NYC Hydration For All Act

The New York City Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation supports bill INT 900, the Hydration For All Act.

This common sense bill would require the city to install 500 new public drinking water fountains by 2030, equitably across the five NYC boroughs. The fountains must include bottle filling stations and be accessible to persons with disabilities. 

New York City is known for its excellent tap water, but it is not very accessible to the public when travelling around the city. New Yorkers often resort to purchasing bottled water as public drinking fountains and refill stations are pretty rare. As New York summers get hotter because of climate change, it is sensible to increase tap water public access points for all New Yorkers.

Water refill stations will help New Yorkers save money. Instead of buying bottled water, which is exponentially more expensive than tap water, New Yorkers will be able to access refill stations while out and about in the city. Bottled water has time and time again been shown to have lots of microplastics in it--up to 240,000 pieces of nanoplastics per liter. Refill stations will reduce the use of bottled water, reducing litter in our communities. Used water bottles and bottle caps are some of the most littered items found in clean ups.

Reducing plastic waste is an environmental justice issue. Nearly 80% of waste incinerators are located in low-income communities and/or communities of color and the pollutants produced by incinerating plastic have toxic effects when inhaled. 

Plastic litter exacerbates the plastic pollution human health crisis; plastic particles have been found in drinking water, food, human bodies, and in practically every inch of the globe. Plastic is a petroleum based product which degrades very slowly in the natural environment, contains toxins, and contributes to the climate crisis.

This bill additional requires a review of the program after five years: the commissioners of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) would be required to make recommendations to the mayor and the Council on whether the program should be expanded, and what challenges and issues are presented by the program.

Join us and ask your elected official to support this bill! Take a couple minutes and send them a message using our automated system here.