Pittsburgh’s landmark fountain at Point State Park is scheduled to begin its annual spouting May 4, just in time for the Pittsburgh Marathon.
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has power washed the fountain, cleaned out its 800,000-gallon reservoir and is sprucing up the park for the annual race hosted this year by Dick’s Sporting Goods, DCNR spokesman Terry Brady said.
“All systems go,” Brady said. “They’re busy out there getting it ready. It’s looking definitely like it should be a beautiful display that weekend.”
The fountain at the tip of Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle is turned off during winter months. It’s been greeting visitors exiting the city side of the Fort Pitt Tunnel since 1974 and shoots a single plume 100 feet into the air with three shorter water sprays around it signifying the three rivers .
The fountain uses 795 gallons of water that it recycles and pumps out at a rate of 20,000 gallons a minute.
Flooding in 2018 damaged the fountain and delayed its start until July.
“In 2018 they had multiple floods,” Brady said. “It really set them back.”
He said future park plans include new LED lighting for the fountain. A $35 million renovation of the fountain was completed in 2013.
