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Karen McGowen's Column Register Guard, April 3, 2002 Drought off; fountain on Karen McCowan / The Register-Guard THE DROUGHT is officially over ... at least within a 6-foot radius of the EWEB fountain. That's how far droplets were drifting from the fountain Tuesday afternoon in a brisk, spring breeze. The misty precipitation was a refreshing change from last year, when the plaza was as dry as a Bible Belt county. The "fountain" was just another patch of parched pavement last summer, after the Eugene Water & Electric Board shut off its up-spurting jets during a period of severe drought and spiking power prices. But persistent public demand prompted the utility to turn it back on this year. Just in time for spring break, no less. To the surprise and delight of University of Oregon computer science professor Stephan Fickas. "I went by it this weekend with my kids and I was so pleased," he said. "We all stuck our heads in the water, even though it wasn't that warm out. We had to do a kind of ceremonial dip in the fountain." Fickas was the fountain fan who contacted me one dog day afternoon last summer to challenge EWEB's decision to shut the fountain down as an example to consumers, who were then being asked to conserve both water and electricity. He disputed the utility's characterization of the fountain as decorative, calling it instead a "free, interactive public resource." I agreed that the fountain (basically, nine water jets mounted flush with the pavement) isn't eye candy so much as a poor man's country club pool - a place where even those without air conditioning can cool off. But when I took Fickas' suggestion and conducted an impromptu poll of readers, they narrowly supported EWEB's decision to shut the fountain down, given the gravity of the water and energy shortage. That was last year, however. This year is different. Yes, local rainfall is still 25 percent below average. But stream flows in the McKenzie watershed are "near normal," said Charlie Morris, EWEB building maintenance supervisor. "Snow packs are also healthy," he said. Meanwhile, EWEB staff and board members have received a steady trickle of queries about when the fountain would be turned on again. "People were pretty understanding last summer, when we were experiencing the second-worst drought in EWEB history," said Tom Buckhouse, EWEB facilities director. "But this spring all the contacts have been from people saying, `Let's get it back on.' ' Board members directed the staff to revisit the question, and officials quickly decided to get the 10-foot high jets burbling again. "What drove us to turn it off in the first place was no longer relevant," Buckhouse said. This being Eugene, there will probably still be some bellyaching about this "frivolous" use of water and electricity. The fountain consumes about $8 a day in power and water - about twice the daily consumption of a typical EWEB household. But I'm with Fickas. If there's any place for extravagance, it's a public amenity, which can be enjoyed by all. "Even with no (reopening) announcement, lots of people were down there," Fickas said. "Little kids were riding their scooters through it. Older people were just hanging out. It's a great community spot."