Free Water Fountains in and Around Berkley, California
Free Water Fountains in and Around Berkley, California
In February 2014, a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages was approved in Berkley, CA, making it the first city in the United States to submit such a regulation. By taxing sugary drinks, the city hopes to motivate more people to choose healthier options, such as water. Efforts were made to find out the state of community drinking water fountains in both high- and low-income neighborhoods. The research utilized a GPS app to collect data on present water fountains in the city. This info was cross-referenced with demographic records on race and income obtained from the US Census Community Study database. By cross-referencing the water fountain locations with the demographic information, they were in a position to establish whether access to working fountains was class dependent. The evaluation was able to establish the demographics of areas with water fountains, also noting whether the condition of the fountains was greater or worse in lower class neighborhoods. Many of the water fountains were unclean or slow or stopped up, regardless of the fact that a lot of fountains worked.
The Origins Of Garden Fountains
The Origins Of Garden Fountains A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to supply drinkable water, as well as for decorative purposes.Originally, fountains only served a practical purpose. Water fountains were linked to a spring or aqueduct to provide potable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Used until the nineteenth century, in order for fountains to flow or shoot up into the air, their source of water such as reservoirs or aqueducts, had to be higher than the water fountain in order to benefit from gravity.
Fountains were an excellent source of water, and also served to adorn living areas and memorialize the designer. The main components used by the Romans to build their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly depicting animals or heroes. To illustrate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages introduced fountains to their designs. To show his dominance over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. To mark the entryway of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the construction of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts arrived in the city of Rome
Since indoor plumbing became the norm of the day for fresh, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely decorative. Gravity was substituted by mechanical pumps in order to permit fountains to bring in clean water and allow for beautiful water displays.
Decorating city parks, honoring people or events and entertaining, are some of the uses of modern-day fountains.