Saxony-Anhalt cities expand public drinking fountains as climate adaptation measure

Magdeburg leads the expansion

Three years ago Magdeburg had no public drinking fountains; today the city operates five, with two more planned. The existing fountains are located at Breiten Weg near Leiterstraße, Ernst-Reuter-Allee, Große Steinernetischstraße, Schellheimerplatz, and the Elbuferpromenade near the Fahnenmonument. Residents can suggest new locations through an online survey open until 24 August. The Städtische Werke Magdeburg build, maintain, and clean the fountains, which are available from March through October. The Gesundheits- und Veterinäramt monitors water quality.

Oberbürgermeisterin Simone Borris (parteilos) said the city wants to involve residents regularly in prioritising the next locations.

In expanding the public network of drinking water dispensers, we would like to regularly involve the people of Magdeburg in prioritising the next locations.

Halle and Dessau-Roßlau

Halle has three public drinking fountains, at the Marktplatz, Steintor, and on the Peißnitz island, installed step by step since 2022 as part of the city's climate adaptation and quality-of-life measures. The seasonally operated fountains are run by the Stadtwerke Halle.

Dessau-Roßlau has had one fountain since 2022 at the Platz der Deutschen Einheit, also with involvement of the city's Stadtwerke. The city wants to add more but cannot due to budget consolidation. A spokesperson said no own funds can be made available for this voluntary task until at least 2028, and that implementation would only be possible with very high subsidy rates or donations.

Unfortunately, we cannot provide our own funds for this voluntary task until at least 2028.

Smaller cities join in

Zeitz, in the Burgenlandkreis, has two drinking fountains: one at the Roßmarkt since 2024 and one in the Geußnitz district since 2025. City spokesperson Lars Werner said the fountains were built by partners Stadtwerke Zeitz and Wasserversorgungsgesellschaft Midewa, which also handle maintenance and cleaning. More fountains are planned. The Zeitz fountains operate from April to October.

Haldensleben, in the Börde district, has had one fountain at the Postplatz since October 2024, built by the Bauamt and maintained by the Stadthof team. No further fountains are planned. Bürgermeister Bernhard Hieber (SPD) emphasised the importance of accessible drinking water for vulnerable groups.

Drinking water is the number one foodstuff and holds an important place. It should therefore be accessible to all people, especially our older fellow citizens and children, and particularly against the backdrop of climate change with summers becoming increasingly hot.

Harz towns take a different approach

Wernigerode and Quedlinburg, popular with tourists in the Harz region, have no public drinking fountains. Wernigerode instead participates in the Refill-Initiative, allowing people to fill bottles for free with tap water at selected stations, including the Bürgerinformation at Nicolaiplatz.