Why do we have water fountains in the middle of the city?

We may think water fountains are just for beauty, but in reality they are strategically placed in the cities to control the sound pollution. Imagine yourself in a quite library, even a little sound may disturb and irritate you, but when there is a constant noise on the background, the other noises wont effect you as much, this is exactly the idea behind water fountains placed in centers of busy places.