Speakout

Saturday, July 11, 2020

Will new fountain recycle water?

I have heard disturbing news that the new fountain planned for downtown Sikeston will not recycle the water. Is that true? If not, please get that information out to the public that we are not wasting gallons of water! Would that even pass an EPA requirement? If it does not recycle and uses gallons of water, who will shoulder that cost? The townspeople will and already water prices for irrigation have been raised at a time we have more drought each summer. I have been amazed at how the information about the function and maintenance of the fountain has not been made easily available.

“Construction of a fountain in Legion Park will be beginning soon. The parts for the project were funded through Historic Downtown Sikeston, with labor being supplied by both Sikeston BMU and City of Sikeston Public Works staff. The project is using a non-recirculating water system. This was decided after much evaluation of the options available, and was selected to keep costs as low as possible. In addition, the design of the fountain from the type of heads used, to the timers being utilized, and how the fountain will not run continuous but rather have an activation pedestal were selected to minimize water usage. The different organizations and individuals involved worked diligently to design a fountain that would be a beautiful addition to our downtown park while being conscious of water usage,” Jay Lancaster, Sikeston Director of Public Works.