Types: Fountains
There are many types of fountains throughout Venice, some mass-produced and others unique and handcrafted. In 2004, a project team gathered data about fountains and calculated that all the fountains in Venice collectively dispense about 135,867,600 liters (41,307,500 gallons) of clean, potable water every year. The team also assigned a condition rating to each fountain, which included a multitude of factors like rust, algae, graffiti, surface damage, grime, and missing pieces. The team formulated an algorithm based on the condition rankings, subsequently determining the overall damage ranking of each object.
In Venice, fountain ownership is marked by the lack or presence of a service panel. Fountains that have a panel are owned by the city; the panels are installed by VESTA, a public works contractor, to keep track of the amount of water used for billing purposes. VESTA owns outright the fountains without a panel. The city owns 60 percent of the fountains, and VESTA owns the remainder. However, 70 percent of VESTA's fountains are functional, while only 60 percent of those owned by the city are. The question of ownership is important to those wishing to pursue restoration, or wanting to report a broken or unserviceable fountain.
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