Fountains Are Going With the Flow : Shut-Offs Common, Though Water Saving’s a Drop in the Bucket

Lush decorative fountains that shoot, splash and sculpt water are usually viewed as balm to the psyche. But in times of drought, they can send a different impression: wanton wasters of our precious resources.

Although landscape architects say fountains have relatively minimal water loss, some Orange County cities and water districts now prohibit filling of fountains, and others will consider similar measures.

And at least one landmark fountain--at the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace--has had its hours voluntarily cut back in response to citizen complaints.

“The so-called water savings of turning off fountains is really only symbolic,” said Drew Imler, an engineer and fountain consultant in Brea. “It takes more water to keep a landscape. Long showers, forgotten sprinklers, agriculture--that’s what wastes a lot of water. But in times of drought, politicians point at fountains.”

Bruce Ptolemy, owner of the Waterland USA fountain shop in Laguna Hills, said most fountains are “closed-loop” systems that use recirculating water.

A typical commercial fountain loses about two bathtubs of water a day to evaporation and splash, figures that are affected by wind, temperature and type of display, he said.

“A swimming pool holds 20,000 to 30,000 gallons of water--a fountain holds about 1,500 to 2,000 gallons,” he said. “But because (fountains) are high profile, they symbolize flagrance.”

Six cities--Brea, La Habra, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Anaheim and Santa Ana--have already banned the operation of fountains. Other areas have only curtailed those that don’t recirculate water.

Keith Coolidge, public affairs manager of Municipal Water District of Orange County, the county’s wholesale water supplier, said fountains are turned off to send a “physical signal” to people.

“If you’re asking people to reduce water consumption by 20% and they walk down to City Hall and see a fountain, that’s a mixed message,” he said. “It’s more for the message it sends than for water it spends.”

Ornamental fountains in Orange County range from back-yard birdbaths with enough water for a starling to get his feet wet to giant hotel and amusement park multijet extravaganzas that cascade to the beat of music, colored lights, lasers and fireworks.

For example, Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park has “The Incredible Waterworks Show,” a 25-by-90-foot fountain containing 1,100 jets of water that shoot as high as 100 feet. And at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, the Dancing Waters show is a $620,000, 16-fountain display that is backlighted by spotlights and accompanied by music.

But most fountains are incorporated into offices, apartment complexes and shopping malls as focal points of design. Architects and developers say that such “water elements” soften and provide contrast to steel and stone as well as add life and luster to public areas.

“Fountains are used for people to enjoy in public places, in areas where there is close contact rather than just driving by,” said Michael Major, landscape architect at SWA Group in Laguna Beach. “We believe it is worth it because such landscape architecture can be designed so that water is used in limited ways but with an enormous effect.”

Major said people have a “magical experience” around water.

“Kids love to play in it and adults love to hear it,” he said. “And from a design point of view, its refreshing cool association is effective to use in contrast to a drought-tolerant plant material palette. Given the fact that water is becoming a more precious commodity, it makes sense to design more drought-tolerant landscape, but it’s interesting to have that contrast of the water.

“The judicial use of water in the landscape is definitely worth it,” he said. And engineer Imler, owner of Fountain Tech Co. in Brea, said: “We build so much in the way of concrete jungles it really behooves us to have the sound of running water. Fountains mask out the noise of urban living as well as beautify.”

Shopping mall spokespersons say fountains are a draw for people of all ages and an important part of the “unique shopping experience.” At Fashion Island in Newport Beach, five fountains, including the “Pop-Jet” children’s fountain that shoots big balls of water and the “Iris” fountain that mimics waves, hold about 15,000 gallons of water.

“The fountains play a significant role here,” said spokeswoman Susie Plummer. “We’re all concerned about the drought. We try to minimize watering of the landscape, but with the fountains, the loss of water is minimal. People love them, and we haven’t had any complaints about them.”

Hotel representatives also say they have had no complaints. Gregg Smith, director of marketing for the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Tennis Club, said visitors enjoy the 30-ton, 300-gallon fountain sculpture that sits in the shaded atrium. The fountain, built for the 1868 Great Paris Exposition, loses about 50 gallons from evaporation every three months, and no one has ever suggested it be shut off.

But in Yorba Linda, the fountain at the Nixon Library has elicited concern from the public.

“We’ve had calls from people saying, ‘We’ll know they’re serious when they shut off that fountain,’ ” said Mike Robinson of the Yorba Linda Water District. Robinson tells callers that the water is recycled and that outside of evaporation, little water is wasted.

Still, library spokesman Kevin Cartwright said that the hours have been cut back, so the fountain is on only when the library is open. He added that workers will no longer empty the fountain to clean or refill it.

About 10 Orange County cities have no updated water conservation ordinances. Of those that do, some prohibit fountains only if recirculated water is not used. Others, such as Brea, San Juan Capistrano and La Habra, ban the use of all ornamental fountains, regardless of the water source.

John Oliver, maintenance services assistant for Brea, this week sent letters to owners of eight fountains thus far identified in that city. Those letters said that decorative fountains must “cease to flow,” he said.

“We’re still trying to find all of the fountains,” said Oliver. “Now we’re addressing the larger visible ones sitting out in front of hotels and apartment complexes, the ones where you see the winds blowing the water out into the street. There may be some in people’s back yards that are hard to control, but we’ll try.”

In Irvine, the fountain outside City Hall was shut down Monday to save 10 gallons of water a day and maintenance costs, but the city as a whole is not banned from using fountains that recirculate water, city officials said.

Irvine encourages the use of reclaimed water, said Gregory Heiertz, Irvine Ranch District director of water conservation. But reclaimed water cannot yet be connected to a lot of existing fountains.

“We’re working on it,” he said.

In San Clemente, which has some of the county’s strictest water conservation laws, fountains are allowed as long as they recirculate water. City officials say as far as they know, there are no fountains in the city that do not.

Meanwhile, landscape architects are changing the way they design fountains.

“As designers, we’re becoming more aware of how fountains look when turned off,” said Major. “They often look ugly, so one of our challenges is to design fountains that look good all the time. That way, if it becomes necessary during periods of drought to turn them off, you’ll still have something appealing.”

Times researcher Kathie Bozanich contributed to this report.