Crappy Canberran fountains

[trixtah]

Canberra is in the throes of a drought and has been for years. Literally. There has been below-average rainfall for the last 8 years. As of today, the dams that supply Canberra are 38% full. But you wouldn't be able to tell from the amount of reaction you get from the powers-that-be. They only implemented Stage 3 water restrictions a couple of months back (after a winter of no rain) and there still seems to be idiocies being carried out in the name of "civic beauty". One is the watering of the median strips on the roads into Canberra. There are eucalypts in two rows and grass on median strips about 15m across. The grass is watered, every other day. Why?

Then there are the fountains, which are my particular bugbear. I walk past four of them on my way into work. And without exception, they are all ugly. Ok, perhaps there is some merit in the Ugly Civic Fountain outside the Canberra Centre for some, but the rest of them are varying degrees of pathetic dribbles and/or algae breeders, with no aesthetic merit whatsoever.

Don't believe me? Here they are:

	Here's the Casino fountain and its pathetic dribbles. The jets were installed recently, and come up to about waist height. I think they were put in as an effort to oxygenate the water sufficently so the pool doesn't continally breed algae. It hasn't succeeded, and the pool is emptied and refilled semi-regularly. In the foreground is a typical example of leaking from the main that controls the pool. They fix it, and it leaks again. More water down the drain (literally).
	This is the notorious Ugly Civic Fountain. It too has a pool that appears to be diluted pondscum. Just to the left of the fountain's midline, you can see the sign assuring us that the water used is non-potable (ie. from the lake). All fountains need to display this sign - wow, great water conservation measure! Bugger any groundwater effects or anyone trying to irrigate downstream, eh? Oh, that's right, there don't seem to be many bodies concerned about groundwater depletion yet. Drilling rates have gone up astronomically in the last few years, and there isn't much acknowledgement of those water sources only being finite. Yes, acquifers typically get replenished, but not when there's a drought, and not when the extraction rate exceeds the replenishment rate. It's like drawing on your capital - it might be all right to keep you afloat in the short term, but it can't last forever.
	This is the Australian Federal Police memorial fountain. Nice sentiment, I'm sure, but in these conditions, it's yet another pointless algae breeder. This one doesn't get emptied out as often as the Casino one, but they do have to give it a periodic scrub.
	This is a memorial to some Aussie politician whose name I've forgotten. It seems it's supposed to be an adult "playing" with a child... but even if the representation wasn't somewhat suss these days, it's a crappy sculpture. And pathetic dribbles for the fountain, although that one doesn't seem to get too scummy.

Since the two "fountains" in the middle of the roundabouts on Parkes Way aren't on my route home, I didn't take pictures of them. About 20m across, full of true-blue disgusting scum, and maybe a pathetic dribble in the middle when they switch it on. The ducks seem to like them, though, when the lake is a bit rough. Shame they're plonked into the middle of a concrete desert, with no cover.

Before anyone accuses me of being utterly curmudgeonly, some of the fountains/water features around town are quite nice, and seemed to be nicely maintained (perhaps because there is little reservoir visible). I also value greenspace in town, and think the two nice green parks in Civic need to be watered, as does any multi-function park. I just don't understand the watering of the median strips, where you can't exactly have your lunch/a picnic (unless you think traffic fumes make a nice sauce). And I don't see the point of dissipating thousands of litres of water into the air when it doesn't rain back down again. Despite the disingenousness of their talk about "non-potable" and "recirculated" water, at least there has been some acknowledgment of the wastage involved on Parliament Hill. It's just a shame that the message doesn't seem to be tricking down. Ho ho.

Comments

[saluqi.livejournal.com]

Nice rant ;-)

I still think the one outside the Canberra centre is the worst. All that metal doing nothing very much. Yik.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Heh, I think it's because they were trying to make it look "sculptural" and yet missed that it's so unfortunate.

No, for me, it's slightly pipped by the creepy Fountain of Pedophilia. Not only is the subject matter urgh, it really is just an awkwardly-executed hunk of bronze. Mind you, I have a particular aversion to that brand of "representational" bronze sculpture.

[faxon.livejournal.com]

As I said last night I like the one outside the Canberra centre. I think it has something to do with the way light reflects on the steel and the water. But that could just be my weird colour vision kicking in. :)

They could certainly turn off the water to the other two tho. The Fountain of Pedophilia works as a sculture without the water anyway.

As for the water features along Parkes way - the one at the bottom of ANZAC Ave is currently empty.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Ah, now, that makes sense to me, looking at the light shimmering off the droplets and the reflective steel. That is a nice effect. And yep, if they want to have gikky pedophilic sculptures, they don't need the water. :-)

It's good that the one by Anzac Ave is empty. It's a start!

[damned-colonial.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I quite like the Canberra Centre one too.

My take on fountains isn't so much about the practicalities of water use, as about the propaganda potential. It's hard for anyone to take the drought seriously when the city is spraying water around. They should be *more* strict with their water use than the law requires, not less, to reinforce the message.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

I think that's my essential objection. In the greater scheme of things, they probably don't consume that much water, but throwing it around needlessly when we're supposed to be saving it seems off-message, to say the least.

Also, really, with the amount of emptyings and refillings they do of the casino fountain alone, that would probably cover my showers for a year. Every little bit... and all that.

[ruth-lawrence.livejournal.com]

I hope those fountains recirculate their water, but imagine the Specialness of Canberra's Big Noises will mean that they do not.

The sculpture squicks me, too.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

They do recirculate, so that's something. Also, despite the fact Canberra is the capital, I don't find it particularly abundant in civic amenities. Sure, there's the National this, that and the other, but in terms of what locals actually need, there's only an oversupply of stupid roads.

[ruth-lawrence.livejournal.com]

The needs of locals have been better met in the capital than elsewhere for a very long time, though :-/

[baglieg.livejournal.com]

You missed the biggest artificial water feature we have: the lake. I can't see them draining that to save water... although it could probably do with a good scrubbing!

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Heh. I hate to think what it's like down there, with accumulated layers of duck shit. Anyway, it provides an important function - people from Goulburn can visit and drive their stupid putt-putt boats around it (according to the Canberra Times last week).

[stormkpr.livejournal.com]

It seems that people never want to implement water restrictions or anything along those lines until the situation gets to a desperate point. Most humans, it seems, are not planners-ahead.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I really don't understand why the water restrictions were ever lifted at all. Maybe if the dams had miraculously refilled themselves last year? But they didn't.

fountains

[jekni.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to work out where the other fountain on Parkes Way is. The only one I know of is the double spray thingy at the end of Anzac Parade; which as Trix remarked is currently empty.

Of course, there is that appalling concrete-surrounded pond thing near the CIT but that doesn't have a fountain - it's just an extension of the lake from Nerang Pool. (And aren't you actually kinda glad they put the concrete around it - no more boy-racers leaving their cars in it!!) And that big fountain on the other side of the road that goes off every two hours.......

I noticed recently that they have emptied at least half of the fountains up in front of OPH although the two on the ends still seem to be going (the ones put in for Centenary of Federation?) at least the big open ones were empty anway.

I also can't work out why they're spraying the median strips - particularly when our school oval is dead and has been for 3 years and there are a lot of others in the same boat. I doubt if the kids will ever be able to play on it again, it's certainly not comfortable if you fall over.

Re: fountains

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Oh, you're right, there isn't a fountain in that other puddle, is there. I just wish they'd fill it with the concrete! :-)

That good about OPH, but it's ironic that the climate-change-denying government is taking conservation steps, and the local government here are still being idiots.

As for the median strips, it really makes no sense. They don't do it along Morshead Dr - in fact, I've seen them putting mulch down there lately, so god knows why Northbourne and (I suspect) stretches of Canberra Ave have the sprinklers.

[oliviabliss.livejournal.com]

I don't understand why they didn't use those big wide lush median strips for bicycle paths? Surely it would encourage more bicycle use if cyclists could peddle straight down the middle of Northbourne instead of precariously along the road? Would have had less to water as well…

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

That's a great idea, and then people might use them rather than riding on the goddamn footpath and expecting ME to jump out of the way when there's a perfectly good cycle lane on the road.

The trees would provide shade for cyclists, it'd be much less dangerous, and they could mulch the surroundings like they do with Morshead Drive. I vote for you for mayor (or whatever the person is who runs this town)!