Fountains
A fountain is an arrangement where water is forced into the air under pressure, creating a jet. The pressure may be gravitational, or may be produced by a motor-driven pump.
A famous fountain rises from the surface of Lake Geneva. However, many fountains are located in small, artificial ornamental ponds, basins and formal garden pools, and often they are surrounded by statuary.
Other Meanings
In Islam a fountain is the name of the place in the Mosque where worshippers can wash before Prayer.
A water fountain is designed to provide drinking water and has a basin arrangement with either continuously running water or a tap.
A splash fountain or bathing fountain is a fountain intended for people to cool off in. Although many fountains were not designed as bathing fountains, children of all ages often use them for that purpose. Some fountains are fenced in, or have raised edges as a barricade to keep people out. In other situations, fountains are designed to allow easy access, and feature nonslip surfaces, so that people can safely use them to cool off in on hot summer days.
More recently, splash fountains have begun to appear. These have zero standing water, to eliminate possible drowning hazards, so that no lifeguards or supervision is required. These splash pads are often located in public pools, public parks, or public playgrounds (known as spraygrounds).
A recent example of a public splash fountain is the one located in Toronto's Dundas Square. It consists of 600 ground nozzles arranged in groups of 30 (3 rows of 10 nozzles). Each group of 30 nozzles is located beneath a stainless steel grille. Twenty such grilles are arranged in two rows of 10, right in the middle of the main walkway through Dundas Square. Both the architects and the designers have confirmed that these were intended for waterplay, and the facility operators have confirmed that the water is treated to pool water quality standards, and that the water quality is checked regularly. The entire surface of Dundas Square is made of special nonslip square granite slabs that match the size of the metal grilles. The special texture on the slabs ensures that they are not slippery when wet. Changerooms are located in level P1 of the public parking.
There is a mythological Fountain of Youth from which one can drink to gain immortality, or to regain their youth that plays a role in many fairy tales, stories, and oddysseys.
Famous Fountains
