The fountain in the middle of the retention pond at the corner of SW 74th Street and May Avenue broke recently and won’t be fixed for a while, said J.B. Messer, Facilities Management director.

The fountain, which was installed in 2005 and cost $13,605, had a pump motor that stopped working for an unknown reason, he said.

The fountain has become a decorative fixture on campus. But the water plume is more than just for looks, Messer said.

“It serves a mechanical purpose as well,” he said. “It introduces oxygen into the pond so that the water does not become stagnant.”

Rain has been the only thing keeping the water circulating, he said.

Messer said he is unsure when the pump would be fixed and the fountain turned back on.

“A crew has taken the pump motor out to repair it,” Messer said.

Kylea Boyd, pre-engineering major, said fixing the pond is not a very important issue.

“OCCC should focus on other things,” she said. “[The fountain] is pretty when it works, but it doesn’t make or break the school.”