Over the past month, I’ve been documenting the quality of water dispensed from the various water fountains on campus.
Water appears to vary greatly between buildings, but if you know where to look, you can find the crispest and coolest water on campus.This article has done the investigative work for you! With my trusty Nalgene water bottle in hand, I’ve ranked water fountains in three tiers: fountains to ignore, fountains that are better than usual, and my all-time favourite that makes the others pale in comparison.
As a humanities student, it’s important to note that I don’t go into STEM buildings often, so most of this data is compiled from the humanities and social science based buildings. Students outside of these disciplines will still benefit as I’ve also featured other common locations on campus such as the library and the Student Union Building.
Tier Three: Don’t Bother With These Ones
Clearihue:
I’m very familiar with Clearihue and I personally think this water is some of the worst on campus. No surprise here, given it’s one of the oldest buildings.
The Library – All Floors:
Through discussion with other students, I suspected some levels of buildings would feature better water than others—what better building to try than the library? I discovered that all water is relatively the same with that distinct metallic tang present, seen with other UVic fountains in this tier.
Human and Social Development Building:
I don’t usually frequent this building, so I had high hopes. Unfortunately, it’s the same old water as most other buildings on campus.
Tier Two: Feel Free To Fill Up If You’re Around One!
The Cove:
I was feeling optimistic about this one given it’s a new build. I’d rate this one the lowest in this section, but it wasn’t too bad and worth filling up if you’re grabbing a meal!
Cornett (A Wing):
This one was surprisingly cool! I wouldn’t call it cold, but steps above Clearihue or the Human and Social Development building.
The SUB Main Floor Fountain:
This fountain is certainly a step up from Clearihue, but not my all-time favourite on campus. It’s also in a very high traffic area, which is a little awkward if your water bottle takes a long time to fill.
Starbucks:
This one is hidden by the pickup counter! Slightly cooler than the rest on campus, but it takes FOREVER to fill. It’s fine if you’re waiting for a drink, but I personally don’t think it’s worth the chaos of the campus Starbucks just for a water tap.
Tier One: HICKMAN
I will no longer gatekeep the Trevi Fountain of UVic; I literally walk across campus to fill up here. Never once have I had lukewarm water from here; usually this stuff borders on ice-cold. To top it off, this stuff is CRISP—no distinct UVic flavour here! Since it’s a quiet building the washrooms are pretty nice too; I usually make Hickman my pit stop between places.
In my first few years of UVic, I dealt with some pretty mid water. Hopefully with these suggestions, you’ll find your favourite watering hole before your fifth year!