Water fountains downtown and on pathways could come at ‘very low cost’
By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on March 4, 2022.
https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews New made-in-Medicine Hat water fountains could be installed on city pathways and the downtown area this summer to provide refreshment direct from city fire hydrants. Thursday’s meeting of the utility and infrastructure heard water department workers have developed a lightweight unit which can fill bottles and help Hatters find water during hot weather. “It’s basically been built out of recycled materials, the leftovers from what we use,” said Pat Bohan, director of city infrastructure. “It’s very low cost.” The idea arose after a number of high 30C temperature days during 2021, and complaints from downtown business owners about requests for water during the extreme heat wave last summer. A number of fountains could be attached to several locations in the city centre, including the Towne Square Development, as well as on trails and pathways close to hydrants. The fire-water piping network is filled with potable water, and the system won’t affect flow for firefighting or obstruct the hydrants in case of emergency. The unit contains no copper and shouldn’t be a target for theft, said officials. “We wanted to introduce the concept today and get feedback,” division top administrator Brad Maynes said. Committee discussion revolved on the fact the city has relatively few permanent water fountains in parks following redevelopment work, and they would watch the pilot with interest. “This is the sort of thinking that we want to see from employees,” said member, Coun. Robert Dumanowski. 12-11
