The German Blue Community / Blue City of Berlin is experiencing hot weather. To help residents cool down and stay hydrated, various drinking fountains have been set up in different districts.
Of the 242 drinking water fountains provided by Berliner Wasserbetriebe (BWB), 230 are currently available to citizens in Berlin. The remaining twelve fountains are either located on construction sites or have been damaged by vandalism, according to a BWB press spokesperson. Some of these will be usable again in a few days, while others will take several years due to construction work.
“The fountains are checked and cleaned weekly,” said the company spokesperson. “And they are tested in the laboratory once a month.” There are currently no plans to install additional public drinking fountains. “The state of Berlin has cut funding as part of its austerity measures. We are not building any new fountains at the moment. We are maintaining the existing ones,” said the spokesperson.
1.3 cubic metres of water per fountain per day.
The number of drinking fountains has increased significantly in recent years. With 249 of these water dispensers, the capital city ranks very well in a nationwide comparison. In addition to the 242 fountains operated by the BWB, seven more are maintained by property owners such as the Berlin Forestry Commission.
The fountains in Berlin are continuous flow fountains, meaning the water runs continuously. According to the spokesperson, each fountain dispenses around 1.3 cubic metres of water per day. Although these quantities are relatively small, the fountains are now to be converted for economic reasons so that the water only flows when a button is pressed.
List: Here are the drinking fountains in Berlin
The majority of the city’s drinking fountains are so-called ‘Kaiser’ fountains. There are also 47 barrier-free ‘Bituma’ fountains and three ‘exotic’ fountains. According to the spokesperson, these include the ‘Vienna’ fountain on Kurfürstendamm and the ‘Jogger’ fountain in Grunewald.
The fountains are located in areas of Berlin with high footfall, where demand is particularly high. A detailed list of the locations of the drinking fountains in Berlin can be found here.
According to the spokesperson, the fountains are also used by animals, ranging from bees to dogs the size of calves. This does not pose a hygiene risk. A ball protects the part of the fountain from which the water flows. “Even if a Doberman’s tongue licks the ball, it never comes into contact with the part from which the water flows,” the spokesperson emphasises. The ball is actually a protective measure,” the spokesperson emphasises.
