BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — A waterpark in southern Illinois is being run with energy from nearly 700 solar panels starting this summer.
The (Belleville) News-Democrat reports that Collinsville Area Recreation District installed the solar panels at Splash City Waterpark at the end of March.
Park district administrative assistant Kim Derossett says the first electric bill with the solar panels came in April and shows $700 in savings. Water park aquatic director Ryan Besse says the facility hopes to add more solar panels in the future.
The solar panels were possible because of an Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation grant for nearly $420,000. The money paid for about half of the solar energy system’s more than $850,000 cost.
