- Gateway Geyser
The Gateway Geyser is a
fountain located on the riverfront of theMississippi River inEast St. Louis, Illinois , directly across from theGateway Arch inSt. Louis, Missouri . The fountain is the world's second tallest, lifting water to a height of approximately 630 feet (190 m). It is second toKing Fahd's Fountain inSaudi Arabia , which can reach 312 meters (1,020 ft). The Gateway Geyser is a counterpart to the equally tall Arch on the Missouri riverbank. Four minor fountains represent the four rivers which converge at St. Louis and East St. Louis.To complete the vision of a memorial on each side of the Mississippi River, the Gateway Geyser was designed and constructed by St. Louis–based Hydro Dramatics. It was completed in 1995 at a cost of $4 million. Three 800-horsepower (600 kW) pumps power the fountain, discharging 8,000 U.S. gallons of water per minute (50 L/s) at a speed of convert|250|ft|m per second (75 m/s). The fountain has an axial thrust of 103,000
pounds-force (460 kN); water is jetted out of the convert|6|ft|m|sing=on-tall aerated nozzle at a pressure of 550 pounds per square inch (3.8 MPa).On
June 17 ,2005 , ownership of the Gateway Geyser and its 34 acre (14 ha) site was transferred to the Metro East Park and Recreation District. The fountain will serve as the cornerstone for a new park named after the lateMalcolm W. Martin .The Geyser was illuminated for the first time on
October 28 ,2005 , in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the St. Louis Arch.On
September 16 ,2006 , ground was broken on the Mississippi River Overlook project at theMalcolm Martin Memorial Park . The convert|40|ft|m|sing=on-high (12 m) platform provides a scenic overlook of the Gateway Geyser, the Mississippi River, and the St. Louis Arch and skyline. It opened in the spring of 2008.Scheduled operation times for the Geyser are from 12:00-12:15 pm and from 1:00-1:15 pm daily from April to October.
External links
* [http://www.meprd.org/MMM%20Park.htm Metro East Park and Recreation District]
* [http://www.hydrodramatics.com/gateway_geyser.htm Hydro Dramatics]
* [http://lewisandclarktrail.com/section1/illinoiscities/gatewaygeyser.htm Lewis and Clark Trail]
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