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28
Oct

Hickernell Spring, Hartleton, PA

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Description

Beautiful spring in Bald Eagle State Park area. Located along the north side of Rt. 45. There is a small area for parking in front of the spring.

Nearest Address

West of Hartleton on Rt. 45.

Directions from Nearest Address

Follow Rt. 45 west of Hartleton (or east of Woodward). The spring is located in a mountainous area north of Rt. 45.

Vital Information

  • Fee: No Fee
  • Access: Public
  • Flow: Continuous
  • TDS: N/A
  • Temp: N/A
  • pH: N/A

Hours Spring is Open:

Always

GPS:

40.9050745; -77.2413649

Map Link: Hickernell Spring Map

Submitted by: Luke Chohany

Category : Pennsylvania / USA
  • dlg76

    Just stopped by here. Will post video at http://d-blog-roadtrip.blogspot.com/ soon.
    The Spring is in a little stone enclave on the north side of the road. It's right next to a little, abandoned, stone shack. There are a lot of plastic posts next to drains along the road, so they can distract you.

    If you're driving West (a beautiful drive from I-80 -> PA 15-S to 45W) the spring is on your right side, and if you see Smoky The Bear, you've gone just a wee bit too far.

    I had a little sip from the spring and feel a little funny. . .or it could be in my head. I stopped for dinner at a restaurant (Elk Creek Cafe) in Millheim, about 20 minutes farther west, and the bartender told me she had just spoken with the guy who tested the water. He said it was some of the cleanest around, so that's what I know.

    I'll let you know if I start hurling in the night, but this is my first Spring visit, and I'm really, really excited! Many more to come. . .will post on the blog above if you're all interested. Enjoy!

  • Trucaxa

    I have always loved this spring and have filled my jugs here for years. One week ago I took my nephew to fill up our bottles and then we went to a nearby town to have it tested. I thought it would be a fun project. We learned that the TDS (total disolved solids) were very low. I thought he said 14, but I’m not sure. He did say it was low and that most spring waters have a low TDS. He also tested the ph. It was 7.0 exactly which is neutral to slightly acidic, but overall this is fine.. Iron test: LOW (that’s good).

    He then asked me where I got the water. I told him it was afrom this spring. Several of the employees told me that they had this water tested twice in the last three years and that it came back POSITIVE both times for fecal matter (human or animal) and also for bacteria. They told me the strain of bacteria and said it was related to ecol i. I am sorry but I don’t remember the exact name of the bacteria. They even had it tested over the summer. When I say TESTED I mean that they sent it to an independent lab.

    I see hundreds of people filling their jugs here and, unfortunately, everyone believes the water is fresh, clean, and pure. I was one of those people for years. It is located in such a beautiful, secluded forest area that you would think it’s fine, but it’s not. I am posting this to educate. If there is any question, please take a sample of this water yourself and send it to a lab to verify.

    The lesson here is that pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), and Iron levels are simply not enough to determine water safety. Remember, bacteria loves moiture (water). Please be careful.

  • Trucaxa

    part 2 of my comment:

    In case you are wondering, I have had many health issues over the years, including several sinus infections and digestive issues. I never attributed it to the water. There may be a connection, there may not be. I’m not saying either way. What I do know is that I had the water tested for me this past winter by a kinesiologist who performed a muscle test to determine how good the water was for my body. On a scale of 1 to 10 it tested a 3. Even distilled water tested a 6.

  • Pumabearclan

    None of the posts here provide information about the bacterial contaminates claimed; those comments are here-say. Anyone who is concerned about the safety or attributes of their drinking water (from
    any source) should have it tested personally and then make decisions based on the data received – and publicize only substantiated claims.

  • http://twitter.com/pumabearclan Puma, Bear clan

    Hickernell Spring image courtesy of SustainabilityNowRadio.blogspot.com