Water is an important part of every student’s needs at Cal State Monterey Bay. Here’s a breakdown of the best and worst water stations and drinking fountains across campus.
Otter Express
Photos by Tom Nolan
At the very top of our list is, unsurprisingly, the Coca-Cola station located in the Otter Express (OE). Whether you prefer it with ice or its already perfectly cool temperature, this is hands down the best water on campus. Some students will even make the trek from residence halls or North Quad just for an OE refill. It’s quick, consistently refreshing and especially perfect on a warm day.
Beyond taste and temperature, the location itself earns bonus points for accessibility. The Otter Express stays open later than many others, as late as midnight on weekdays, so at nearly any hour you might find students stopping in for what has become a bit of a campus delicacy.
BIT
With the comforting ambiance of flushing toilets just a few feet away, the station in the Business and Information Technology (BIT) building is a staple for students passing through. It gets props for color coordination; the grayish stains on the station match the ones on the floor almost perfectly.
Uninviting as this water station may be, its worn appearance is well-earned. The surprisingly palatable water found here stays just below room temperature – refreshing, without inducing brain freeze. Unlike other entries on this list, it also features a snazzy motion-activated refill function.
CAHSS
Students who frequent the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences building may already be familiar with this water station. While it isn’t as stained as the BIT building station, it also isn’t as memorable. The flavor isn’t great, yet it holds the middle spot on this list for one reason: it keeps dry throats at bay among attendees of the communication and language classes that call this building home.
Library
The long walk to the first-floor restrooms in Tanimura and Antle Family Memorial Library evokes an eerie, liminal quality. This relic of less sustainable times fits that vibe perfectly.
Make no mistake, the water is bad. But there’s an undeniable nostalgia factor to the lack of a proper refill station, forcing students to relive memories of holding water bottles at an awkward angle and never quite filling them all the way.
OSU
Few will be surprised to find the station near the Otter Student Union first-floor restrooms at the bottom of this list. Drinking chlorinated sink water might actually be better than using this one (this is a joke, please don’t do that).
Many students already avoid it like the plague, and not without reason. Not only does the water have a sharp metallic taste, but it was actually warm on at least one occasion. Warm! That alone secures its place in last.