- Austin City Council members are putting forth an effort to install 10 drinking fountains in the Downtown Austin area
- 10 locations have been proposed with two of them near the ARCH shelter
- The fountains would be ADA compliant, free to use at any time, and located in well-lit areas
- Each location would have a drinking fountain, a pet fountain and a bottle-filling station
- In a city memo, Austin Water estimated the cost to install the fountains range between $700,000 and $750,000
- Costs would include: the fountain unit, installation, permitting, wastewater service, engineering and project management
- It is projected the operation and maintenance of the fountains would cost roughly $63,000 annually
- That cost includes paying for a full-time maintenance worker to clean and sanitize each fountain daily
- Austin Water has stated they would cover the costs with their 2020 budget if the city council approves the idea
More information:
https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/drinking-fountains-downtown-aust…
(Photo by: Shutterstock)
