Water Fountains in UWS Parks and Playgrounds Are Often Broken or Inaccessible, Survey Finds

By Scott Etkin

During sweltering summer days, the need to get a drink from water fountains in the city’s parks and playgrounds can be vital.

But a significant portion of the 216 water fountains in Riverside Park, Central Park, and Upper West Side playgrounds are broken, not accessible to the public, or not flowing or draining properly, according to a review conducted by staff and interns from the office of New York City Councilmember Gale Brewer.

In Riverside Park, 26% of the water fountains that Brewer’s team checked did not work. West Side Rag found similar results in an informal spot check on Monday morning: One of the four water fountains visited between West 59th and 76th streets in Riverside Park was not working.

In Central Park, Brewer’s team found that 77% of the fountains flow