Stellar Slentz-Baeb

Two of the water fountains in the Lowden theater.

This is a sequel to our previous article which ranked the best water fountains on upper campus. To continue that debate, we have tested the lower campus water fountains as well. Some fountains were behind locked doors or in classrooms, so we could not get to them all. 

Lowden Water Fountains 7:24: The water there was cold, but not really crisp. It tasted like how you would think the color ‘blue’ would taste. It was clean, though,–kudos there–but it has the hint of a metal taste. Overall, it’s not that bad. If you’re feeling thirsty go ahead and take a sip. 

PAC Water Fountain 7:30: This fountain wasn’t bad, though it could have been better since it wasn’t horrible. It’s not cold but it’s not warm, a bit cooler than room temp. It kind of tastes how water from a not-good restaurant would taste. The hint of fluoride is also there, but it’s not super evident. Not many negative things to say about this one. It was frankly, just an okay fountain. Once again, if you’re thirsty, go ahead and go for it.

Visual Arts 7:38:The VA fountain was almost as good as Frazier. It tasted like snow and didn’t have a bad aftertaste, but unfortunately, it didn’t have a crisp start.

Vocational Fountain 7:38: Let’s start off with how warm it was. As soon as it touches your tongue, the warmth makes you want to spit the water out. Not a good first impression, nope. It really tastes like chlorine–not good either, the water really makes your mouth feel dry–not appealing. I would not recommend drinking from the fountain. If you’re really thirsty, please find another water fountain. This one is not good, I’m pretty sure it will make you more thirsty then you already were. 

Frazier Water Fountain 7:43:This water is at the top of the list. It didn’t have a terrible aftertaste and it wasn’t too warm, unlike the water fountains on upper campus. This is probably the best one. It was cold, had an icy start, and tasted like snow. Overall, we would give this water the top rating on our list. 

Post Fountains 7:46:The Post water probably comes in fourth or fifth place. It had a hint of copper, iron, and algae. It was room temperature and tasted like the water you would get at a fast food place. We spit this out, it wasn’t that good.

Cafeteria Fountains 7:52:These fountains are cold but not crisp. They kind of taste like Dasani or Fiji water that has been left in the car for a while. They weren’t that bad, but if you want good water, you’re probably better off going into the Cage.

Second Floor Main 7:55:This one was really concerning. Right off the bat, we noticed it was green. It had obviously been green for some time as the water was not clearing the green away. This fountain was really crusty and gross and the taste of the water matched how it looked. It was warm, and it tasted like dirt, nail polish remover, and baking soda mixed together. It did not taste good. We didn’t even swallow it, but spit it out almost immediately.

Top Main Fountains 8:01:The fountains in top Main were probably the worst ones we came across on our entire water tasting experiment. They were warm and tasted like chlorine and iron. Even after tasting other waters, the taste was still in our mouths and we could not get it out. We spit  all the water from the Main building out immediately.

Top Floor Knapp 8:03:It’s not too bad if you really need water this is a pretty good option. It was a nice experience, but there are definitely better options than this. It was almost crisp, at least, and it didn’t have a bad aftertaste.

Bottom Main Fountains 8:23: Water from these fountains tasted like chlorine and river rocks. The first fountain tastes less like chlorine, it’s not bad, but it’s not good. You could get better water in a different building, but if you really need to, this one is the best option in Main.

In conclusion, from all that we’ve tasted we’ve compiled a new and improved list in order of the fountains from best to worst.

1. Frazier
2. Visual Arts
3. Top of Knapp
4. Lowden
5. PAC
6. Bottom Main
7. Vocational
8. Post 
9. Cafeteria
10. Top of Main
11. Second Floor Main
    

    Gallery • 3 Photos

    Stellar Slentz-Baeb

    One of the Performing Arts Centers (PAC) water fountains.