In water-gulping Palm Springs, the fountains are flowing

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. —There was a sign in front of the "Rainmaker" fountain in this resort town on Monday afternoon: "This Fountain is Dry for the Drought. Saving Water is Mandatory."

By the time you read this, that statement might not be true.

The Palm Springs City Council voted unanimously last week to turn the city's fountains back on, following the local water agency's reversal of its strict no-fountains rule.

The city of nearly 50,000 people sits in the heart of the California desert, where rain is scarce and temperatures regular top 110 degrees Fahrenheit over the summer. Yet even amid California's epic drought, the Palm Springs area has had some of the highest water use in the state, reflecting its lush, oasis-in-the-desert image.

Residents are under state orders to reduce potable water use by 36%. As many residents struggled to cut back, the fountain at Palm Springs International Airport shot water into the air on Monday. And water was once again burbling from the water feature at the Village Green Heritage Center downtown.

The "Rainmaker" fountain at Frances Stevens Park was still dry on Monday. But three city employees were working to solve a plumbing issue, and they said they expected the fountain to be functional again by Tuesday.

"It sends the wrong message. We're in a serious drought," said Desert Water Agency board member Richard Oberhaus, who voted against reversing the agency's no-fountains rule. "You can't ask tourists not to wash or launder their sheets at a hotel, and have gushing fountains at the hotel."

Palm Springs City Council members said they were motivated in part by the potential costs of repairing fountains that had fallen out of use. They also argued that keeping the fountains off wasn't saving much water, although city officials aren't sure exactly how much water the recirculating fountains lose to evaporation.

There's little question that councilmembers were also swayed by aesthetics. Residents missed seeing running water, Mayor Steve Pougnet said at Wednesday's council meeting.

"The fountain at the airport is kind of our entryway," Councilmember Ginny Foat, who's running for mayor, said in an interview. "I'd rather see us take out more grass, and take out more of the water-gobbling trees, than to turn the fountains off; that really don't lose a lot of water."

Foat said when it comes to the drought, she follows the Desert Water Agency's guidance.

"I'm not a water expert, and if they felt it was OK to turn the water back on — that's who I'll take my cues from," she said.

The Desert Water Agency, which serves Palm Springs and parts of Cathedral City, initially passed the region's toughest fountain restrictions, banning all fountains that don't support aquatic pets. Other water agencies hewed to state guidelines, which allow fountains that use recirculating water.

For months, Palm Springs' three city-operated fountains sat dry. But in a 3-2 vote last month, the Desert Water Agency's board of directors changed course, deciding to allow fountains that recirculate water.

Craig Ewing, chair of the agency's board of directors, also voted against the change.

"It's not a tremendous savings of water, but it's a very important symbol that we're in a drought, that we need to think about water, how we use it new ways," Ewing said. "And fountains in the desert are, in my opinion, not part of that new way of how we should be using water."

Oberhaus called it "unfortunate" that Palm Springs is turning its fountains back on. The three board members who voted to reverse the no-fountains rule, he said, had small private fountains in mind.

Those three board members — Jim Cioffi, Pat Oygar and Joe Stuart — were the same board members who voted last year against studying tiered rates, a common tool to encourage conservation. Of the region's six water providers, the Desert Water Agency is one of just two that charges a flat rate for water.

Recirculating fountains waste much less water than non-recirculating fountains, Stuart noted.

"The idea was, at this point, let's allow it," he said. "But it's certainly something that all five of us would look at in the future if things get even more dire than they are now."

The "Fountain of Life" at Cathedral City's Civic Center has stayed on over the last few months, as it wasn't impacted by the Desert Water Agency's no-fountains rule. That's because it's an "interactive water feature" that children use to cool off during the summer, Cathedral City spokesperson Chris Parman said.

Kia Farhang contributed to this report.

Sammy Roth writes about energy and water for The Desert Sun. He can be reached at sammy.roth@desertsun.com, (760) 778-4622 and @Sammy_Roth.