The history of San Antonio, Texas began along the banks of San Pedro Creek. The indigenous people of Texas are believed to have lived along the spring-fed creek for over 10,000 years. The water emanates from the Edwards Aquifer through a fault at the base of a limestone bluff between the Austin chalk limestone and […]
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Nozzle design and the worlds tallest fountain jets
Tall fountains have been around for a long time, and many have claimed to be the tallest. Early jets used for high displays were typically made of bronze and were of the standard smooth bore design. As technology progressed, nozzles were designed for more dramatic heights and greater visibility. The very tallest fountains in the […]
How much is enough…. water?
In our last post, we talked about the latest codes to affect water features, which is the CDC’s Model Aquatic Health Code. This code was written by committees with many people involved in the aquatics industry but very few with experience designing fountains. This was unfortunate, as there are circumstances that fountains are challenged with, […]
Know Your Codes – Aquatic Health Code & Water Features
How does the new Model Aquatic Health Code affect water features? The Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) was issued in August of 2014 primarily as a revision and consolidation of outdated swimming pool codes. The revision of the code was prompted in part by the outbreak of waterborne illnesses in waterpark and splashpad installations around […]
Fountain History – Projection Water Screens
It has always been interesting to watch new products come about in the fountain industry, many of which are claimed to be new. In actuality, most things we do today in the way of fountain design have been done before and only forgotten. Projection water screens are one such product that was introduced way before […]
How fountains get designed and built
In the fountain industry, there are a number of different ways that fountains get designed and installed. In almost all cases, the desire to have a fountain on a project has already been decided, and sometimes a budget – often arbitrarily – has been established. There is usually an architect or a landscape architect involved […]
Waterstops – What role do they play in water features?
Waterstops play an important role in keeping a fountain from leaking in a number of different ways. They are used for piping penetrations as well as at structural cold joints and at expansion joints that are expressed through fountain basins. They have been in use for many years for structures and previously were made of […]
Waterproofing for Water Features 101
As fountain consultants, we are often asked about waterproofing fountain basins. While we (and most landscape architects) are not able to specify waterproofing due to insurance requirements, there are a number of things to consider when you have to waterproof a fountain basin and all of the piping entering and exiting the structure. The first […]
What every fountain needs… No Matter What!
So, you are going to include a water feature in your project…. When you get a project that has a fountain in it, soon or later you will get asked by the engineers what you will need in the way of utilities. The list is very simple, but the implications of what you choose can […]
The First Fountain Consultants
Years ago, I was contacted by a client in New Orleans to look at renovating a historic fountain in West End Park on Lake Pontchartrain. The fountain was built in 1915 by Frederic Darlington and to my knowledge is only one of two still in existence in its original form. I had crossed paths with […]