Anyone who has been to Las Vegas in the last few years has probably seen the Fountains of Bellagio.

Heck, with movies and TV shows such as "Ocean's 11," "Las Vegas" and "CSI," you may have seen them without even ever visiting the city. The dancing water, light and sound effects show in the lake in front of Bellagio has become an iconic Sin City visual.

But what does it take to make those shows happen with such perfect precision and high-flying drama? I got a peek behind the curtain (so to speak) at the technical side of the Fountains of Bellagio.

It takes a team of 36 engineers to run the show, controlling more than 1,200 water-shooting devices, 5,000 lights and a sound system cranking out more than 56,000 watts of eardrum-pounding music. The computerized system pumps water from the 22 million gallon lake into pressurized tubes that shoot the water in whatever direction they happen to be pointing based upon the intricate choreography.

The lake itself is filled with well water, so it doesn't draw from the city system. In the event of an emergency at Bellagio or any neighboring casino, water can be pumped from the lake into firefighting equipment. The lake is treated with mild chemicals, not unlike a really big backyard pool, and a massive HEPA filtration system keeps the water clear. A water skimming barge and specially trained divers can remove any debris.

There are five primary types of water devices used in the show. The Oarsman is a robotic water gun that pivots and swivels, allowing the comparatively thin streams of water it emits to go up, right and left, and forward toward the street or backward toward the hotel. The 208 Oarsmen throughout the lake make the water appear to dance in time to the music.

Next in line in terms of size and drama are the Mini-Shooters, water cannon using 120 psi to blast water through a 9-foot long, 4-inch diameter tube. These and the other water cannons only shoot straight up, and that percussive bang you hear when they go off is not an explosive charge of any kind, it is merely the release of the air from the device.

The Super-Shooter uses the same concept, only it is a 12-inch diameter tube measuring in at approximately 12 feet in length. It pumps out 70 gallons of water at 250 psi, blasting geysers as many as 250 feet in the air.

New to the lake are the Extreme Shooters, 16 14-inch tubes using a remarkable 500 psi to gain 500-foot altitudes in the water streams. Just hope you aren't taking an afternoon nap when these things go off. They are used sparingly in each show because it takes time for enough pressure to build up to shoot them off.

The last water-emitting devices are the Foggers. These tanks collect water and put it under enormous pressure, turning it into a fine mist that looks like fog. These things are strong enough to make Paris Las Vegas across the street look like foggy London any time anyone wants.

The lighting system is comprised of 5,000 575-watt light bulbs, each shaped like miniature versions of what you might find in a halogen lamp; they look like tubes instead of bulbs. Despite the colorful display, these are energy-saving devices, and each water show only eats up about $65 to $70 in electricity.

Throw in that 56,000-watt sound system -- with massive speakers lining the balustrade along The Strip -- and you're ready for a show.

Well, almost. First, the engineers have to set one up.

The designers choose a piece of music and load it into the computer system. Each of the water-shooting devices and the lights are accessible through a quick click of a mouse, so controllers can decide the most advantageous moments to use those Extreme Shooters.

Once the whole thing has been programmed and saved, a show operator, located in a booth just above the Fontana Lounge balcony, can pull up any show from the menu and basically press play. The computer does most of the rest of the work. Saying that diminishes the accomplishments of the folks who are running all of this, which is not what I intend in the least.

I was lucky enough to get an up-close show played just for me off the normal schedule. Frank Sinatra's "Luck Be a Lady" pounded through the sound system as the Oarsmen danced and the various Shooters blasted columns of water high into the air for more than five minutes. The word incredible doesn't even come close.

The Fountains of Bellagio run Monday through Friday every half hour from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m., and then every 15 minutes until midnight.

Saturday and Sunday shows begin at noon every half hour until 7 p.m., and then every 15 minutes until midnight.

The schedule may vary, and high winds can bring about cancellations since the controllers don't want to knock people out of the Eiffel Tower across the street by accident.

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