JANESVILLE, Wis. (AP) - A small fountain that usually doesn’t operate in a Janesville park is running again after being mostly dry since the 1990s.
The fountain in Riverside Park has provided water for the past few weeks, the Janesville Gazette (https://bit.ly/2f7eFsY) reported. It’s not gushing, but the well, which was drilled as a park amenity and public water source in the late 1930s, has water freely flowing.
The fountain operates on its own because the 1,000-foot-deep aquifer that powers the well has no pump and is free-flowing.
Janesville parks director Cullen Slapak said the fountain’s operation is unpredictable. He said it won’t run if there isn’t enough pressure to force the groundwater out of the well’s pipe.
According to Slapak the city’s draw and other newer draws outside the city are probably reasons in the chronic slowing of the artesian well.
The Friends of Riverside Park officials said they’ve had on-and-off discussions about restoring the fountain for the past decade, but that other projects needed immediate attention.
Costs for investigative re-drilling of the well to attempt to clear any barriers, such as sediment, could have cost about $10,000.
While the city does not test for water quality at the well, Slapak said it’s likely safe to drink.
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Information from: The Janesville Gazette, https://www.gazetteextra.com
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