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City poisons its own public fountain to stop summer crowds from swimming

Source: Yod
Photo: George Malets / yodnews.ru

Just outside Moscow, the city of Zhukovsky has decided to disperse special chemicals in the town’s central fountain, in order to discourage people from swimming in it this summer, according to the website RSN

According to one report, a cleaning crew even discovered four goldfish swimming in the fountain earlier this month.

Officials will put up signs to warn the public that swimming in the fountain is prohibited, saying the water is toxic. Some have expressed concerns that this poses risks to anyone who fails to read the signs, and that the mist from the fountain’s spray could carry noxious chemicals in the air to anyone passing by.

More than 100,000 people live in Zhukovsky, which is located 25 kilometers (about 15 miles) outside Moscow.

“We’re taking this measure because some local residents have dysfunctionally treated the fountain like a swimming pool. There are multiple recorded occasions when the fountain has been used in hot weather to cool off and have a swim. More recently, people have been taking in their pets—especially their dogs,” a Zhukovsky city official told RSN.

Yod
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