The J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain gets a major pump upgrade Wednesday, city officials announced today.
The new donated energy-efficient pump will save the city about $10,700 a year in energy costs, they said in a press release.
Grundfos, a Denmark-based pump manufacturer with its U.S. headquarters in Kansas City, also donated an energy audit for the project.
“Thanks to Grundfos’ donation, the city can continue to maintain Kansas City’s best known and most photographed fountain,” said City Manager Troy Schulte.
The new 25 horsepower motor will replace the old 75 horsepower motor without any loss of pressure or flow.
It can also fine tune flow and save energy by shutting the fountain off at night.
The fountain at the east entrance of the Plaza features figures sculpted by Henri Greber in 1910 that originally went to a private mansion on Long Island.
It was brought to Kansas City in 1951, refurbished and dedicated in 1960.
The figures in the fountain are four heroic horsemen that represent four major rivers of the world, the Mississippi, the Volga River, the Seine and the Rhine.
The fountain upgrade will be done in time for Fountain Day on Tuesday, April 18, when the city turns on its 48 public fountains.
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