On their 150th anniversary, many of the historic Wallace drinking fountains will be outfitted with a misting function, as the city looks to prepare residents for more intense urban heat.
image: for illustration purposes only – By David Monniaux – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=518298
… city hopes to lure passers-by with a new function: a spray to cool off in the summer…
Bloomberg writes:
When Richard Wallace’s green cast-iron fountains were first installed in Paris 150 years ago, crowds of people, mostly working class, flocked toward them in search of free, clean drinking water. Today, their original purpose has largely been eclipsed by their aesthetic appeal as icons of the Parisian landscape. Though the fountains release a constant light flow of potable water during warmer months, they’re hardly being used for drinking.
Now, the city hopes to lure passers-by with a new function: a spray to cool off in the summer.
Around 50 Wallace fountains, or half of the city’s total, will soon be outfitted with small nozzles to eject a soft mist of water at regular intervals….
“The fountains aren’t used enough by Parisians, and they’re often not identified as fountains where you can get a drink of water,” said Dan Lert, a deputy mayor and president of Eau de Paris, which distributes the city’s water. “Adding a misting function will give a new life to this exceptional heritage, especially since the biggest challenge that Paris faces is climate change.”.…
