Refreshment for Spandau: New drinking fountain opened at Bullengraben!

Refreshment for Spandau: New drinking fountain opened at Bullengraben!

On September 18, 2025, a new drinking fountain was ceremoniously opened in the green area at Bullengraben, at the end of Grünhofer Weg. This initiative is a pilot project by the Spandau district in collaboration with Berliner Wasserbetriebe. The aim of this opening is to provide both walkers, cyclists and children in the area with a refreshing way to get water while also watering the trees on site. Particular attention was paid to the opening, which was carried out by City Councilor for Construction Thorsten Schatz, Eric Rietz, the head of the Jungfernheide pipe network operations center, as well as trainees from the district office and the water company.

This project represents the third step in the cooperation between the district and the water companies. The aim is to gain experience that will help make cities greener and more livable during the challenges of climate change. The drinking fountain is part of Berliner Wasserbetriebe's heat protection strategy and uses an innovative irrigation system that uses flushing water from drinking water pipes, which is regularly flushed for hygiene reasons.

Climate adaptation through drinking fountains

Climate change poses a serious threat to Germany, which is increasingly evident in the extreme weather conditions of recent years. After the hot and dry summers of 2018 and 2022 as well as the flood disaster in 2021, 2024 is considered the warmest year since weather records began. The consequences are more frequent heat waves, dry periods and heavy rain events, which require planned climate adaptation measures in order to secure ecological niches in urban areas.

Public drinking fountains play a crucial role in this context. They are particularly important for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children and homeless people, as they offer an excellent refreshment option on hot days. They also help to improve the microclimate in urban areas by promoting evaporation and thus reducing the ambient temperature. According to Raberalf, there are now around 2,000 public drinking fountains nationwide, which also help to reduce plastic waste and CO₂ emissions.

Municipalities are central players in the development of drinking fountains, as they take on many tasks in the area of ​​public services such as drinking water supply and wastewater disposal. The Umweltbundesamt emphasizes that climate-friendly urban development is necessary in order to overcome the challenges arising from urbanization and climate change.

The need to build more drinking fountains is undisputed, especially in larger cities, which are heavily burdened by heat and pollution as well as the decline in green spaces. It is therefore important that cities and municipalities continue to install public drinking fountains - ideally where they are needed locally and are technically feasible.

The opening of the drinking fountain in Spandau is therefore an important step towards more resource-conscious and climate-adapted urban development that takes into account both the needs of citizens and the challenges of climate change. It remains to be hoped that this pilot project sets a precedent and inspires other municipalities to take similar initiatives.