Let there be light…in the lake
| August 7, 2009 | 5:01 AM
More journal entries from Tillie Fong »
Maybe Mother Nature wanted to show off, or maybe she was just plain jealous.
On June 25, a lightning bolt struck the historic Darlington Prismatic Electric Fountain in Ferril Lake, putting an end to the multicolored evening light shows for the rest of the summer.
“It hit the motherboard and fried the bulbs,” said Jill McGranahan, spokeswoman for Denver Parks and Recreation.
A total of 84 LED bulbs, ranging in size from 3 inches to 18 inches, will have to be replaced at a cost of $250,000. The fountain has 116 multicolored LED lights, along with 28 incandescent lights.
The repair cost is covered by insurance through Control Dimensions, the contractor that worked with Denver to reconstruct the historic fountain in City Park. Because of the high cost of air freight, Control Dimensions is opting to have the light bulbs shipped from Germany via surface mail. Hence, it will take 10 to 12 weeks for them to arrive.
By the time the bulbs are replaced, it may be past the end of the light show season, originally scheduled to end on Oct. 3. If the LEDs arrive sooner, “there might be a few light shows,” McGranahan said.
The Darlington Prismatic Electric Fountain was dedicated on May 30, 1908, in honor of the Democratic National Convention being held in Denver that summer. It was created by engineer Frederic W. Darlington and was called the Prismatic Electric Fountain because of the colored lighting effects created by a special apparatus patented by Darlington in the 1890s.
Over the years, the fountain had to be repaired frequently, and the water and light shows were discontinued. In December 2006, the original fountain was torn down when Ferril Lake was drained for the Montclair Storm Water project.
A 20-month project to build a historically accurate replica of the 1908 fountain began in January 2007, and the new structure was dedicated on Aug. 19, 2008 – just in time for the DNC’s return to Denver.
The new $3.2 million fountain has the same 12 water features as the original fountain, but three times as many automatic valves to control the displays, which are run by computer software. In keeping with the city’s greener image, LED lights were used because they use 80 percent less energy than incandescent lights, saving 40,000 watts of power at peak demand during a light show.
Out of the 116 LED lights on the fountain, 78 emulate the original Darlington lights. Another 24 illuminate the north/south ribbons, and 14 more are used for the peacock displays. The new fountain still uses incandescent lights for the tall water features, such as the Center Geyser, the Ring of Six and the Great Arch.
Normally, the lights come on at dusk, and the fountain runs continuous five- to 10-minute displays until 11 p.m.
The Darlington fountain recycles up to 4,000 gallons of water in Ferril Lake per minute, depending on the water features being used and how high they shoot. The tallest display is the Central Geyser, which tops out at 90 feet. The fountain’s operation also aerates the lake, which reduces algae growth and helps the fish stocked there.
Click here for more information on the Darlington Prismatic Electric Fountain.
Control Dimensions, darlington prismatic electric fountain, Denver Parks and Recreation
