The City of San Ramon currently operates six display fountains. As a result of service level reductions and cost saving measures, the following fountains will be operating on a modified schedule: Bollinger Canyon Fountain (at Bollinger and Chanterella) and the Meadow Fountain (located at Alcosta, behind the San Ramon Community Center).
The schedule for fountains that are funded by annual homeowner assessments through the Landscaping and Lighting District will remain the same. These fountains include the Step and Reflection fountains (at Dougherty and Crow Canyon).
While the City expects to have the fountains running as scheduled, there may be situations where unforeseen disruptions or repairs are needed. The City also schedules routine maintenance which may necessitate the fountains being inoperable for some time. Some repairs may take several days or weeks to complete. In order to protect the City of San Ramon and its standards of excellence for facilities, the City reserves the right, at any time, to shut down the fountains for safety concerns and unforeseen maintenance problems.
No special permits or requests will be considered to turn on the display at these fountains outside the schedule of operation. If you have any questions regarding the fountains, you may contact Public Services at (925) 973-2800, or complete a CRM service request.
Update: July 2021
The City of San Ramon is very mindful of the current drought condition and is making every effort to follow the guidelines established by our water agencies and the State of California. The schedule of operations for the majority of the fountains has been slightly reduced for this reason. However, we continue to operate the City’s four display fountains and two interactive fountains for the following reasons:
- The water in all of the fountains is recirculated, limiting water loss to evaporation.
- Continuing to operate the fountains, preserves the mechanical equipment and pond surfaces, which without operation may cause permanent damage and significant cost to replace.
- If the fountains were turned off the holding ponds and tanks would need to be drained for vector purposes.
- Refilling the fountains after they have been drained and repairing/replacing the mechanical equipment to restart the fountains would be very costly.
The City will continue to evaluate the drought conditions and confer with our water agencies to determine the best course of action related to the fountains.
| FOUNTAIN |
OPERATING
STATUS |
*REGULAR SCHEDULE |
*DISPLAY PUMP HOURS |
*LIGHTING HOURS |
BOLLINGER CANYON
(Bollinger and Chanterella) |
Open
|
Mon-Fri
|
6 am -10 am,
5 pm -10 pm
|
6 pm - 10 pm |
| Open |
Sat-Sun |
9 am - 10 pm |
6 pm - 10 pm |
| CHILDREN'S PARTICIPATORY**** FOUNTAIN (Central Park) |
Closed
|
Daily Apr 1- Oct 31 |
10 am - 5 pm |
|
| MEADOW (Alcosta, behind the Community Center) |
Open |
Daily |
10 am - 10 pm |
6 pm - 10 pm |
| RANCHO SAN RAMON PARTICIPATORY FOUNTAIN (Rancho San Ramon Community Park) |
Open |
Daily
Apr 1-Oct 31 |
10 am - 6 pm |
|
| REFLECTION FOUNTAIN (Corner of Dougherty & Crow Canyon) |
Open |
Mon - Fri |
6 am - 9 am,
6 pm -9 pm |
6 am -7:30 am,
7 pm -10 pm |
| Open |
Sat - Sun |
9 am - 9 pm |
6 am -7:30 am,
7 pm - 10 pm |
| STEP FOUNTAIN (Corner of Dougherty & Crow Canyon)** |
Closed |
Mon - Fri |
6 am - 9 am,
6 pm -9 pm
|
6 am -7:30 am,
7 pm -10 pm
|
| Closed |
Sat - Sun |
9 am - 9 pm |
6 am -7:30 am,
7 pm - 10 pm |
*Regular Schedule, Display Pump Hours, and Lighting Hours do not apply if the OPERATING STATUS indicated that the fountain is CLOSED.
****Fountain Closure - Central Park – Children's Participatory Fountain
The Central Park Children's Participatory Fountain will be closed until further notice due to an electrical issue.
**Fountain Closure - West Branch – Step Fountain
On March 7, 2022, Public Works staff was notified that water was rushing into the equipment vault for the Step Fountain. When staff arrived on site, they found that a valve had failed and was allowing water to fill the equipment vault. The sump pump could not keep up with the flow of water and the equipment – both electrical and mechanical was submerged. Staff is currently working with the City’s contractors to obtain pricing for the required repairs.
**Fountain Closure - West Branch – Step Fountain - Update November 30, 2022
While investigating the damage to determine what needed to be replaced, staff found a safety issue with the main power supply to both the Step Fountain and the Reflection Fountain. Staff obtained the cost to replace the damaged equipment in the equipment vault, as well as replace the panel and a 400 Amp Breaker supplying power to the fountains. The pricing received for these repairs was very high. Because the fountains are part of the Landscaping and Lighting District Special Assessment Zone 6 – West Branch, funding is split 70% / 30% between the West Branch Special Zone and the City. Due to the cost of these and other repairs that are expected in the near future, the City is not comfortable moving forward until meetings can be conducted with the residents who pay into the Special Zone. Staff will be reaching out in the near future to establish potential meeting dates and times.
During the investigation, it was determined that power could be safely isolated in order to operate the Reflection Fountain which his located across the street. The work required for that has been completed.
While the City routinely maintains the display fountains, they are large, aging mechanical pieces of infrastructure and can fail without warning. We know that our residents enjoy the City’s display fountains and apologize for any inconvenience.