Fountain Hills, Arizona: World's 4th Tallest Freshwater Fountain

The fountain in Fountain Hills, Arizona, is the fourth tallest in the world, part of a 34 acre lake in Fountain Park. On most days, the fountain shoots 330 feet in the air, but will reach 560 feet during special events, when it is often lit in color with LEDs.

The fountain runs at the top of the hour for 15 minutes from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the water is part of a reclaimed water system for the town.

The fountain doesn't run at full height hardly ever any more. It's still a very pretty sight, but just not as cool as it used to be. It also doesn't seem to run as often, but maybe that's just me. We are regulars at the park.

Great park to enjoy a walk, along with a very nice Veterans Memorial. The fountain is awesome!

I read on the web that if the wind across the lake reaches 10 mph, the fountain will not spout. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find a web site that posts the wind speed so that people could check before visiting. So it is a case of turn up and hope for the best. It was windy on the day we went (10/21/2012) so we didn't get to see the fountain.

The Fountain, driven by three 600 horsepower turbine pumps, sprays water at a rate of 7,000 gallons per minute though an 18-inch nozzle. The fountain runs for 15 minutes on the hour at the top of the hour. The water in Fountain Lake is actually clean and quite safe as it is treated and tested on a regular basis. With all three pumps running, the fountain reaches 560 feet in height. When built, it was the world's tallest fountain and held that record for over a decade.

Fountain Hills is a beautiful town located in the hills east of Scottsdale and is home to nearly 70 pieces of publicly displayed artwork. The eight fountains along the Avenue of the Fountains were the beginning of the public art collection.