Debate erupts over ‘grubby’ act in Aussie park

An unusual sight at a park in a small Aussie town has baffled locals, with some surprised to see a fountain "bubbling away" while travelling past. It appears someone, or a group of people, targeted the water feature in recent days by filling it with dishwashing liquid, turning the usually clear, still water into a foamy mess.

But it's not the first time the fountain has been sabotaged and it does "happen from time to time", a council spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia. In fact, many responding to pictures shared online claimed it's been happening for "for many, many years" — but not just in Bowral, in the NSW Southern Highlands where this particular act occurred.

Locals divided over 'grubby' act

The sight, while a shock to some, left many residents amused and not particularly bothered, with some agreeing it was "just harmless fun". Photos shared on social media show empty bottles scattered across the lawn at Lions Park in Bowral which were evidently used to transform the fountain into bubbles.

"I suppose they thought it a good idea at the time! At least it will be gone tomorrow with no damage done," said the poster to which many agreed.

"Good clean fun… hurting no one," one person said. "At least it will be nice and clean," joked another. But some condemned the act carried out on Saturday.

"I don’t find this funny, it could very well destroy the pump," suggested one in the comments. "It can actually cause a lot of damage," another claimed.

"If the council [clean] it properly, it takes a lot of water and chemicals to flush fountains out. It's also a long annoying process to get them back to normal when this happens," they added.

Some expressed the act itself was nothing to worry about, but they were annoyed by the rubbish left behind. "What about picking up the crap they left behind," one said labelling the culprits as "grubs".

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Council responds to water fountain stunt

When questioned about the incident, Wingecarribee Shire Council confirmed that while "these actions do not affect the operation of the water pumps" it does not condone this behaviour.

"Council is aware of the incident that occurred over the weekend and has taken prompt action to address it. These incidents can happen from time to time, but only occasionally," a spokesperson told Yahoo.

"Our standard procedure [when cleaning] involves adding a glycol-based defoaming agent to the water to mitigate foaming. In addition, we conduct general maintenance, including recycling the water."

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