Lawmaker floats plan to install water refill stations on NYC fire hydrants
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- A New York City lawmaker is looking to extend the use of fire hydrants around the city.
Councilmember Erik Bottcher has introduced legislation that would require the city to retrofit some of its fire hydrants with water bottle refilling stations.
The idea is to give people an alternative to using plastic water bottles.
"It's sometimes easy to overlook the simple things that can make a big impact," said Bottcher in a written statement. "New York City has some of the best municipal tap water on the planet, and we should be making it readily available in public spaces."
The pilot program would retrofit five hydrants in each borough that would be available for use from April to September.
It could expanded later if the pilot program proves successful.
Similar programs have been rolled out in other cities, including Toronto.
Bottcher's plan has won the praise of environmentalists.
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