Increasing access to drinking water at UBC
Creators: name: Cheng, Andrea
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2015

description: The University of British Colombia’s (UBC) Vancouver campus has exhibited promising signs in its ability to expand public access to drinking water and reduce the use of bottled water. Students have collaborated with faculty and staff on several research projects to attain these two goals. Research completed in April 2013 through the SEEDS (Social Ecological Economic Development Studies) program has determined the current availability of free drinking water on campus and outlined how the institution could further improve accessibility. In response, the university has created a committee to determine the economic transition and phase-out plan for bottled water, and improve access to drinking water on campus. The UBC Tap Water Declaration Committee includes students from Common Energy as well as staff members from AMS Sustainability, Student Housing and Hospitality Services (SHHS), Campus Sustainability, UBC Building Operations, and the UBC Department of Athletics and Recreation. The committee has defined campus tap water access as: Access to free fresh drinking water on campus in close proximity to every washroom, food service locations and UBC’s high-density outdoor areas. Each access point is universally accessible, includes signage and bottle filling capabilities In continuation to the work conducted through previous SEEDS projects completed in the spring of 2013, this project will determine how the campus can make its water outlets more universally accessible and which drinking fountains are better suited to meet the campus’s needs outlined in the tap water access definition. The project objectives are: • To conduct a review of existing standards that apply to fountains at the University of British Columbia campuses based on technical guidelines, previous inventory work conducted, other documents, and interviews with key campus stakeholders. • Identify any corresponding modifications needed for the Technical Guidelines • To conduct a literature review of existing standards of fountains and universal accessibility within municipalities, parks and other campuses. • To conduct a review of each type of water fountain or outlet on campus according to the Drinking Water Outlet Assessment (Cheng, 2013), product specs, ergonomics/ease of use, universal accessibility, and the Tap Water Declaration Committee’s definition of tap water access. • Identify which food service locations are in need of water outlets. • To determine the most appropriate fountain infrastructure that best suits the needs of the campus population and develop an upgrade strategy for water fountains at UBC. • To suggest potential outdoor drinking fountains that the campus could consider for outdoor recreational areas and public spaces on the main campus. Potential locations will also be provided. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”