King Phillip's Spring closed

[beverly]

Oh no! The King Phillip's spring - the spring water source by the side of the road on Rte. 73 off Northway exit 30 has been closed by DEC. It was a great place to fill up water bottles on the way to a hike or on the ride home.

Apparently they've been testing it over the last six months and waters samples indicated high levels of coliform bacteria exceeding Department of Health water quality standards.

http://blogs.timesunion.com/outdoors/?p=810

 

[TCD]

Interesting, and not too surprising. Over the years, I have noticed that the flow rate has gradually dropped at KPS, and the ID of the end of the pipe has become greener with time. Perhaps an accumulation of sediment encouraged bacterial growth?

In driving by several times this spring, I noticed that the fence is crushed in several places by downed trees, there is an increased accumulation of trash, and the area looks poorly maintained. So perhaps leaving the fence unrepaired allows people or animals to contaminate the headwater of the spring?

Too bad, for those who like to rely on the spring. I wonder if this is inevitable, or if it's just another result of the bankruptcy of NYS. I would think replacing the pipe, cleaning the area, and repairing the fence would make the spring good for many more years. I wonder if the "it will just get contaminated again" statement is really "we can't afford to fix it."

Not far up the road is another drainage of water that also flows from a spring. Coincidentally, I checked out the source last week. You may have noticed that on Route 73, about 1/4 mile N of malfunction junction, across from the second pullout on the right, there is a rock cut about 6' high. Water constantly splatters over the rock cut into the ditch, and I have been curious about its source. The water comes from a spring on the hillside about 100' vertically up the hill. Interestingly, there is only about another 30' vertically to the top of the hill. It's interesting to see water rising out of a spring almost at the top of a hill, but there it is. I have no idea of the quality of that water, but the woods around it were free of trash, at least.

Tom

 

[grouseking]

There is an awesome spring up in Plymouth NH right along Rt 3. I wonder if that is still open?

Too bad for the closing. Water should be free anyways.

grouseking

 

[Peakbagr]

In case others would like to continue the discussion begun by the OP, perhaps you might consider starting the NH portion of this as a separate thread on the NE section?

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

For years, I have looked forward to stopping there to drink the cold clear water, and my wife has looked forward to my bringing home a couple bottles of that fresh and free Adirondack beverage for her to enjoy. It’s too bad that neglect and possible abuse of that area has led to this, and the state won’t do anything to correct the problem. The local vendors that sell from that roadside lot on weekends may also suffer, as the spring has always been the only reason I ever stopped there, but once out of my car I have bought something to eat as well.

 

[ADKdremn]

Wow....all the years I've been going up there I never knew about this spring. Who knew I could have been filling up my bottles there instead of buying a jug at Stewarts!
Are there any other places in the ADK's like this? I'm sure there are, but I mean this accessible as opposed to ones in the backcountry.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

This isn't the first time it was closed. Back in the '70s or '80s it was closed due to people crapping just uphill from the spring. The DEC closed it, built a fence around it to keep people away. Several years later, it was re-opened. They installed a plaque with the story of King Philippe when it was re-opened.

Somehow, I don't think history will repeat itself, unless the group, "Friends of King Philippe" gets created.

 

[Grumpy]

Not intending to create thread drift, but ...

Roadside springs with potable water once were fairly commonplace in New York and New England, according to my recollection. Sometimes I wonder if perhaps a changing conception of what is "potable" has closed nearly as many of these one-time treasures as has increased pollution. Neglect of the piping and water collection apparatus probably has played a significant role, too. (Just ruminating, there ...)

G.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Wow....all the years I've been going up there I never knew about this spring. Who knew I could have been filling up my bottles there instead of buying a jug at Stewarts!
Are there any other places in the ADK's like this? I'm sure there are, but I mean this accessible as opposed to ones in the backcountry.

There's at least 2 in the Catskills. I know I've seen a few outside the Cats as well, but I can not remember where offhand...

 

[Pete_Hickey]

....Are there any other places in the ADK's like this? I'm sure there are, but I mean this accessible as opposed to ones in the backcountry.

There's one near Loon Lake. The water comes out at an insane rate.

One of these days, I want to brew a batch of beer using Adirondack spring water. The only issue is bring back something like 15 gallons of it.

King Philips would be slow to get that much.

By the way... Last year a sign was installed there recomending that one does not drink the water without treating it. That sign was vandalized.

 

[Daniel Eagan]

Reading the Times Union article, it seems that the DEC is treating the spring as "a surface water supply," which means that it will never be open to the public again, no matter how clean the water gets.

 

[BlackSpruce]

Within the last two years I know of three individuals who got seriously sick from drinking water from that spring!

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

I stopped drinking water there when the warning sign went up - not worth the risk, and now I'm glad I stopped. I miss it, though.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Reading the Times Union article, it seems that the DEC is treating the spring as "a surface water supply," which means that it will never be open to the public again, no matter how clean the water gets.

It's a liability for the state to say the water is safe to drink. They make a mistake, sue them. So much easier when you just have to put in chemicals to make it safe.

As time goes on, I don't think we'll see any state supported water that isn't chemically treated.

FWIW, I've been drinking from that spring for 30-ish years or so. I didn't let the sign there stop me... but now that I think about it. My knees went bad about the time they put up that sign.

 

[mudhook51]

My little Village in the Catskills has been drinking spring water for at least a hundred or 2 hundred years,(depending on who you talk to) About 15 years ago it had to be treated per state regs, now( This month) the state is closing ALL springs which supply public drinking water, treated or not. Perhaps this closing is part of the plan.
Several years ago many of the spring pipes in the Wilderness Areas disappeared.

 

[Tom Rankin]

My little Village in the Catskills has been drinking spring water for at least a hundred or 2 hundred years,(depending on who you talk to) About 15 years ago it had to be treated per state regs, now( This month) the state is closing ALL springs which supply public drinking water, treated or not. Perhaps this closing is part of the plan.
Several years ago many of the spring pipes in the Wilderness Areas disappeared.

But it's ok to drink untreated water from the Reservoirs!?

 

[Explorer Editor]

If you want to read more about the closing, check out my blog. I have been in touch with DOH and plan to post something else on the topic next week.

http://adirondackexplorer.org/out-takes/2009/04/spring-fling/

 

[TCD]

I'll bet if NY could find a way to tax the water, the spring would stay open.

Hey, here's another question, from someone who drives by there a couple times a week. If the spring is, in fact, permanently closed, how long will it be before DEC clears their ugly broken down chain link fencing out of the Wilderness? If I dumped a load of junk like that in the Wilderness, how many $/day would DC be fining me until I removed it?

 

[Explorer Editor]

Just want to let you know that I have posted more information.
'
http://adirondackexplorer.org/out-takes/2009/05/spring-again/

 

[out there]

boing

Wow....all the years I've been going up there I never knew about this spring. Who knew I could have been filling up my bottles there instead of buying a jug at Stewarts!
Are there any other places in the ADK's like this? I'm sure there are, but I mean this accessible as opposed to ones in the backcountry.

Mineville.