It was 20 years ago today.... (sung to The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band). Okay, you get the drift. Twenty short years ago, PDC funded the Water Bureau's beautiful Salmon Street Springs Fountain. While it wasn't officially named until 1989 when a contest determined the name, SSS was dedicated in 1988.

Robert Perron Landscape Architects and Planners designed this notable fountain. The three cycles of the fountain are called misters, bollards and wedding cake. A computer regulates the changing patterns of the water display. At full capacity the fountain recycles an impressive 4,924 gallons of water per minute through as many as 137 jets at one time. The fountain employs 185 jets.   

In 2004 a Portland Water Bureau project replaced all the old cast iron piping with heavy duty PVC in the main drain vault.

Salmon Street Springs is located at SW Salmon, at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

A celebration sponsored by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) this Thursday will celebrate the wonderful twenty years in which our city has been blessed by such an attractive fountain. Please come out and join the celebration over your lunch, 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Representatives from both Portland Parks and Rec and the Water Bureau will be present. The celebration will include live entertainment.

Jennie Day

Interim Public Information Officer