The bottle fill station on McCutcheon Drive NW. (Photo Courtesy Chris Brown)

By Chris Brown

City’s water bottle fill stations are now in use

Jun 17, 2022 | 1:13 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Testing is complete and four new water bottle fill stations are ready for public use in the city.

The four stations are at Towne Square on the corner of First Street and Sixth Avenue SE; on Second Street SE between South Railway Street and Sixth Avenue; on McCutcheon Trail at McCutcheon Drive and Bassett Crescent NW; and on South Ridge Trail at Stratton Way SE.

These first four are part of a pilot project that will see 10 fire hydrant water fill stations around the city this summer. The four will be monitored until the end of June before the remaining six are placed for the rest of summer.

The water in the fire hydrants is the same treated, potable drinking water distributed to businesses and households, and will undergo rigorous testing to ensure it continues to be safe to drink.

“The idea for this project came directly from our staff working in our community every day,” says Pat Bohan, City of Medicine Hat’s director of city assets. “They noted the extremely hot temperatures last summer and how it impacted the public’s ability to enjoy our outdoors without convenient access to clean drinking water to keep cool and hydrated. There was no directive or budget allocated to solve this problem, but they took it upon themselves to find a reasonable solution and bring it forward for approval.”

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The city advises water may be a bit warm or discoloured when the tap is first opened, especially on hot and sunny days, as 13 litres of water sits above ground within the vertical column of the fire hydrants. It’s recommended you run the water for a short time before filling a bottle to ensure it is an enjoyable temperature to drink.

Each station is designed so that the stream of water is protected to only allow freefall into a water bottle, cup or bowl. People will not be able to drink directly from the spout, reducing the risk of contamination.

The pilot program will run for the summer and will be evaluated on usage (based on meter readings at each site), community feedback, and cost/benefit analysis.

You can submit your feedback at Shape Your City.