Fountains

Did anyone read Raymond Gill's diatribe against those with their hands on the stopcock in Saturday's A2 section of The Age newspaper? Forgive me for bringing it up now but it usually takes me a couple of days to wade through the Saturday paper. He was having a go at our civic leaders for turning off the fountains. While acknowledging that there is a drought/climate change happening he also talked about the healing effect that the sight of falling water can have on us: "there is nothing so replenishing, renewing and revitalising and other green sounding words as the sights and sounds of babbling brooks, sibilant streams and frothing fountains."

Apart from the evocative alliteration he has a point. I too miss the fountains and was very pleased when a few weeks ago our local council turned the Gisborne fountain back on after a couple of years of it sitting in the middle of a major intersection gathering dead leaves and rubbish. The fountain is now topped up with a local non-potable water source and has had a wind sensor installed so it turns off when the wind gets too strong (thereby denying passing motorists from receiving a free windscreen wash!) As I drove past it tonight I also noticed it has now been floodlit from below - it looked fabulous! So will other local councils please consider a non potable water source for their fountains? It seems pretty pointless to have a fountain without water in it.
Here is a link to the local paper to see a pic of the fountain and one very soggy mayor standing beneath it (what was he thinking?!?!)
http://www.macedonrangestelegraph.com.au/news/local/news/general/fountain-wish-comes-true/1560313.aspx