From the German Blue Community / Blue City of Hamburg:
Free refreshments in summer! 54 public drinking water fountains operated by HAMBURG WASSER and Stadtreinigung are back in operation throughout Hamburg.
Just in time for the higher temperatures, Hamburg’s public drinking water fountains are once again available to everyone. During the summer months, these thirst-quenchers can be found at many locations throughout the city, offering free refreshments. Of these, 44 are located at public toilets and are operated directly by Stadtreinigung Hamburg (SRH), while the remaining ten are operated by HAMBURG WASSER.
Katharina Fegebank, the Senator for the Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture, said: “Access to free drinking water of excellent quality is important for everyone, especially in hot summers, and it supports a healthy lifestyle. The drinking water dispensers contribute to sustainability and environmental protection because they encourage the use of reusable bottles. At the same time, they can make public places more attractive. I am delighted that Stadtreinigung and HAMBURG WASSER are making this possible in many places in our city.”
The SRH drinking water fountains are integrated into public toilets. The location search function on the SRH website and in the SRH app shows which public toilets are equipped with them. For example, you can set the ‘drinking water fountain’ filter here. SRH is responsible for the construction, maintenance and operation of the current 141 public toilets in Hamburg. Of these, 97 are currently barrier-free.
This service is complemented by HAMBURG WASSER’s drinking water fountains, which are only available during the summer season. Since mid-May, the drinking water fountains on Herzog-Carl-Friedrich Platz in Bergedorf, in Wilhelmsburger Inselpark, on Kemal-Altun-Platz in Ottensen, and on Seeveplatz in Harburg have been reconnected to the drinking water network. Two more fountains in Winterhude (at the Südring/Stadthallenbrücke intersection) and Wandsbek (in the Eichtalpark) will be reconnected in the coming weeks. People in Hamburg will also have to wait a few more weeks for fresh drinking water around the Alster, Stadtpark and Landungsbrücken. The badly damaged drinking water columns will be replaced with the new fountain model. The Hamburg-specific design has a robust construction and generally offers few areas for soiling or vandalism. As there is no sink, bottles of any size can be filled. Any unused water will flow into a separate collection tray for pets.
Providing drinking water in public areas is a statutory task for which the Hamburg districts are responsible, as is the Ministry for the Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture.
Information on the locations of all HAMBURG WASSER drinking water fountains can be found at www.hamburgwasser.de/wasser/umgang-mit-wasser/trinkwasserbrunnen and information on the locations of SRH public toilets can be found at www.stadtreinigung.hamburg/stadtsauberkeit/oeffentliche-toiletten.
