Beware Runners in Prospect Park are Bathing in The Drinking Fountains!

Published by CynicalCynist
June 30, 2012, Category: Ecology

I went to Prospect Park Brooklyn for my usual Saturday bike ride. It hit over 90° today. I went with water, Gatorade, and a few granola bars. I always know that if I run out of water, I have the water fountains around the park to count on. In all these years I’ve been riding in Prospect Park, I’ve never been so grossed out by what I saw! I’ll never drink from those water fountains again!

Who should I thank for this? Two guys. As I approached a water fountain the first time, a guy was walking towards the fountain. I clearly had him beat to it, but as he walked towards me I could see he looked beat enough by the heat that I slowed down to let him go ahead of me. Big mistake! He absolutely had nerve even to do what he did with me right there. He lean his head over the fountain and washed his face and head, allowing all his dirt and sweat to go directly into the fountain. So gross! I got out of there.

Again, when I was at the end of my ride, I got off the inner park track, to go take a quick rest before heading home, and guess what I saw? Yes! Another runner doing the same thing. So gross!

Really? This is what you do in a public water fountain? They couldn’t put their head to the side, fill up their palms with water and let the water fall to the floor. Is it really necessary to wash themselves directly over the fountain?

Have you seen this in Prospect Park or in any park? If so, you need to complain to the parks department about it. I already called. I cycled a few hours, I wanted the extra water. I don’t want to drink water from a fountain someone washed in. It’s like we don’t have enough to tell people to do, because they don’t have any common courtesy or common sense. Now, we need a sign at the water fountains that say: