An Otterbine aerating fountain installed in a boating lake in Cornwall has caused a big stir locally. The spray from the 10hp Triad giant fountain in Trenance Gardens, Newquay, was so powerful that Restormel Council decided to turn it off at peak times when people wanted to use the boating lake, and to stop passers-by getting soaked. But the public outcry from this move was something the council hadn’t bargained for.

Richard Welch, the council’s head of engineering and property services, said: “We thought visitors would complain about the fountain being on, but we got completely the opposite reaction. People want it on all the time because it’s such an impressive sight. The outcry was enormous, the local press got hold of it and it became quite a local issue!”

Trenance Gardens is part of a popular regional attraction, comprising a zoo, leisure centre, indoor pool, tennis centre, bowling club, and formal gardens. The lake had been giving problems over the years with green algae and pondweed, making boating difficult. “We’d tried several methods, but nothing worked, so we decided to try aerating the water,” Richard said. “The council also wanted to install a new attraction as part of ongoing improvements, so we chose the Otterbine to help solve the water quality problems and provide a stunning display.

“It’s been a great success. The weed and algae problems are much improved, and we’ve now reached a compromise solution – we turn it down so it’s not quite so forceful. But for special occasions we turn it up again for the full effect.”

The fountain was installed by Ocmis Irrigation.