Q&A
DEP's role in providing water access through Water on the Go stations
0:52:36
·
114 sec
Council Member Powers inquires about DEP's role in providing water access, specifically mentioning Water on the Go stations. Commissioner Aggarwala explains the purpose and limitations of these mobile water stations.
- Water on the Go stations are temporary and primarily used for emergency response
- They are deployed during extended water main breaks or occasional events
- DEP has been reducing the use of these stations due to high staffing costs
Keith Powers
0:52:36
I do reply.
0:52:37
DP does programs that they provide, like, mobile water in the past, mobile water fountains and parks and open spaces.
0:52:44
I think there used to be one right outside here at City Hall Park.
0:52:46
I remember seeing one.
0:52:48
What what what is DAP's role responsibilities in terms of providing act?
0:52:51
That that is an example where you provide water funds and access.
Rohit T Aggarwala
0:52:55
Yes.
0:52:55
I
Keith Powers
0:52:55
know.
0:52:55
Mobile, I understand.
0:52:56
But our our seems to be part of the the plan to provide access to water.
Rohit T Aggarwala
0:53:01
Well, I think it is so the the water on the Go stations, which you're describing, are are very much temporary.
0:53:08
They they are not cheap because they have to be staffed.
0:53:12
Right.
0:53:12
And so so we we tend not to leave them unattended.
0:53:16
They really were developed as an emergency response mechanism.
0:53:20
And so what we do when we have a water main break, and there are gonna be households without water for more than an hour or 2.
0:53:28
Right?
0:53:28
If if we find out that it's going to take 6 hours, 10 hours, which is a minority of water main breaks, but nonetheless, an extended water main break that will leave people without water, we will deploy 1 or depending on the size of of it, sometimes 2.
0:53:43
Water on the Go stations so that people can fill a bucket, fill a jug, get safe drinking water without having to purchase it during that.
0:53:53
That's why we have those water on the Go stations.
0:53:56
We have on occasion for events.
0:53:59
We did it for Open Streets earlier, you know, over the summer.
0:54:04
We have provided the water on the Go stations.
0:54:07
To be entirely honest, we have been reducing the number of instances that we do that because we are effectively staffing that with people on overtime.
0:54:20
It's often on Saturdays Sundays.
0:54:23
And it was getting quite expensive.
0:54:26
And so those are mobile, you know, a mobile station is very different from a
Keith Powers
0:54:31
permanent one.
