OK, I did some digging to satisfy our mutual curiosity. The story is truly Fortean
Lilith went under in the icy water of artwork resembling gravel track: 'Life-threatening'
Lilith (28) has an appointment in an Utrecht business park and her phone sends her across the street. Just a quick crossing, she thinks. But when she takes a step on 'the grass', she goes under in ice-cold water. She panics so much, she has an epileptic fit. And she is not the only one to end up in the water; it happened to three more people last week.
Artist angry at people getting wet by artwork resembling gravel track: 'Own fault'
Insane, the creator of the water artwork in Utrecht thinks, is the municipality's plan to put thirteen warning signs in it. Last week, three people went under because they thought it was a gravel track they could walk on because of water plants. "People should just look out of their eyes."
Utrecht - Around the water artwork on Utrecht's Euclideslaan, the municipality of Utrecht has placed crowd barriers. Last week, several people fell into the water because they thought it was a gravel field.
The culprit is the large duckweed fern, which has the colour of gravel.
The plants have since been removed from the water by the municipality. But plant expert Stef van Walsum tells the AD that it is a matter of time before the water surface is fully overgrown again: "It is a kind of weed. If the municipality wants to prevent people from falling in, the plants will have to be removed all the time. Fat chance that the water will close up again this summer," he told the newspaper.
Earlier, the municipality put up warning signs to ensure people did not fall into the water. But that was against the wishes of Karin Daan, the creator of the artwork. The municipality and Daan will soon talk to each other to find a solution. Until then, the fences and signs will remain.