The historic HemisFair Park fountains surrounding the iconic Tower of the Americas were retrofitted to run on reclaimed water earlier this Spring.
The City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Water System turned on the fountains in March 2010. The two entities worked together on a plan to utilize water that’s normally discharged into storm drains and redirect it for use in the fountains.
Alluvial water is normally pumped from beneath the foundations of nearby downtown buildings and discharged into the drainage system. By treating and using this water in the HemisFair Park foundations, the city will be able to reduce or even possibly eliminate, the use of potable (drinking) water in the fountains.
The HemisFair Park fountains use millions of gallons of potable water a year. SAWS provided the city a $181,000 rebate to assist with the cost of revamping the fountains. It is estimated that the newly redesigned HemisFair fountains will conserve almost 37 million gallons of potable water each year. This is the equivalent of SAWS purchasing $625,000 worth of water rights from the Edwards Aquifer.
“San Antonio is a model city for water conservation,” says Mayor Julian Castro. “This conservation effort will enhance the experience at HemisFair Park all year long, without affecting our drinking water resources.”
SAWS President and CEO Robert Puente agrees.
“Another benefit is that the fountains will be able to run when the city is in drought restrictions — a real plus for tourism,” Puente says.
The HemisFair Park fountains were built as part of the 1968 World’s Fair.
San Antonio Business Journal
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