Welcome to the forum. All living things need water. We can all survive without food for a while but lack of water causes irreversible changes and if prolonged-death. I'll see if I can find any pictures of my torts drinking. It is so cute to watch
my RF girl goes to her water dish every day to take a loooooong drink. We are sure to change the water daily and that water dish is easy to access for them. they also like to walk in their water and just sit there. There are great care sheets on here. You can look up what your specific breed needs. There are also members on here who keep stars that willingly share their knowledge and experience with the newcomers. Hope you enjoy this forum
You have been given all sorts of misinformation:
1. Tortoises don't get "colds" or the "flu". They can get respiratory infections if their environmental conditions are not correct. Usually they get too cold, and cold mixed with damp is even worse. Stars like it hot. Sounds like your tortoise needs a basking lamp for day time and a ceramic heating element set on a thermostat for night time.
2. Spinach should only be fed to them once in a while, not frequently. Same with cabbage.
3. They should never be fed fruit.
4. No tortoise species gets all the water it needs from its food. This is a myth.
5. Your tortoise does need a water bowl and it should not be a problem for it to spill if you are using the right substate and the temperatures are correct.
6. He doesn't need a lawn. Just a closed of area that can be dedicated to him. I would never go to park as you can't have any idea what chemicals or toxins have been sprayed on that grass or in that area.
To add to the above, if your tortoise is spilling his water, you need a different bowl. If you are using the correct substrate, any spilled water will be absorbed. If the temperature are being kept where they need to be, spilled water and damp substrate will be good for him, not harmful.