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All that's missing is water

City of Oceanside completes fountain project, but it will remain dry

Oceanside's fountain-rehab project came in $40,000 under budget
Oceanside's fountain-rehab project came in $40,000 under budget

When is a public fountain not a fountain? That’s the dilemma facing the City of Oceanside, as it was prepared to turn on its civic center fountain after a seven-month, $378,000 refurbishing.

The city’s water department advised the city council last week that under Governor Brown’s latest round of water restrictions, turning on the fountain now would not seem prudent.

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Gary Smith, an associate engineer for the city and the project’s manager, told the Reader on April 30, “We want to make a statement [saving water], so it wouldn’t be best at this time.”

The project was completely finished on April 20 and came in about $40,000 under budget. Now a five-foot decorative wrought iron fence will be erected around the large plaza’s empty fountain, similar to the design used nearby to block off access to the Coaster train tracks. “But it will not be a permanent fence,” says Smith.

According to Smith, the original plan was to use reclaimed water from various sources, including the Buccaneer Beach sewer plant’s reclamation or the fire department’s reclaimed training water. “Even reclaimed water has drawbacks,” said Smith. “We’ve found bursts of fecal coliform in some reclaimed water.”

Other options were explored, including using seawater, which would have to be desalinated. How about filling it in and making it a planter? “That has been suggested,” said Smith. “We even thought about drilling a well right on the property, but that’s what’s restricted — use of potable water.”

“The city’s plan is to still have water in it at some time in the future,” Smith stated.

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Oceanside's fountain-rehab project came in $40,000 under budget
Oceanside's fountain-rehab project came in $40,000 under budget

When is a public fountain not a fountain? That’s the dilemma facing the City of Oceanside, as it was prepared to turn on its civic center fountain after a seven-month, $378,000 refurbishing.

The city’s water department advised the city council last week that under Governor Brown’s latest round of water restrictions, turning on the fountain now would not seem prudent.

Sponsored
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Gary Smith, an associate engineer for the city and the project’s manager, told the Reader on April 30, “We want to make a statement [saving water], so it wouldn’t be best at this time.”

The project was completely finished on April 20 and came in about $40,000 under budget. Now a five-foot decorative wrought iron fence will be erected around the large plaza’s empty fountain, similar to the design used nearby to block off access to the Coaster train tracks. “But it will not be a permanent fence,” says Smith.

According to Smith, the original plan was to use reclaimed water from various sources, including the Buccaneer Beach sewer plant’s reclamation or the fire department’s reclaimed training water. “Even reclaimed water has drawbacks,” said Smith. “We’ve found bursts of fecal coliform in some reclaimed water.”

Other options were explored, including using seawater, which would have to be desalinated. How about filling it in and making it a planter? “That has been suggested,” said Smith. “We even thought about drilling a well right on the property, but that’s what’s restricted — use of potable water.”

“The city’s plan is to still have water in it at some time in the future,” Smith stated.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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