Consulting engineers for the fountain were Meyer, Strong and Jones, of New York. This fountain source is a subterranean river about 54 feet below the surface at the Point. The river cavity is wider than the Golden Triangle. Called the Wisconsin Glacial Flow by geologists, it was formed by the Wisconsin ice sheet that covered much of the Northern United States during the Ice Age of 70,000 years ago. This underground glacial stream is considered a never-ending source of water for the fountain.
Any water loss is made up here by a pump that reaches to the underground river.
The Pump House is completely waterproof, with doors and windows like those of a submarine or swimming pool. Up until a Three Rivers flood goes over the roof of the Pump House, it will stay dry. In general, a flood will mean no disaster to the fountain, but merely a cleaning task, and of course repair to the adjoining landscaped grounds. The underground river itself never floods. Strong caissons act like dandelion roots to anchor the fountain and keep the whole structure from rising on the water.