Categories for Fountain Works

November 11 | To add new lighting, fountain will go dark

Friends and neighbors: If you’ve passed by the Fountain at The Circle on a recent evening, you may have noticed that some of the lights that illuminate it at night have not been on. That is due to an electrical problem with the lights in the main fountain basin. The fountain’s bear cubs and crown remain lit. To resolve the...

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August 13 | What a waste — of water and time

Friends and neighbors: The Fountain at The Circle is a marvel, not just esthetically but mechanically. With a little routine maintenance — clearing it of leaves and other debris, cleaning the filters of the pumping system, checking the water chemistry — it flows and flows, recycling the same 5,000-plus gallons of water day after day. Except, that is, when someone...

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June 14 | Fountain at The Circle Back in Business

Friends and neighbors: Just a quick note to say that a major leak discovered in the plumbing on the fountain island has been repaired and the fountain is flowing again. Thanks very much to the city staff who located and fixed the problem. We continue to monitor another smaller leak in what appears to be the irrigation system (which does...

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April 30 | The Fountain Flows Again!

Friends and neighbors: After six long weeks of dormancy, the Fountain at The Circle is flowing again. Repairs to the main pump and a crucial fill valve have been made, new timers for the pumps have been installed, the fountain structure has been inspected and given a thumbs up. A few smaller repairs are yet to be completed, but we...

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April 25 | Fountain Repair Update: Close to Done

Friends and neighbors: After six weeks of being shut down, we hope the Fountain at The Circle will be back in operation very soon. In recent days, City of Berkeley technicians have been able to replace crucial elements of the fountain’s operating system, including a new main pump (which powers the fountain to flow) and auto-fill valve (which helps regulate...

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April 8 | Fountain Repair Update: Awaiting New Parts

Friends and neighbors: The Fountain at The Circle remains shut off while we await replacement parts to repair the pumping and auto-filling systems. We hope those will arrive and can be installed very soon. We will post another update when the work is underway. Meantime, thanks as always for your support of FOFW – and your patience while our landmark...

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March 14 | Update: Fountain Off for Repair

A 3/20/2021 update on the Fountain at The Circle: Friends and neighbors: You may have noticed that the fountain has been off for several days. That’s because a member of our volunteer maintenance crew recently discovered a concerning noise coming from the pump that powers the fountain. As a result, we took the precaution of shutting it off so it...

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June 8 | Protest and Pettiness at the Fountain

Friends and neighbors: You may have noticed the past few days some young people out around the Fountain at The Circle carrying out a small protest action in solidarity with those going on around the country and the globe regarding racial justice. They are holding signs and encouraging passers-by to show support. As a rule, Friends of the Fountain and...

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May 29 | Fountain Off for Repairs

Friends and neighbors: Just a quick note to explain why the Fountain at The Circle has been off or empty a few times recently, including this weekend. In late April, a problem developed with one of the pumps that powers the fountain and with a circuit breaker for the fountain lights. Our partners in the city’s maintenance crew investigated, and...

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March 11 | Fountain at The Circle Off Briefly

Friends and neighbors: Just a note to say if you noticed the fountain not operating the last 24 hours or so, not to worry. It will be back up and running very soon. A small but important component of the fountain pumping system needed repair. That work is being done, and the pumps should be back on sometime today. Thanks...

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