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World's Tallest Fountain At 560 feet high the centerpiece of Fountain Hills, the world famous water fountain, rises into the air 10 feet higher than the Washington Monument when operating at full force. The fountain sits in the middle of a lake surrounded by a 32-acre park at the eastern end of the Avenue of the Fountains. The fountain has been attracting visitors from all over the world for nearly 30 years, first activating on December 15, 1970. For years following its introduction to the world Guiness Book of World Records recognized it as the "worlds highest" fountain. Three 600-horsepower turbine pumps deliver nearly 7000 gallons of water per minute through an 18 inch nozzle. Though the fountain is capable of soaring 560 feet into the air, the daily height is generally around 300 feet using two of the three pumps. The fountain and lake were installed and designed as an effluent (reclaimed water) storage and evaporation system. In the winter months the fountain lake is often at full storage capacity. During this time, the fountain may operate for longer intervals than the standard 15 minutes and may also operate at earlier hours each morning. Because the fountain rises so high into the air, it is quite easily seen from all over town. Homes perched on hilltops overlook the fountain and surrounding mountains in many of the neighborhoods throughout the community. On March 17, St. Patrick's Day, people crowd around the
fountain to see its stream of water magically turn green! The event
takes place at noon.
Take note that the fountain will not operate during high winds to avoid spraying neighborhood homes. So if the winds pick up you may not get a chance to view it during the hour you happen to visit. In the event this occurs, simply take a stroll up the Avenue of the Fountains or browse the Fountainside shops for an hour and check back again at the top of the next hour. Chances are the winds will calm down and the fountain will rise. Hours of operation:
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