Estimated $7M cost to repair historic fountain in Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park

Estimated $7 million cost to repair historic fountain in Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park

Jubilee Fountain at Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park. (StoneMonkeyswk/Shutterstock)

There are no plans to fix the Jubilee Fountain in the middle of Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park.

When it was operational, the iconic fountain sent streams of water upwards to a height of over 100 ft, with the water feature also illuminated at night.

But the fountain has not been operational for roughly eight years.

During last week’s public meeting, Vancouver Park Board staff advised commissioners that the estimated cost of providing the Jubilee Fountain with a new pump station to reactivate the water feature is now roughly $7 million. Studies done prior to the pandemic estimated the cost to be $5 million.

When the Jubilee Fountain last operated, it used 54 million litres of drinking water annually, according to park board staff.

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The Jubilee Fountain was first built in 1936 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the City of Vancouver’s incorporation, and it underwent its first restoration in 1986 to market the City’s centennial and the Expo ’86 World’s Fair. Ahead of the 2010 Winter Olympics, the fountain received some upgrades, including the installation of multicoloured nighttime lighting.

jubilee fountain lost lagoon stanley park vancouver

Jubilee Fountain at Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park. (Peter Newton/Shutterstock)

Jubilee Fountain at Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park. (Max Lindenthaler/Shutterstock)

If all 30 water features identified by park board staff were to be “rehabilitated,” it would cost $13 million, including $7.6 million for 22 decorative fountains and $5.4 million for eight ponds and waterfalls. This does not include the cost to fix the Jubilee Fountain.

While the Jubilee Fountain will not be fixed, Park Board commissioners chose and approved a strategy proposed by their staff to upgrade 11 water features, which is the “greatest number of rehabilitated features.” The estimated capital cost of these upgrades is $2.6 million.

This includes upgrading two water features at Queen Elizabeth Park — the major “dancing waters” fountain at the plaza atop Little Mountain and the waterfall that cascades into the quarry garden — as well as the Memorial South Park pond, David Lam Park fountain, Granville Loop fountain, Emery Barnes Park fountain, Marina Square fountain, VanDusen Botanical Gardens’ rectangular pond, Cardero Park fountain, Nelson Park fountain, and the Cathedral Square fountain.

vancouver park board water features repair

Water features in Vancouver parks identified for rehabilitation. (Vancouver Park Board)

Bloedel Conservatory Queen Elizabeth Park Vancouver

Bloedel Conservatory and the plaza atop Queen Elizabeth Park. (Shutterstock)

The work involves repairing and installing new water recirculation systems and repairing leaks and deficiencies. Park Board staff deem the existing fountain systems to be problematic for their high use of drinking water, as they are “once-through” water systems instead of features that reuse the same water. As well, some of these features had leakages or breaks, which resulted in the further use of drinking water. According to Park Board staff, for these reasons, many of these water features are non-compliant with local bylaws because they are non-recirculating.

Park Board staff estimate the upgrades to the 11 water features for reactivation will result in water savings of between 20 million and 50 million litres per year, which is equivalent to filling eight to 12 Olympic-sized pools with water.

But the added mechanisms of recirculating water systems carry increased operating costs, given their added ongoing maintenance and repair needs, compared to the once-through water systems. Such added operating costs could be partially offset by both decreased water consumption and converting other features to no longer use drinking water.

Moving forward, the Park Board will be required to pay for its water usage, as the City of Vancouver is transitioning to a system that requires each municipal department to pay for the water it consumes. Water meters are currently being installed at all civic buildings and facilities.

Currently, the City’s engineering department covers most of the Park Board’s water consumption costs, including green space irrigation. This is estimated to be about $1.9 million annually in unpaid water uses, based on 2021 consumption levels.

Consultants for the Park Board recommend an annual $2.9 million operating and maintenance budget for all 64 water features if they are fully rehabilitated for reactivation.

Earlier this year, under Vancouver City Council’s direction, some of the decorative fountains under City jurisdiction were briefly reactivated.

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