Drinking Water Kiosks

My drinking water research examines the use, performance, and enforcement of U.S. drinking water kiosks. My investigation of drinking water kiosks began when I was a graduate student in Texas; we talk about them in our book, The Profits of Distrust. Today, I work in interdisciplinary teams to understand the quality of water dispensed by kiosks as well as people’s use of and trust in them.

Drinking water kiosks are privately owned, drinking water vending machines that dispense water in gallon units. Sometimes water kiosks are called drinking water vending machines. These machines sell water for $0.25 to $0.35 per gallon. Kiosk water costs more than tap water. Some kiosk brands claim to remove impurities, minerals, and other contaminants from drinking water through advanced treatment processes, like reverse osmosis and carbon filters. Depending on the model of the kiosk, the machines can also dispense ice.

Kiosks in the U.S. exist in a regulatory grey space. Different states regulate kiosks differently, but in general, drinking water kiosks are less stringently regulated than tap water or bottled water. Kiosks frequently market themselves as a “safer” or “purer” alternative to tap water, even though many of them source their water from local tap water sources. Given the lack of regulatory oversight of kiosks, there are few water quality checks on these claims.

For more information on kiosks and related topics, check out our work on:

Select media coverage of our research: