that you may continue to use for future purchases. If you do not hear back from FM Finance in 3 business days regarding your CST# or have any other billing-related questions, email [email protected]. 

How Do I Request a WasterMonster?

After you have either a Worktag or CST# to use as payment, reserving a WaterMonster can be done by submitting a customer request through the University of Virginia Facilities Management – Customer Portal at least 10 business days prior to the event. After clicking on the “Other” request tile, start by describing your request in the text box labeled “describe your request”. In your description be sure you include: 

• “WaterMonster Request” 
• CST# (if relevant) 
• The number of WaterMonsters you are looking to reserve  
• The estimated attendance of the event and 
• Email address 
• Cell phone number 
• Name 
• Secondary point of contact for the event including  
• Email address 
• Cell phone number 
• Name 
• The day-of point of contact for the event including  
• The event location with as much detail as possible 
• The start and end time of the event 
• The date of the event 
• The name of your event 

Continue to fill out text fields as prompted. Note that the “Building” drop-down menu includes outdoor spaces. 

If you have your organization/department’s worktag information, please check the “I would like to submit worktags with this request” box and continue to fill in all worktag information as prompted. If you are an organization that only has a CST#, please include that information in the “Describe your request” text field.  

Once you have filled out the work order, make sure you check the box at the bottom of the page if the contact for the request is different than the requester and click submit.  

 

What happens after I request a WaterMonster? 

After you have submitted your work order, you will receive an automated email reply confirming that you have successfully submitted your work order. After your work order has been processed, Facilities Management will make sure that your event location is suitable for the set-up of a WaterMonster and will send back a separate email with confirmation status, and work order number (WO#).  

If you do not receive a confirmation email in 5 business days, call (434) 924-1777 to follow-up on your WaterMonster order.  

Invoice information will be sent out by FM Finance midway through the month following the request. 

How do I request compost bins for the WaterMonster cups? 

To request compost bins for the compostable cups that come with WaterMonster, please fill out our Zero Waste Event Request Form or visit our Zero Waste Event site for more information. 

 

How else can I green my event? 

Thank you for your interest in making your event more sustainable! Watch our Zero Waste Guide or visit our Zero Waste Event site for more information.