You might notice water spraying vertically out of the bay between Katherine Island and Bridge Avenue in Fountain Lake. No, it’s not a geyser, but a fountain.

A little more than a month ago, a group at a coffee shop came up with the idea.

John Petersen and a group of what he has called &uot;just a bunch of people interested in fountains&uot; raised $4,200 from local people to buy a fountain for the lake.

Wednesday, that project came to fruition, as a crowd of interested bystanders gathered on the shore between Bridge Avenue and Katherine Island.

Asked why she decided to come watch the fountain being installed, Marilyn Wendt, who lives a block away from the lake, laughed and said, &uot;I’m nosy.&uot;

Wendt said she thinks the fountain adds to the lake.

&uot;It’s just another nice thing to add to our lake and our park,&uot; she said. &uot;I think it’s a plus.&uot;

Two county workers, along with help from other boaters, brought a three-foot-wide, floating stainless steel cylinder out into the bay between the island and the road. They placed it in the water, hooked up its electrical lines, and, within minutes, the fountain was spraying.

The fountain has three layers of spraying water. According to John Bean, president of Flair Fountains in Minneapolis, who helped to install the fountain, it shoots 20 to 25 feet in the air.

Bean also said the fountain can be adjusted in many ways. The operator can change the angles of the three layers of the fountain.

The fountain will be lit at night with three 250-watt white light bulbs that are attached to the cylinder.

&uot;The light isn’t a bright light. It just illuminates the water and the spray, making it glow,&uot; Bean said. He added that that operators can make adjustments to change the appearance. &uot;We can change the lenses to give the fountain many different colors.&uot;

Bean also said the fountain will help to oxygenate the bay, which helps clear the water.

&uot;I think it’s a good idea,&uot; said Paul Hagen of Albert Lea. Hagen sat on a bench smoking a pipe on Katherine Island as the fountain turned on.

He said he thinks people will be drawn to the park to see the fountain.

Bean said cities across the state are starting to install the fountains in their lakes.

&uot;We’re getting more and more,&uot; he said. &uot;They seem to be getting more popular.&uot;

Hutchinson and Fridley are two of the cities Bean said his company has installed fountains in this summer.

The popularity of fountains wasn’t what drove Petersen and the fountain funders. He said they just wanted to add something to the lake.

&uot;I like it a lot,&uot; Petersen said, with a modest smile.

(Contact Peter Cox at peter.cox @albertleatribune.com or 379-3439.)