The Fountains of Bellagio

In the desert, water is nothing short of magic. It can transform a barren hole into a heavenly oasis, create a lush garden in the midst of harsh sun and sand. In a desert, water is life.

At the Fountains of Bellagio, water comes to life. Every day from 3:00 p.m. until midnight-except on weekends, when the shows start at noon-the eight and a half-acre lake in front of the hotel leaps to life with an explosion of sound and spray. An aria lifts up to the sky. The waters feint and flirt, wiggle and sway, beckon and break to the music like liquid diamonds dancing before an enraptured audience. Jets of water race across the lake, approaching speeds of 600 m.p.h. The crowd lined up on the sidewalk of Las Vegas Boulevard watch with wide eyes. Rowdy toddlers stand transfixed. Couples 'ahhhh' in unison. As the final notes fade and the last jets erupt, a shimmering curtain of mist hangs over the lake. The audience applauds.and waits for the next performance.

The largest water fountain in the world has worked its magic once again. And although many of Bellagio's rooms and restaurants command stellar up-close-and-personal views, the fountain shows are accessible to anyone who strolls down the sidewalk.

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The fountains were executed by Mark Fuller and his company, WET Design, who wanted to create something romantic to separate the hotel from the Strip, and something with a musical backbone. It was three years between the initial concept and the fountains' debut in the summer of 1998. Fuller recalls them as "three years of terror.not wanting to do less than the best." Completely submerging the lake's 1,198 water devices was one of the first technical challenges. Complicated engineering was required to ensure a serene waterscape when the fountains were not in play. "We saw this as being about expression, and not technology," explains Fuller. "This is not a technological display. Submerging the jets added challenge and cost, but then  the supporting technology is subliminal. It allows the water to be the star."

The star of the show confounded the planners more than once and presented many hurdles. Six weeks before opening, installation teams grappled with jets that would stick open, seemingly for no reason. Fuller finally brought in a Cal Tech consultant in fluid mechanics, who determined that humidity in the air was allowing ice balls to build up in the nozzles.

"Of course when we pulled them out, the ice melted instantly in the heat," laughs Fuller. "It was the perfect crime-the evidence dissolved." Robotics and engineering specialists developed the swaying 'Oarsmen®' jets, and experimented to make the 'SuperShooters®' soar 250' into the air. "Even with all the planning, you're in virgin territory with this level of choreography. It was tense. It was a memorable summer."

The work, and the approximately $50 million construction cost, paid off. Visitors consistently vote the Fountains of Bellagio as Las Vegas' most popular free attraction.

Maintaining this masterpiece from behind the scenes is Curtis Hunton, the wizard who sees that each of the shows (one every half hour until 7:00 p.m., then one every 15 minutes until midnight) goes off without a hitch. He and his crew of engineers-36 in all-are responsible for the 'front features,' which include the fountains as well as the elaborate Bellagio Conservatory installations. I want to get a backstage view, and Hunton is happy to oblige. It takes a lot of equipment to make water dance in the desert, and at Bellagio much of it is found in the 'Bat Cave.' From here, dinghies transport maintenance divers into the lake. A pontoon boat carries heavy equipment and acts as a cleaning barge.

It takes three days to clean the lake, and that's done two or three times per month. What do they find? "Everything," laughs Hunton. "Litter, casino chips, sunglasses. And lots of money." He shows me five gallon buckets brimming with change. "We donate it to the local Red Cross."

In the lake, 365 miles of cable and wire tie the entire system together. There are 4,798 lights and 213 speakers. Hunton tours me through the four main equipment rooms that support the fountains. You'd expect areas that guests never see to be a mess, but here everything is freshly painted and spotless. "I have a great crew," he boasts. "They keep things neat and safe. Just the kind of people you want to work with."

Nine main compressors supply the water devices, which use high-pressure-up to 250 psi-air to propel water to dizzying heights. The air escaping as the water breaks the surface creates the fountain's distinctive 'whooosh!' sound effects that accompany the music. The large 'SuperShooter®' jets create the 'boom!'

The lake itself is 13 feet at its deepest point. Although the entire fountain apparatus can be lifted in one piece above water, most maintenance is performed, by scuba divers. My tour guide, Engineer Mike Damron, asks if I would be interested in joining the dive crew on their next maintenance trip and since I have a dive certification, they allow me to join.

Now don't get me wrong. In July, these guys have the best job in Nevada, handsdown. But I'm here in January, when the bright blue lake is a brisk 38 degrees. To avoid hypothermia, the crew uses dry suits, and one that (sort of) fits is rustled up for me. Hunton introduces me to Charlie, Dean and Bill, whom I'll be accompanying into the lake, and they politely refrain from laughing as I waddle aboard.

We use standard scuba regulators, but instead of lugging our own tanks, breathe from 30' 'hookahs' attached to an air supply on the barge. We swim over to the center of the large outer ring and float on our backs, surrounded by 'SuperShooter®' jets. Someone gives a signal to the control room and whoosh, the jets of water erupt around us. It's a picture I'll never forget.

After drying off and thanking the dive crew, it's time to visit the nerve center of the fountains, high above the lake. Hunton leads me to Show Control-the brains of the entire operation. The downstairs room is stuffed with computers and blinking lights, like HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Here fiber-optic cables control lighting, sound.everything that makes the show go on.

The fountains' design is composed of only three rings and a linear arc, but this deceptively simple arrangement masks an almost infinite number of combinations to be choreographed. "This layout allowed us to identify a few basic water expressions and then vary them by composition," says Fuller. The SuperShooters® and Mini Shooters® are staccato, the oarsmen add legato elements. And the fog (generated by 5,000 high pressure atomizers) adds romance and magic. The simplicity gives us the most flexibility for programming."

Shows are first mapped out on a sophisticated computer modeling system created by WET Design. Project designer Claire Kahn choreographed the fountains' first piece, Aaron Copeland's 'Simple Gifts.' Other works that have been commissioned have used the talents of Emmy-winning choreographer Kenny Ortega and Awardwinning conductor Gerard Schurmann, who called the fountains "the greatest musical instrument on the planet."

Up a 20' ladder into a turreted room is Show Control, where engineer Scott O'Connor has the best view of any office in Vegas. Part of his job is to observe wind conditions and adjust the jets accordingly. There are sophisticated wind meters, but he also uses a flag on top of the Bellagio marquee to eyeball conditions. "We've drenched patio diners because the wind changed at a moment's notice," he admits ruefully. "Can't be doing that."

Scott allows me to press "the green button," which begins the sequence for the next show. There's a two-minute delay while the autochecks build up air pressure in the jets. The nozzles break the surface of the lake. Andrea Bocelli's Con te Partiro swells as the waters begin to dance.

Sparkling under the desert sun, the magic begins again.