RiverQuestion of the Month
May 2009
Compiled by Jennifer Robertson, M.Ed.
RiverQuest Education Specialist
Question:
What is the water source for the fountain at Point State Park, and how does the fountain work?
Answer:
The fountain at Point State Park can be filled from the city water supply or with water pumped from an aquifer 54 feet below the surface. The deep well pumps are triggered to replace water volume lost during normal operation of the fountain.
Several pumps are utilized to circulate the water and to produce three peacock tail sprays symbolizing the 3 rivers and one tall jet that can reach a maximum height of 200 feet. Due to electrical issues, the main column of the fountain is only being run sporadically until a rehabilitation of the fountain is completed.
The computer-operated fountain at Point State Park was completed and dedicated in 1974. Unlike most construction the challenge was to keep the fountain down, since there is a great deal of water pressure where it sits. One-hundred-thirty concrete-filled caissons anchor the fountain in place.
The fountain is maintained by the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works through a financial arrangement with the Bureau of State Parks. Every spring, the fountain engineer decides whether to use city water or deep well water from the aquifer to fill the fountain basin. The fill rate for either is approximately the same (16-20 hours) for 800,000 gallons of water. The height of the main column of the fountain varies with wind speed to minimize water loss. Very high winds can trigger the main column, and even the three peacock fountains, to shut off.
A significant rehabilitation of Point State Park, begun in 2007, is still ongoing. The renovated great lawn on the cityside of the park, also referred to as woodland south, opened in May of 2008. Fencing on the riverside of the great lawn, also known as woodland north, is due to be removed soon, completing that renovation. The Point State Park wharf renovation is due to begin after the EQT Three Rivers Regatta in July. There will be no access to the fountain while the wharf renovations take place.
A renovation of the fountain, the final phase of the Point State Park rehabilitation, is expected to begin in 2010.
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Sources:
- Anzelone, Ray. Point State Park, fountain engineer, interviewed January 2007.
- DCNR. Point State Park. (Online) Available http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateParks/parks/point.aspx, June 2009.
- Morgan, Thomas E. (1985). The fountain at Point State Park in Pittsburgh. (Online) Available http://www.clpgh.org/exhibit/neighborhoods/point/point_n78.html, June 2009.
- Samosky, John. Point State Park, foreman, interviewed May 2009.
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