The future of the federation fountains outside Old Parliament House could require $20 million worth of restorations or replacements, it has been revealed.
The fountains haven't worked at capacity for nearly 15 years and have reportedly been calcified since 2014, the National Capital Authority (NCA) said in response to questions by Federal MP Alicia Payne on Thursday.
The NCA's chief executive Sally Barnes said the future of the fountains remains "a great conundrum".
Amounts and costs of water needed for the fountains to get up and running again are creating questions about sustainability and environmental impacts.
The fountains were part of the original design for Canberra, so heritage experts are also having to be called in to help with any restoration efforts too, Ms Barnes said.
"It's a sad story ... [the fountains] have been out of action more often than they've worked," she said.
"What you see at the top is only a little bit of the story underneath. The pumps and pipes and liners to the ponds are not there to start anymore ... the pumps are calcified, and it's a major investment to replace them.
"Replacement costs we looked at a few years ago were up to $20 million, it's not something that can come out of NCA's ongoing maintenance budget."
Ms Barnes said the NCA is looking at alternative ways to avoid the excessive costs.
"Could you have something that was symbolic of [the existing fountains and their heritage history], but not as costly?" she said.
"But even the cost of removing things is very expensive ... so there's the do nothing options, the removal options, but the removal of all the material there is quite expensive as well.
"So looking at that, and as I say, talking to heritage experts, we're not happy about it either."
For years, the NCA have been considering ways to bring the fountains back to life.
An audit report prepared by Storm Consulting in 2017 found the fountains dangerous and in need of specialist care.
It detailed leakages due to broken pipes, cracks in the walls and failed fittings, and deemed any restoration work would be too risky to workers.
"The electrical installations in the plant rooms have electrical components exposed and this is a dangerous state that should be made safe," the report said.
It also stated repairs to the fountain in 1999 were inadequate and failed to address many structural failings.
"The fountain ponds show clear signs of floor cracking where hydraulic pipes have been laid under the concrete topping," the report said.
"In any future upgrade, the existing hydraulics and electricals will need to be removed and upgraded."
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