An Honest Guide to Selecting Drinking Water Station

Picture this: a busy local park where families linger, kids play while people walk their dogs, and everyone has easy access to clean drinking water without needing plastic bottles.  

Adding or upgrading public drinking water stations is one of the simplest ways to make the space more usable and enjoyable.  

People stay longer. They move more. They refill bottles instead of grabbing another plastic one.  

The impact shows up fast, then keeps paying off. You get a happier community and fewer headaches for your team. 

But the options can feel messy. Specs, site constraints, budget pressure, and maintenance reality all collide.  

After helping hundreds of councils over 30 years, we’ve put together this simple guide to make it easy for you. 

No sales pitch. Just the essentials. What to look for, what to budget, and how to choose the right hydration solution for your community.

1. Place Water Where the Feet Already Flow

People refill when water is right where they walk. Get the placement right, and you’ve done most of the work. 

High-value locations usually include: 

• playground edges 

• foreshore and beach access points 

• trailheads and lookouts 

• sports precinct connectors 

• town centre parks 

• car parks and main entries 

When you map these first, budget planning gets easier because you can stage installs instead of guessing. Northern Beaches Council is a good example of a staged approach across busy beach locations and sporting fields.

2. Bottle Refills Reduce Queues and Support Your Waste Goals

Refilling bottles is the new normal, especially in busy tourist spots. Link this to your council’s zero-waste goals, and you’re ticking all the right boxes. 

Look for: 

• good clearance for tall bottles 

• a refill outlet that people can use quickly 

• multiple water points where foot traffic spikes 

That’s why councils build networks, not just one-off stations. More refills means less plastic litter at busy spots. It’s a win for the environment and saves your team time on cleaning and maintenance.

3. Multi-function Stations Keep Precincts Tidy

A unit that supports both drinking and refilling in a single footprint helps keep the flow moving and reduces asset clutter across a precinct.  

In one spot, you will have: 

• people taking a quick drink 

• people refilling bottles 

• families moving in groups 

• visitors standing around reading signage or waiting 

An accessible drinking fountain can dispense cool, filtered water with clear wheelchair access. Choose a unit that includes a traditional fountain and a bottle refill outlet to reduce single-use plastics. 

Dual-height stations mean kids and wheelchair users can both use them easily. It’s a simple way to show your council cares about access for everyone.

4. Hygiene Features Reduce Complaints

Public assets get judged fast. If people think a station looks unhygienic, they stop using it. 

Prioritise features that make it easy to keep things clean: 

• nozzle placement that discourages touching 

• materials that wipe down quickly 

• sensible drainage to avoid puddles and mess 

Perth Zoo called out hidden, high-mounted nozzles and anti-bacterial spouts as part of what made their stations work in a high-use public environment.

5. Durability Should Match Public Behaviour, Not Best Behaviour

Councils deal with leaning, climbing, crowding, weather exposure, and vandalism damage. Tourist sites add even more load. 

In harsh outdoor public environments, choose marine-grade stainless steel for tough spots. The Aquafil Bold range is a low-maintenance pick for parks, sports grounds, and coastal areas. It lasts longer, so you save on replacements. 

You’ll also find these units in high-traffic tourist locations like Bondi Beach, the Blue Mountains, Rottnest Island, and Taronga Zoo, where public assets run hard every day.

6. Maintenance Access is Part of the Purchase Decision

If a station is hard to service, it’ll cost you more in the long run, even if it was cheap to buy. 

What to look for:  

• easy internal access 

• clear care instructions 

• parts availability and support when something breaks 

Standardising models across your sites keeps parts, training, and servicing simple. Check that your supplier offers strong support and a solid warranty, so you’re set for the long haul.

7. Plan for Dog Walkers Properly

Dog-heavy parks benefit from a simple one-stop setup, but only if you plan for it in placement and drainage. 

A good approach: 

• place the unit on the main dog route, not tucked away 

• avoid tight pinch points on paths 

• keep it close to bins and seating where people naturally pause 

• use a self-draining bowl to improve hygiene and avoid stagnant water 

Consider products that include an inbuilt swinging dog drinking bowl, ideal for dog-walker parks, when you want one unit to do both jobs.

“A huge thank you to whoever designed these new water fountains! My dog and I are so happy, and it’s made our lives so much easier. Some dogs don’t like drinking from bowls other dogs have used, so I used to carry a water bowl for Yuki everywhere, which got pretty tiring. These fountains are so well designed that you can easily empty the bowl if needed. 
 
The design is fantastic—it honestly feels like the person who created it must be a dog owner. It’s super easy to use, and the water button is placed at the perfect height so you don’t even have to bend down. 
 
I’m really impressed and so glad that Sydney puts this much thought and care into its community.”  Sasha

8. Use Chilled Water Where it Earns its Place

Chilled water can lift use, but it does not belong everywhere. 

It tends to make the most sense in: 
• high dwell areas where people sit and stay 
• major visitor nodes where people arrive without water 
• busy recreation hubs with repeat daily use 

For budget planning, this usually lands as a targeted upgrade rather than a blanket rollout.

9. Add Filtration Where Raste or Trust is an Issue

Water tastes different from place to place. Some spots get more complaints about water quality, even if it’s safe. 

Filtration makes sense when it changes behaviour, not when it just adds another maintenance line item. If nobody avoided the station before, a filter may not shift outcomes. 

If you do add filtration, choose a station with a simple filter replacement process so maintenance stays quick and costs stay low.

10. Partnerships and Staged Rollouts Help Budgets Land Cleanly

Partnering with your local water authority or other groups can take the pressure off your budget. 

Patton Park is a clear example of how partnerships can support delivery. Broken Hill City Council funded the fountain infrastructure, and Essential Water supplied the water. 

“It was also great that Essential Water were keen to partner with us and provide free water, any cost offset to the community is always welcome,” Rebecca McLaughlin, Council’s Leader, Project Management.

Planning 2026 Upgrades?

Book a Free Hydration Review with our experts. We’ll help you map your current stations, identify gaps, and set priorities for upgrades or new installations. You’ll walk away with clear next steps and a staged plan that makes budget planning easier.