I've searched around the forum for the information I'm looking for and all I can find is an older thread talking about Bacteria in Fountains.
I'm from Northern Minnesota and we like water. For drinking, fishing, swimming, you name it. Also in general, we're cheap. Spending lots of pecsos on bottled water seems like a giant waste of both money and resources. Plus, the spring water just tastes better.
Tap is fine in the states (if you aren't a Flouride conspiracy theorist) but there are a shed load of both known and "secret" artesian springs all over the place. We simply get out the water jugs and fill on the way home from work.
We find them by passing down information generation to generation, eavesdropping on conversations in bars, or by looking at this web site:
To be clear: I'm not saying the natural springs are always safe. Some dope may decide to start fracking his land for cheap fuel and screw up the aquifer. Second, I'm not saying tap is bad. My post is not a political sounding board. Refer back to the "I'm cheap and don't want to pay for water and I like the taste of spring water" concept above.
What I'm asking is: I see these little fountains all over the place. I see them on the side of the road in the Black Forest or along the road to Wasserfallen. And then there are the fountains all over Basel. Are they intended for people to drink from? Or are they just decorative? Ceremonial? ("One does not wash his pits in the pool of Sacred Tears"...)
There is one opposite the Irish Pub at Heuwegge. I spent the better part of the afternoon yesterday staking that one out from the comfort of the upstairs lounge. Watching water is thirty work - it took a couple of pints for a statistically significant sample. The only people I saw use the fountain were filling bowls for their dogs and one guy put out his cig in it.
I don't live in either of the areas you mentioned- but in the limestone Jura mountains near Neuchâtel- where I was born and bred. Each village has several large limestone fountains 100s of years old- and we always drank water from those fountains and still do. I don'tknow anyone around here who drinks bottled water.
In fact 2 of the villages around here still celebrate the 'Fête des Fontaines' - to celebrate water - an old Celtic tradition to celebrate water. It was forbidden by the Church, but the tradition was revived in 1848, to celebrate Neuchâtel's revolution, independence from Prussia and joining Switzerland as a Canton (the last one to do so- as Neuchâtel was a Prussian principality ruled from Berlin)- and the tradition still goes on every year on the 12th of September. A big celebration this year, as Neuchâtel joined CH in 1814 at first- but only as an allied Canton and still ruled by Prussia with a dual status until 1848. The village of Môtiers will have a big fiesta this year, with people in historical costumes, etc- if some wish to visit (train to Neuchâtel, then to Môtiers). A great opportunity to visit the new opened Maison de l'Absinthe Museum, all about the history and culture around absinthe, which started here- the Museum is between 2 of the main fountains used int he celebrations btw.
The area is surrounded by lovely dales (gorges, rivers cut into limestone) and the locals know where bottles of absinthe provided by local distillers are hidden along the rivers- next to small wooden fountains with source water- where we can enjoy a cooling Fée Verte on our walks, and leave a few francs in the box. Wonderful- nother better than 'une p'tite bleue' drank in a wild setting with cool, fresh source water.
Those here who are British of course will know that this Celtic tradition still goes on in the Peak District- where it was made into a Christian celebration, with panel decorated with flowers around wells, on a biblical theme. I think Buttes and Môtiers share the date with Hartington.
There are over 1200 fountains in the City of Zurich alone. 400 of those are connected to a special emergency water network which is fed by spring water only. The remaining ones are connected to the main water network which consists of approx 15% spring water, 15% ground water and 70% water from the lake of Zurich (Filtration plants in Moos and Lengg).
Additionally there is a true mineral water fountain in Zurich. Google can help you to find it . But, from Mai to November 2011 the fountain was closed as to many bad bugs were found in its water.
Water from any tap in Switzerland are safe to drink, whether fountain taps or the taps at your home, if not indicated otherwise (very very seldom; of course not in toilets on trains). Water is one of the strongest controlled products in Switzerland.
Between 1998 and 2011 there were only two incidents (1989 in La Neville and 2008 in Zurich) when the controls found polluted water (by too badly cleaned effluence).
Fluorid has been banned from most drinking water system in most (formerly "western" - in a political sense) European countries, except Ireland and UK. The last Swiss community stopping the explicit addition of Fluorid to drinking water was indeed the city of Basel in 2003. Since then, nowhere in Switzerland this happens anymore.
So yes, it is perfectly safe to drink from the fountains, and from the tap in your toilet for example.
I have an additional question. Does anybody know where I can find out how many public fountains there are in CH? I mean the kinds of fountains found in cities and towns. The ones that the state or local municipality is responsible for. I know that Zuri has 1200, and that Bern has around 100...but is there a general number? Thank you!!