What happened to the Falls Fountain and does it still exist? - Ask Caray

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Have you found yourself wondering what happened to the Louisville Falls Fountain?

If you're too young or new to Louisville, then you've probably never seen or heard of it.

It was turned on in 1988 and was an Ohio River fixture for a decade.

When it was on and working, many loved it, but when it was off and floating, some found it to be an eyesore.

"It's great. It's pretty. The lights make the water have a beautiful background," said Kelly Dearing-Smith, vice president of communications with the Louisville Water Company.

Some people have fond memories of the Falls Fountain that once gushed from the Ohio River.

It's been gone now for more than 25 years, and people still wonder exactly what happened to it.

It turns out the world's largest floating fountain had lots of issues.

The fountain didn't always work. One day it was on, the next it was off.

"When I came to work at Louisville Water Company, I never thought that we would be in charge of maintenance for the fountain, but we were for a short time," Dearing-Smith said.

She says the water company had a short span with the fountain and ultimately found it too costly to maintain.

"My understanding is it was more mechanical issues and maybe that has to do with the river with the water, maybe just how the fountain was," Dearing-Smith said.

It was sold and taken to McBride's Fleet in New Albany where it remains to this day, tied to a barge. No one knows if it will ever function again, but Louisville Water officials do know they will have no part in it.

"We make drinking water now. We are not in the business of fountains," Dearing-Smith said.

A little back story on how it came to be — the fountain was bought for more than $2 million by the Bingham family and others.

It was sold for a mere $15,000 to the McBride company in Indiana.

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