The Park and Facilities Catalog now offers drinking fountains with convenient bottle fillers
Drinking fountains at parks, playgrounds, and outdoor facilities are often overlooked as a key site amenity.
But they play a super-important function. And that function can mean the difference between a good park experience or a frustrating one.
This is especially important today, as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the Earth's global temperature in 2017 was the third warmest year on record. The year before, 2016, was actually the warmest in history and 2015 was the second warmest.
This summer just started and news reports already say the US is experiencing intense heat.
That means people need to hydrate more than ever.
How many times has someone enjoyed a day outside in a park and learned there were no drinking fountains to be found?
How frustrating is it for visitors to finally find a drinking fountain and then discover it does not work?
Or, how many times have people walked up to a fountain after a hard jog or game, only to discover there is virtually no water pressure? (This seems to be an extremely common occurrence. Not just outdoors either).
Water drinking fountains are critical. According to experts at the Mayo Clinic, young children, older adults and people with chronic illnesses could be in danger if they don't consume enough water during the day.
Men generally need to drink 13 eight-ounce cups of water a day. Women on average need to consume around nine cups daily.
Especially with the record temperatures many states are experiencing, drinking fountains need to be functioning and readily available in several locations. If not, a park or outdoor facility could actually have a health hazard on its hands and no manager wants to see that.
In addition, with social media today, the public can be quick to complain. There are outlets such as Yelp and Trip Advisor where people can be brutal with their comments. As you know, more people are likely to complain than praise.
Are your facilities ready for this hotter than usual weather? Be sure to have adequate sources of water on the premises.
Drinking fountains come in several varieties
There are a variety of choices for fountains. Here are some of them:
One popular choice for drinking fountains is the traditional metal drinking fountain, with the cylindrical base.
Drinking fountains with dog fountain as well
These tough, scratch-resistant metal fountains are powder-coated with a finish that resists rust and corrosion.
The drinking fountains also have chrome plated brass drains that are vandal resistant. You can also purchase replaceable in-line water filters.
Heavy-duty chrome-plated brass "bubbler" waterspouts are locked to the receptor and also protected by tamper resistant steel guards. The water flow is activated by a stick-resistant, chrome-plated push button valve. Alternative valves are also available.
Metal drinking fountains can be found in a number of configurations and designs (as are concrete fountains).
Some of them include:
- Standard pedestal
- Wall-mounted
- ADA compliant triple pedestal - fountains that extend out for wheelchair access
- Barrier-free wheelchair access drinking fountains
- Water bottle filler stations combined with standard drinking fountains
- Children-sized drinking fountains
- "Doggy and Me" pedestal pet fountains with an upper faucet for humans and a lower one for pets
The Park and Facilities Catalog offers other fountain options as well called "Frost Proof" and "Sanifrost."
"Frost Proof" is just what it sounds like. A frost-proof valve is added for year-round conditions. As you can imagine, in sub-freezing temperatures a drinking fountain is most likely to freeze up.
Be sure to check the specs for any drinking fountains to see the weather tolerances and adjustments that to be made for harsh freezing conditions.
For the "Sanifrost" option, there is a valve system added which prevents possible groundwater contamination.
You can also choose from stainless steel wall mounted units.
Concrete fountains are both durable and immovable
Concrete drinking fountains with freezeproof protection
When it comes to durable drinking fountains, concrete drinking fountains are rock solid. After all, they are manufactured with natural minerals.
As you know, park amenities are exposed to the elements 24/7 and 365 days a year. You need drinking fountains that are durable and can withstand the rain, ice, cold, snow and heat.
Park amenities are also exposed to vandals and people with bad intent.
That's why concrete drinking fountains are a favorite at federal parks plus state and local parks.
The tough exterior is hard to crack. That hardened concrete casing also protects the plumbing inside.
That same tough coating also means little to no maintenance is required.
Even though these fountains are made with concrete there are actually several attractive finishes and color options to choose from.
One is exposed aggregate. This is a rough texture that can be terra cotta, charcoal, sand-colored or other earth tones.
The other option is a light-sandblasted finish which is smoother. Those colors can be light brown, terracotta, charcoal, dove grey or sand tan to name a few. They can be pre-cast concrete or glass fiber reinforced concrete.
There are also "etched" and "perma" variations of concrete finishes to choose from.
The other great advantage of concrete drinking fountains is security.
A forklift is required to offload these heavy concrete products from a truck. Once installed, it's not going anywhere.
Fortunately, there are a number of attractive options for different types of water fountains that can complement any landscape.
One thing is certain with these warmer than usual days - as a park, sports or outdoor facility manager you want to be sure to provide plenty of working drinking fountains to keep your visitors hydrated and safe.