Water features in various Sunnyvale parks were turned off last July when the city needed to cut more than $14 million from the city budget. Only the fountains at the community center continued to flow.

As time passed, pressure mounted on the city to change its mind. "Over the course of the year, various visitors to the parks have made requests to see the water back on," explained Sunnyvale Communications Director John Pilger.

The city council decided this year to restore nearly $25,000 to turn the water back on in Serra, Las Palmas and Braly parks. Serra Park features small ponds and streambeds, while the others include lagoons and fountains.

But the water won't flow indefinitely. The city only approved turning on the water features for four months, from July through September of this year and again in June 2005.

"In the summer months we'll turn them on, and then in October we turn them back off," Pilger explained. Whether the features will remain on after June depends on the city budget for next year.