Drinking water fountains provide cooling on hot days. They are also a symbol of sustainable urban development and help to promote the conscious use of natural resources. They also contribute to environmental protection by reducing the use of plastic bottles.
With this in mind, the City of Bonn would like to increase the number of drinking fountains throughout the city in future. To this end, a pilot project was launched on Friday, May 31, 2024: Three different models of drinking fountains will be tested, with the aim of extending the best-received model to other locations in the city area following the test phase.
The first of the three drinking fountains is located on Konrad-Adenauer-Platz. The historic horse trough that previously stood there was dismantled and renovated in consultation with the Beuel Heritage and History Association and will be rebuilt at another location on the banks of the Rhine, which has yet to be finalized.
The other two drinking water dispensers will be installed in the coming weeks. In the city district of Bonn, Budafokpark on Budapester Straße, which the city has transformed into an attractive inner-city recreation area in 2023, will receive a barrier-free drinking water dispenser.
In the Hardtberg district, there will be a drinking water fountain in the pedestrian zone at the "Am Schickshof" location.
Site selection together with "BonnNetz"
The city administration coordinated the individual locations with "Bonn-Netz GmbH". Decisive factors in the selection process included proximity to existing water features so that the existing technical infrastructure could be used, good visibility of the facilities, existing cycle and footpaths and the markings there for visually impaired people.
There are already drinking fountains
There are already drinking water dispensers at four locations in the city:
- Markt (Bonn district)
- Bottlerplatz (Bonn district)
- Theaterplatz (Bad Godesberg district)
- Reuterpark (Bonn district)
Three different models
The city council will be testing three different models in the coming months. The water outlet is activated by a sensor or pressure switch. The systems flush themselves at certain intervals for hygiene reasons.
Specifically, the handling of the different model variants, the resilience to vandalism and the intensity of maintenance will be tested. Feedback from users is also important to the city administration. The easiest way to implement this is currently being examined.
The pilot project is initially designed to run for one year or one outdoor season. The city administration will provide further information.