In 1986, the basin and damaged figures were repaired at the Malta Drydocks, and a central pillar was added to support the weight of the platter. Water no longer passed through the Tritons' arms, but through a pipe in this pillar. The fountain was functional on 1 May 1987, and repairs cost around Lm10,000. The central pillar was designed by Apap himself, even though he was against this repair work, and it was cast in bronze in Verona. These interventions have been called "inartistic" and have been widely criticized as destroying the fountain's original harmony.