Hygeia Spring, Big Bend, WI  5/5 (1)

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Description

Spring water flows out of (2)two seperate spickets…high enought to fill a 5 gallon glass jug underneath.

The spring water, which flows from a source 2200 feet below the earth’s surface near Big Bend, WI, is said to be among the purest in the world.

Additional info here and here (PDF links).

Nearest Address

S91 W22920 Milwaukee Ave (nearest address: Richy’s Bar…another watering hole)

Directions from Nearest Address

Hwy 164 (Clark St) & Hwy L (Milwaukee St) Located on Milwaukee St. East of Hwy 164 on the South side of road, a gravel pathway is leading to spring.

Vital Information

  • Fee: Donations welcome
  • Access: Public
  • Flow: Continuous
  • TDS: 416
  • Temp: N/A
  • pH: N/A

Hours Spring is Open:

24/7/365

GPS: N/A

Submitted by: John J Smith & Jennifer Bartell

Responses

  1. I absolutely love this water. I always leave a donation for the man who makes the spring available to the general public and who maintains the site, even in winter. For me, this spring with its pure water constantly bubbling out of the ground is a magical place. I have never found another person getting water there in a bad mood.

  2. Just stopped by this spring today for the first time. It’s a well maintained spring on private property with public access and a donation box. Filled up my jugs, left a donation and will be back regularly. Water tastes great.

  3. Just found this site. This spring may very well be the one from FAR off memory. My Great- Grandparents lived on the Fox River in Big Bend. I recall walking to a nearby spring to get watercress. The water was SO delicious! We will be going to this spring in early Spring. I will trust this water for a very simple reason: this spring sustained my Great – Grandparents, my parents and me as an infant. None of them would have given me anything unhealthy.

  4. Type your comment Here is the fresh spring water frozen, tap water doesn’t show any crystals, looks foggy.  Why freezing tell you a lot about water quality, I don’t know of any one that uses this as a test!!!

  5. I find the information here to be confusing.  Is the water good for you or not?  What about radon levels?  I heard deep wells are suseptable to high radon?

  6. The TDS reading of this spring is VERY HIGH – it is 416 on my TDS meter… YIKES!

    Today, Saturday December 25th 2010, I decided to visit this spring. I live about 5 miles away. I brought my TDS meter with me.

    This spring’s TDS readings are in the DANGER zone, according to Daniel Vitalis’ standards. See his video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_hvLvS2dgY that references TDS numbers.

    Here’s a video of me testing the water: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG0LuuRzQtQ

    1. This is a simple but very reliable tester that measures the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in water. It gives a reading in parts per million (ppm) of all the dissolved solids, good or bad. Dissolved solids in water are mainly its mineral content. If your tap water, for example, has a TDS reading of 250 parts per million, that means that the total content of the minerals dissolved in the water make up 250 parts per million of the total volume. So what do you mean by “Yikes”! The water is perfect in every way.

        1. There is the Pryor Street Well in Bay View (Pryor Street 1/2 block west of Superior at the lake, it’s on the map on this site). I’ve been drinking that for months. Don’t know if it’s hard or not. I do know the city checks it periodically to see if it’s safe but I don’t think they’d caution anyone if it was “hard” water considering what they pump into our houses. Read “The Case Against Flouride” . . . ok, I haven’t but I heard a podcast with an extended 2 hour interview with one of the authors. I was easily convinced. 4/7/2012

          1. TDS – Total Dissolved Solids in Bottled Water
            A water’s TDS is normally made magup mainly of carbonates, bicarbonates, chlorides, sulfates, phosphates, nitrates, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, manganese, and a few other minerals. Gases, colloids, or sediment is not included in the TDS measurement.After mouthfeel, TDS is the second most important factor in matching water with food. The higher the mineral content, the more distinct a water’s taste can be.
            Think of low TDS waters as comparable to white wines, with a clean, neutral taste and less weight; high TDS waters are more like red wines, with a heavier, more substantial feel. Very high TDS waters feel distinctly heavy and may have an aftertaste, much like a big, bold red wine. Most mineral water you drink, though, probably has a medium TDS measurement and is more like a heavy white or a light red wine.

            Super Low0 – 50mg/lLow50- 250 mg/lMedium250- 800mg/lHigh800 – 1.500mg/lVery High1.500mg/l & over
            Regulations regarding TDS vary throughout the world. In the United States, bottled water must contain at least 250 mg/l TDS to be labeled as mineral water. TDS above 500 mg/l qualifies a water as -low mineral content- more than 1,500 mg/l allows a – high mineral content – label.

  7. When we lived near this spring we went every week to get all of our drinking water. The first day I couldn’t stop drinking it. My body craved it. It’s absolutely delicious and revitalizing. We were all so healthy drinking this water.

How to Collect Spring Water

Drinking pure spring water is one of the most important things we can do for our health. Our bodies are over 99% water at the molecular level, so water affects every aspect of our biology. Yet, not all water is created equal. Almost all the bottled spring water available is pasteurized for shelf stability, which neutralizes many of the powerful health benefits such as increased hydrogen, healthy probiotics, and crystalline structure. For more about why unprocessed spring water is the best water to drink, read this.

The best way to guarantee you are getting real unprocessed spring water is to collect it yourself. This is a short and simple guide filled with information about how to gather spring water. We will cover how to find a spring, how to collect the water, how to honor the spring, how to store the water properly and other tips.

FindASpring.org is the best resource for locating a spring near you. However, not all springs are on the map. First, check the map to see if there is a spring in your local area. If there is, look at the reviews and comments. Has anyone shared helpful information about flow rate or posted a water test result? Is the spring in a pristine area? Do a bit of research and make sure the spring is safe to drink from. If you have any doubt about the purity, don’t risk it and get a water test, HERE. If you don’t see a spring on the map in your area, there still might be some that aren’t listed yet. First, ask the older generation who have lived in your area a long time if they know. You can also ask people in your community who might already get spring water such as people at a health food store or at a farmers market. Another great option is to view A US forest service map, where many springs have been marked. You can view these maps through the Gaia GPS or All Trails hiking apps on your phone. The map overlay you want is USGS Topo. Not all are easily accessible or ideal for drinking, but some are and it can be a fun adventure to find them. We have found over half a dozen great springs this way.

Once you’ve found your spring, figure out how you are going to gather the water. Is it right on the side of the road and easy to access or do you have to hike to it? We recommend storing spring water in glass instead of plastic to preserve the purity of the water. It is better for the environment, your body, and the water. Even BPA free plastic has toxic chemicals that can leach into water and cause health issues. If you do want to use plastic for safety reasons when filling at the spring, we recommend transferring the water to glass as soon as possible. FindASpring is sponsored by Alive Waters, which offers beautiful reusable glass. They have a 2.5 gallon option, which is a convenient size for carrying that isn’t too heavy. They also sell handles that you can use to transport the jugs even more easily. If you have to hike to access the spring, we recommend putting the water jugs into an extra large backpack to hike the water out with ease. We use Osprey packs that hold 2 jugs each. You can also use a wheelbarrow or even a stroller depending on how easy a walk it is.

Filling 2.5 Gallon Alive Waters Jug

When you get to the spring, remember to first give back before you take. Springs are considered sacred in indigenous cultures around the world for their life giving water and also as a connection to the inner earth. A powerful and simple way to give back is to clean up. Is there any trash that needs to be collected? Could you move any dead leaves or sticks to improve the flow rate? Show up in service. Some other wonderful ways to give is with a moment of expressing verbal gratitude, singing songs to the water, offering the water an ethically sourced crystal, a feather, or some other physical gift. Flowers are a popular and beautiful thing to offer, but please be careful to source organic ones as most flowers from the store are sprayed with pesticides and can be toxic to put near a spring. Also, flowers can attract bugs as they decay, so it can be best to offer them to the flowing water directly or a little downstream from the spring head.

When gathering the water, fill the jug as close to the spring head as possible, never gather downstream. Be very careful as wet glass is extremely slippery. Make sure the lid is securely fastened. When transporting the spring water home, the jugs can sometimes slide around the car. Secure them in place or wrap them with towels or something so they don’t crash into each other.

How you store your spring water is essential. It is not pasteurized like spring water from the store, so it will start growing algae if left in direct sunlight. This is good because it means it’s alive! If the water you drink can’t even support the most basic life forms, how do you think it will support your body? Store your water in a cool, dark place such as a dark corner, pantry or closet. The fridge is ideal if you have room. Some people prefer to filter their water through a Berkey filter before drinking, but if the spring is pure, it’s not necessary. We drink our spring water completely unfiltered.

How long the water stays good for depends on how cold a temperature it’s stored at. Spring water is best fresh. We personally do not prefer to drink spring water past 2 weeks old. However, we know other people that will drink it at a month old. It’s great to get in a rhythm where you know how long the water lasts you and put your collection day on the calendar in advance.

I believe that water is calling us to reconnect with her in the deepest way, to gather our own water. Just like our ancestors did. Our ancestors didn’t have fancy water machines. They also didn’t create villages or settle where there was no water. Water was revered as the center of the community and the nodal point around which life could spiral out and take root.

Here’s to restoring the sacred connection with the waters of life.

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