Is it legal to turn off water fountains in a public building?

[Iris]

The technical college I work at 1 day week is going to turn off the water fountains in an effort to save water b/c of the drought. We were instructed to "plan accordingly" and informed that bottled water could be purchased in the snack bar and from the vending machines.

Never mind the fact that the school has auto-flush toilets that flush 2 times before your cheeks hit the seat.

[SharkSquid]

1. Yes

Unless your municipality has some specific building codes, I know in Jax it is not required.

[beyurslf]

2. I would never use a water fountain anyway. Who knows what is on it from the person

before who put his or her lips right on the faucet.

[Iris]

6. I use them all the time and have yet to contract a disease from them.

[emilyg]

19. Give it time.

[Iris]

20. It's been 40 years.

How much longer? I've drunk from water fountains in the poorest and most rural schools and the swankiest buildings in the state. Nothing. Nada.

[Dorian Gray]

22. After 36

years, if I haven't caught something from the public water fountain, I probably won't. I use one almost every single day.

[beyurslf]

25. I guess it is the idea. I wouldn't drink after someone so why would I drink

from a fountain after someone? I know lots of people who do. There is fountain at my office right near me and I see people do it all the time.

[Iris]

38. well, living in the South,

I am always suspect of someone telling me I'll "get a disease" if I touch something after "someone else" has touched it.

But I do see your point. Some people don't know how to drink out of a water fountain properly!

[Occulus]

21. Most of the time, that's very inconvenient to pull off

I always wondered what that curved metal shield over the spout was for. Your post made me realize the answer.

Now, as to what can grow in the bit of standing water in the spout prior to its being used... I don't know. That's why I let it run for a few seconds before I use it.

They've never made me sick, that I'm aware of. Maybe they have, and I didn't know it. Nonetheless, water is my preferred beverage, followed by juices, and then teas, and beer.

(I like beer. I always have. No, I'm not overweight.)

People need to drink more water and less sodas. Sodas almost always contain high fructose corn syrup, something I always try to avoid when shopping. It's in almost everything, so it's damn hard to stay away from, but I try, and so should everyone else.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

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[SoCalDem]

30. Didn't your Momma tell you not to suck the water out of the spigot?

You should have NO problem if you do not touch your mouth to the apparatus, and hey even if you DID, you'd proabbly get only YOUR germs.. I have NEVER met ANYONE in almost 60 years of life who EVER touched their mouth to any water fountain,,,
And the germs on the little on-off handle are the same germs on door knobs, money, and every other part of your daily lives..

Keep your hands out of your mouth, wash them from time to time, and you'll be fine :)
:rofl:

This was a ploy to get us to accept..embrace the concept of "personal(hygienic) bottles" of water..

[emilyg]

31. Love your "Notice".

[SoCalDem]

32. Thanks... You can make them too..

http://www.warninglabelgenerator.com/

A whole bunch of 'em
http://www.techroam.com/250-cool-generators/

[emilyg]

34. Very Kool. Thanks.

[Quantess]

33. Or, what kind of corroded metals are in the pipes

especially if it is an older building.

[Iris]

37. yes, there is the whole lead thing

A lot of school systems are having to deal with that.

[seriousstan]

3. Yes it's legal. Why would it not be? There is no law that the public must be furnished potable water

[Iris]

5. Actually, in many municipalities drinking fountains are required in public buildings.

It's a matter of public health and safety.

Perhaps there's a Libertarian Underground you might like to join somewhere?

[seriousstan]

7. I am sure it is required in the building and planning stage, but it is not a law.

Perhaps there's a Uninformed with a severe sense of entitlement Underground you might like to join somewhere?

[Iris]

8. so they just make people put them in the buildings without any reason to think they'd be used?

[seriousstan]

12. You really are trying terribly hard to be obtuse. They are intended to be used.

They also did not pass a law saying they always had to be operational, like in the case of a WATER SHORTAGE.

Your OP was about the legality of turning the fountains off, remember?

[Ready4Change]

4. Buying water instead? That's just a $$$'s generating policy.

OTOH, they could turn off the water fountains 24/7, and you could fill reusable water bottles from sinks.

But I doubt turning off the fountains is illegal.

[Ravy]

9. About auto-flush toilets. True story.

The first time I ever saw one was when the tissues that cover the seat were pretty new (us guys call the "ass gaskets"). Anyway, when I put one on the seat and let the little flap thing get in the water and turned around to sit down and do my business, the toilet flushed and pulled in the gasket with it.

This happened to me like 4 times during the course of the week when I was working at this particular place, and I of course, felt stupid each time it did.

One day I was sitting there, and a guy came in the stall that was next to me. I heard some rustling of the gasket paper, and two seconds later heard a flush. He blurt out "GOD DAMN IT!", and I knew *exactly* what happened.

[Blashyrkh]

10. In Australia, the law states you must have fresh drinking water...

...within a certain distance of every staff member. Every kitchen area has a refrigerated water cooler and there are fountains all over the place. Basically, I could stop for 3 drinks walking from my desk to the Cafe.

[Iris]

15. So, in Australia, it's recognized that actual people work in workplaces.

what a novel concept!

[Blashyrkh]

28. In Queensland State Government buildings at least, yes.

It's nice.

[LeftyMom]

11. I don't see how it saves any water, unless you all magically become immune to dehydration

It's a good way to turn a biological need into a revenue stream, by selling water instead of offering it for free. It's greedy, stupid or evil, but at least one of the three is the norm these days.

[Iris]

13. That's what I've been thinking. And I have a sneaking suspicion that the water fountains

will never be turned back on, even if we have 40 days and 40 nights of rain.

[TomInTib]

17. I know that I drink a LOT more water when I have bottled water at hand.

Rather than just drink water whenever I am near a source.

I cannot recall ever throwing away a bottle that had an appreciable amount of water in it.

And it is pretty much a given that the more you drink, they more you flush.

Drink a quart of water and flush it down with another gallon-and-a-half.

[Iris]

18. Good point.

In fact, I can remember drinking from the fountain in high school and only going to the restroom once a day!

[TomInTib]

26. That's why I always view municipal "fixes" with askance.

They are almost always BandAids plastered over an infection - with no real plan on what to do about the infection.

[Iris]

36. No joke. In fact, they school just recently installed new landscaping...

to compliment their large new neon sign.

[Islander Expat]

14. Since when are private technical schools taught in public buildings?

Is it owned by state or fed? If not they can turn their water off any time they want.

Personally, it sounds like a ploy to sell mineral water to me. And if its at a technical university, don't you think one of the students might be resourceful enough to reach down and turn the shut off valve back on?

Or would that initiate a security response?

[Iris]

16. It's a state school.

[Islander Expat]

23. Well reach down and turn the fountain back on

and if they turn it off again, reach down and turn it back on again, go in and turn the water off on their auto-toilets, that'll keep em' busy enough to have time to turn the fountains back on.

Sooner or later they'll get tired of it and leave it on.

[Islander Expat]

24. Civil disobedience is a patriots life skill, keep in practice.

It will be useful soon.

[Iris]

35. Is it that easy?

If so, I'll do it! Thanks for the tip!

[SoCalDem]

29. Probably in their contract with Pepsi/Coke.. Gotta create a demand

for their by-the-bottle water for sale..