Installing drinking fountains in dozens of city parks? An eyewatering $3M

Forget water bottles – old-school drinking fountains could be making a comeback in London green spaces, with a report calling for a plan to prioritize adding them to dozens of human and dog parks.

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At an average $80,000 apiece to install new fountains, however, a roll-out to all such parks wouldn’t come cheap. City staff estimate the cost at $3 million for 36 parks deemed suitable for the fountains, including $500,000 to service the city’s five off-leash dog parks.

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Instead, a staff report headed to a city council committee Tuesday recommends London continues to add outdoor water service to new community centers and field houses, and develops a prioritized plan to add them to “appropriate locations” elsewhere as it updates its master plan for parks starting next year.

Only 24 parks now have drinking fountains.

Two-year-old Denver Sturgeon takes a drink from the water fountain at Ivey Park in London on Wednesday, May 23, 2012. (Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press)

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Ward 7 Coun. Corrine Rahman, who sits on the community and protective services committee, said she believes the dual approach — adding service to new sites as they’re built, and looking where it can be added to others as the parks and recreation plan is updated — is the best one.

“We have to think about this in practical terms, as well, because it is an expense,” she said. “And although it is a necessary expense, we do have to find ways to maintain our fiscal responsibilities as well.”

Thirsty park-goers can find relief at more than one fountain in some parks, including Victoria Park, and some even have fountains with small basins attached for dogs. But in many parks, the only option is to go without quenching your thirst — or to pack along your own water.

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London has no policy requiring water to be made available in its parks, but since the mid-2000s water fountains and bottle-filling stations have been made a priority at sites with buildings, such as field houses and community centers, the report notes. Recent examples include the new East Lions Community Center and the future Foxfield District Park expansion.

Of the five types of parks in London, the staff report ranks those that attract visitors from across the city and beyond, as well as sports parks, as highly suitable for the addition of water service if they don’t already have it.

Off-leash dog parks are considered “likely suitable,” while smaller neighborhood parks, which number more than 160 but have fewer visitors, have the lowest suitability, according to the report.

While drinking fountains have health and environmental benefits, such as reducing use of plastic water bottles, the report highlights factors that can reduce a park’s suitability for service, including its distance from water service lines and its number of visitors. The more visitors, the more likely water in the system will be turned over frequently to meet quality standards.

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