While the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas appear vast and powerful, the man-made lake they sit in (known as Lake Bellagio) is surprisingly shallow. The lake, which spans approximately 8.5 acres and holds 22 million gallons of water, has an average depth of only 4 to 8 feet. The shallow depth is a deliberate engineering choice; it allows the specialized "shooters" and "oarsmen" (the mechanical jets that move the water) to be easily maintained by divers and technicians. Most of the lake is closer to the 4-foot mark, which is just deep enough to conceal the thousands of pipes, 5,000 lights, and 1,200 individual water nozzles that make up the show's infrastructure. The shallow water also helps with the acoustics and the clarity of the reflections during the night performances. Despite the shallow basin, the fountains are capable of shooting water as high as 460 feet into the air, equivalent to a 24-story building. This creates a dramatic contrast between the thin layer of water at the base and the massive vertical plumes that have become the most iconic free attraction on the Las Vegas Strip.