Ensuring the Future Accessibility of Drinking Fountains in Oklahoma and Beyond

Abstract

For thousands of years drinking fountains, also known as water fountains, have delivered potable water to people. However, despite this relationship with people, drinking fountains have a long complex history in urban infrastructure in the United States. While once highly used and supported by the public, drinking fountain usage and maintenance have declined with the rise of bottled water. While public and stakeholder support for water access remains high, decades of negligence and increasing monetization have reduced publicly accessible drinking fountains. However, despite these declines, drinking fountains remain the primary source of free drinking water for students in schools and a vital source of clean water for the unhoused population in the United States. Drinking fountain usage also improves the health of a community while reducing plastic pollution. We encourage the passing of local regulations that mandate a minimum number of drinking fountains available, in addition to policies that cover installation and maintenance of drinking fountains, increasing investment in maintenance of publicly available drinking fountains, as well as increasing investment in research of accessibility of drinking fountains, health and safety of drinking fountains, and advancement in design of drinking fountains. While we focus on two major metropolitan areas in Oklahoma, these recommendations are applicable to all major metropolitan cities in the United States.