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SFPUC Updates Supervisors on 'Drink Tap' Expansion Targeting Equity in Parks and Schools
Summary
San Francisco presented results of a citywide program to install reusable water‑bottle filling stations, reporting 51 school and 31 public‑realm installations to date and recommending further installations and outreach to prioritize neighborhoods with the highest sugary‑drink consumption.
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission staff told the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee July 14 that the city is scaling up a "Drink Tap" program to increase free access to water in schools, parks and public spaces, with an emphasis on environmental‑justice neighborhoods.
Kaye Fernandez Smith, director of the Community Benefits Program at the SFPUC, said the program began in 2010 as a pilot and has grown through partnerships with the San Francisco Unified School District, Department of Public Health, the Health Improvement Partnership (SFHIP) and community groups. To date, the city has installed 51 bottle‑filling stations in schools and 31 in the public realm, with about 19 additional public sites contracted for installation.
The PUC said site selection prioritizes neighborhoods with higher rates of sugar‑sweetened beverage consumption (Chinatown, Bayview, Excelsior, the Mission, SoMa, Visitacion Valley and the Tenderloin), locations near transit and family gathering places, and sites that minimize installation costs. Where lead testing requires mitigation, the PUC said it will complete remediation to meet EPA limits before opening stations to the public.
UCSF researchers and community partners told the committee that preliminary park surveys show low current fountain use and persistent community concerns about tap‑water safety. Sophie Morris of UCSF said early findings indicate about half of park visitors consider tap water unsafe and only a small share use existing fountains, underscoring the need for outreach and culturally tailored education.
The PUC estimated average capital costs of roughly $13,000 per school install and about $15,000 per public‑realm install and requested continued funding and interagency collaboration to reach all San Francisco schools and prioritized neighborhoods. Committee members accepted the presentation and filed the report for the record.
