IMPROVED DRINKING AMENITIES FOR GOLD COAST

The improved drinking amenities project for the Gold Coast was designed to promote a healthy, environmentally friendly community lifestyle through a series of drinking water refill stations for locals and Games visitors.

The council partnered with Yarra Valley Water’s Choose Tap initiative, which encourages people to reuse personal water bottles as an alternative to purchasing single-use plastic products. Environmental officers specified CIVIQ’s signature 2100mm-high FlexiFountain drinking fountain and bottle refill station to fill the bill.

The result is a suite of robust, slim-line hydration solutions which have been designed to withstand the subtropical climate and salty air of the South Queensland coast.

“The product is manufactured using marine-grade electro-polished stainless steel, which helps prevent ‘tea-stain’ blemishes, a form of corrosion which is common in coastal regions,” explains Danny Brookes, CIVIQ Specifications Manager.

“The drinking water station has been designed with a drinking fountain, bottle refill and inbuilt signage functionalities – making it great for busy public spaces,” he adds.

Fourteen permanent drinking water stations are available for use in popular locations along the coastline that include South Port, Surfers Paradise Esplanade, Broadbeach, Burleigh Heads and Rainbow Bay.

City of Gold Coast also arranged for six semi-portable configurations of the FlexiFountain to feature outside venues of the Commonwealth Games, providing spectators and volunteers with an easily accessible source of drinking water at events.

With the Games now wrapped up, the City of Gold Coast is currently in the process of transforming the semi-portable units into fixed freestanding drinking water stations, which will be available for use in additional parks and outdoor locations throughout the region.

Tom Tate, Mayor of City of Gold Coast, sampled the new refill stations and spoke to the media about the importance of providing water amenities in public spaces. “It’s absolutely essential, water is life,” he claims. “Through this year, we will investigate some further parks and install additional drinking fountains”.