Over the course of my four years at DePaul Prep, I have drank gallons of water from the water fountains at school. I have experienced the high of rewarding yourself after a hard test with a cool sip of natural spring water, and the low of filling up your bottle after the pacer test freshman year and being met with a lukewarm surprise.

I have forged friendships at the water fountain through complimenting other’s Owalas, patted myself on the back for saving the environment as I watch the “bottles saved” counter tick up and waited for what felt like hours as my friend filled up her unnecessarily large Stanley.

As my time at this school comes to an end, I have thought a lot about what my legacy will be. What will people remember about Ivy Frater, long after she leaves the halls of DePaul Prep? I want to give something back to this community: to help future students and water lovers such as myself, which is why I decided to compile this comprehensive ranking on the best water fountains in the school.

I analyzed the water fountains in four different categories: temperature, timing, taste (yes, different water fountains DO taste different), and location/convenience. For each fountain, I filled my 32 oz purple Owala and timed how long it took to fill up.

Ranked from worst to best:

South Dining Hall

Time: 46.57

Taste: 2/10

Temperature: 1/10

Location/convenience: 6/10

I had really high hopes for this one, as I just discovered that it existed while writing this article. I loved the location (the only dining hall with a water fountain), and there is never a line, since it’s pretty underground, and I love the option to have a quick chat with Deans Cotto or Sneed while filling. However, the rest of this fountain was completely disappointing. Starting off, it took about an entire minute to fill my water bottle, and I had to physically press the button, instead of it filling automatically, taking away from the relaxing experience taking a water break should be. After all that time, I was expecting some delicious water, but as soon as I took a sip, I nearly cried. The water was not only lukewarm — the warmest out of all of DePaul Prep — but also had a slight metallic taste and an aftertaste I can only describe as stale. I would not recommend this water fountain to anyone: stay away from it at all costs.

South Wing Second Floor

Time: 55.39

Taste: 4/10

Temperature: 6/10

Location/convenience: 9/10

This is the only water fountain in the math hallway, and as math is my absolute favorite class to take a water break in, I have frequented it many times. The location is great, and I appreciate that there are three height levels of water fountains. However, what really dragged this water fountain down the rankings was the time: it was the absolute slowest, coupled with the fact that it was not automatic. Almost a minute of holding that button down nearly broke my nail! The taste was also not the best, it wasn’t as bad as the South Dining Hall, but had a strange aftertaste that ruined the refreshing qualities, and the temperature was nothing to write home about.

West Wing First Floor (by nurse’s office)

Time: 19.66

Taste: 5/10

Temperature: 7/10

Location/convenience: 8/10

The first red flag of this fountain was the fact that the button telling me the quality of the water/filter was yellow. Nevertheless, I persisted, as nothing can stop me from testing all of the water fountains in this school. The taste was one of the worst I’ve tried, however the temperature slightly made up for it, as the cold helped to mask the metallic flavor. The convenience really carried this fountain up the rankings: it filled my water bottle automatically and is in the perfect spot: hidden away from the main hallways, so it is never too crowded.

West Wing Second Floor (front by the administration offices)

Temperature: 6/10

TIme: 21

Taste: 8/10

Location/convenience: 6/10

This was a completely mediocre water experience: the temperature was cold, but not exceptionally cold, the taste was not terrible, but not exceptionally crispy either. It was in a good spot, but it didn’t fill my water bottle completely, which I did not like. I want to have the freedom to overfill my water bottle if I want to, why is a machine deciding for me how much water I get? It cut off near the top, so my bottle was not quite filled. The time was pretty standard, slightly longer than I would like it to be. Overall, I walked away from this experience feeling disappointed and questioning whether there are any good water fountains left at this school.

West Wing First Floor (front and to the left, by men’s bathroom)

Time: 15

Taste: 6/10

Temperature: 7/10

Location/convenience: 7/10

Overall, pretty standard. Temperature was fine and the location was perfectly average, but the real disappointment was the taste. It didn’t taste as fresh as I was hoping, and instead of quenching my thirst, left me dreaming of better water fountains. It was a waste of a water bottle fill: not particularly bad, but not exceptionally good either.

South Wing First Floor

Time: 35.6

Taste: 7/10

Temperature: 8/10

Convenience: 5/10

This one is another non-automatic water fountain, which immediately made me doubt its quality. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, it took a long time to fill, but once I finally took a sip, I was met with some of the coolest and most refreshing water I have had in this school. In a strange way, as I stood in that hallway pressing that button for over half a minute, I felt like I was working for this water, so by the time I took a sip, I enjoyed it even more. In an era where we are constantly moving, trying to be the most productive we can, it felt nice to take a minute break and put all my focus into one simple thing: filling up my water bottle.

West Wing Second Floor (back by boys bathroom)

Temperature: cold but not too cold, 6/10

Time taken to fill: 20.64

Taste: 9/10

Location/convenience: 7/10

Now this is the quality I have come to expect from a DePaul Prep water fountain! The taste was wonderful and refreshing, so good I drank my entire bottle in one period! It was pretty quick, and the location was convenient for a quick fill on the way to class. The only thing keeping this fountain from climbing higher up the rankings was the fact that it stopped automatically, which might be nice for those easily distracted while filling, but is torture for us dedicated water-drinkers, who aspire to fill their bottle all the way to the top.

East Wing Second Floor (second from right)

Time: 21.26

Taste: 8.5/10

Temperature: 9/10

Location/convenience: 7/10

This was a row of fountains, and I thoroughly enjoyed having the variety of the different water. It is reliable, the taste was good and nice and cold, but it did stop filling automatically, which was a major red flag for me. Though the taste was good, it wasn’t mind-blowing, and at the end of the day, wasn’t enough to carry these fountains up the rankings.

East Wing First Floor (second from right)

Time: 20.7

Taste: 10/10

Temperature: 10/10

Location/convenience: 6/10

The taste and cold temperature of this water really made it for me. This fountain was highly recommended by many of my peers, and for good reason! The taste was crisp and the temperature was ice cold! My favorite option was the fountain second from the right, but I appreciate the ability to choose my own adventure: through picking from the row of water fountains. The main issues that kept this option from being number one, however, were all wrapped up in convenience. Not all of the fountains worked, which could leave you wasting precious minutes trying to take a lucky guess on which would actually fill. Additionally, it is constantly busy: serving as the only group of fountains on the first floor of the east wing, and opens the door for a potential awkward situation (or budding friendship?) as you fill your bottle directly next to another person doing the same.

West Wing First Floor (Near Security Desk)

Time: 12.86

Taste: 9/10

Temperature: 9/10

Convenience: 10/10

Wow. This water fountain really blew me away. I wasn’t expecting much, due to the mediocre performance of other west wing fountains, but as soon as I arrived, I knew this was different. Not only was it the quickest to fill, the taste was fresh and crispy. Don’t get me started on the temperature, which was cool, but not too cold that it froze your mouth, beautifully refreshing. This is the type of fountain that you purposefully come to school with an empty bottle in order to fill it at. The location was also perfect, tucked away, so it’s never too busy, but close to the commons for convenience.

Whether you’re looking for the coldest water in all of DePaul Prep, the quickest fill, the most refreshing, or the most convenient, I hoped this list has helped you, and you keep in mind my insight the next time your water bottle needs a fill!