North Stonington Spring, North Stonington, CT

10 people follow this spring.
Directions:

Video

Description

There is a spout. It is on side of rt.184. There is a blue sign stating “this is not an approved water source. Users do so at their own risk. North Stonington health department.

Nearest Address

Intersection of rt. 184 and rt.49 North Stonington, Connecticut 06359.

Directions from Nearest Address

FROM THE NORTH:

interstate 95 southbound to connecticut exit 92.
take right onto rt.49 north. proceed (less than 1 mile) until stop light at intersection of rt.184 and rt.49.
spring is at the intersection.

take right onto rt. 184 east at stop light and park in the pull-off on immediate right hand side. you will see a blue sign.

FROM THE SOUTH:

interstate 95 northbound to connecticut exit 92.
take left onto rt.2 north (toward foxwoods casino).
at rotary take 1st right onto rt. 184 east.
proceed (less than 1 mile) until stop light at intersection of rt.49 and rt.184.
spring is at intersection.

Park in the pull-off on immediate right hand side after stop light.

Vital Information

  • Fee: None
  • Access: Public
  • Flow: Continuous
  • TDS: 22
  • Temp: 51.9 F
  • pH: 5.5-7

Hours Spring is Open:

N/A

GPS:

N/A

Map Link: North Stonington Spring Map

Submitted by: Stephen Law, Erin

Responses

  1. I met a DEP official at the spring a few weeks ago, and he said he's had it sent up for State testing, and the water came back with a neutral pH (~7), 98.2% purity, no metals/contaminants in it. Also, a friend of mine checked the TDS and that reading came to 22 😀

  2. Visited this spring 3/15/2021. It is flowing, however the water is coming out from around the plastic pipe as well. It may need a tune up, but that is beyond my scope of capabilities. No visible contaminants. I did not do any other testing. This is the 5th spring I have visited in New England. I have been using this site when travelling and locating springs in those areas.

  3. We repaired the spring on 8/11/2019. We replaced the rusted metal pipe with a plastic one, and dug out an area for positioning a jug under. We also moved a stone for standing on. As of today, water is flowing from the plastic pipe.

    The spring quality seems to be good. The water is cold and clear.

    GPS coordinates are: 41.4317, -71.8479.

  4. tested this water professionally from a local testing facility. they said it had small amounts of coliform. this was about 5 days after a mild rain storm. not sure if that had to do with a flush of bacteria. but 5 days after it shouldnt have been an issue. all in all im still drinking it. havent had a problem yet! 🙂

  5. We have been getting our drinking water here for about 2 years now and finally had it tested for chemicals and bacteria at the same lab that tests our well water. This is very clean water, and came back from the lab with an A+ for safe consumption. July 2013.

  6. We always ,would stop here and fill soda bottles on the way to the ocean (WesterlyBeaches),as a child ,I’m 61 ,now ,all my kids ,with my grand kids still stop here on the way to the beach ,and the water refreshes . I saw someone had the water checked on his own ,and had a Town official involved ,but the sign is just their way to take no responsibility for the spring…It is an over a three hundred year old, public right of way..So as long as the public keeps coming to use it ,the spring keeps it status as hands off Public Domain.

  7. this spring is really easy to find. i have just had a few sips thus far, and i have noticed my biceps are a good 2″ larger in diameter, and i can read peoples minds when i flex them…. well, maybe not…. but it is easy to find! and tastes pretty good. i would like to think this is the same water source that the pequot forbearers of the land gained their strength and wisdom from.

  8. Just got back from the spring! The water felt extremely cold as compared to the air tempature and tastes great. Is the PH reading of 5.5 correct? Another post here states a PH of 7?

  9. I went there today (Nov. 21, 2009). It was easy to find, thanks to your video and direction Stephen. The water is awesome. On the way home, I recalled my dad use stop by a place in North Stonington when he went fishing out there. This must be the place he was talking about. Back then I was just a little guy didn’t quite understand why he went through all that trouble when he could have had water straight from the tap. Now I understand! I’m now collecting my water in glass bottles with corks. It’s more than just getting fresh drinking water. It’s really a spiritual journey into our mother earth. By the way, Stephen Law’s cacao is pure magic too.

  10. Does anyone have recent lab data regarding the purity and safety of this spring? I ask because I have heard concerns about the nearby cemeteries, Union Cemetery up the road on 49 (higher elevation), and Brown Cemetery across the street.

  11. First time for me visiting and getting some water. My husband had been here approx 20 yrs ago. I was very impressed! Spring running strong, clean and delicious! The stepping rock was very nice, thank you. We’ll be back. Tried to submit a picture to this site w/o success.

  12. I have been very excited and interested in finding a spring to go but
    unfortunately I have yet to find one in CT that hasn’t either been
    closed or contains peoples comments that scare me away.

    I haven’t even been able to find any clean or open springs in the surrounding states either, based on this database.

    This one seems to get some good reviews, but it contains one of the favorite comments that I have read so far, that this spring is connected to a local cow pond?  So does anyone from this area know if this is really true? Or is this just a ploy to keep people away from the area?

    My goal in doing this is for improved health, as I would imagine is
    everyone’s reason for doing this, so I would like to know that the water
    that I am drinking is actually healthy. 

    Does anyone know of a spring that is truly clean and safe to drink from around here?
    Or preferably more towards the center of CT, this one would be a really far drive for me to make every couple of weeks (although if this one is safe I will do so).

    Also does anyone know of any other springs in CT that are not on this database?

  13. Back in the early 80’s or late 70’s they did a test. They put dye in the cow pond at the top of the hill from this “spring”. A day later the water from the “spring” on 184 was flowing with green dye. Still amuses me to this day all of the people drinking the pond water from this pipe on the side of the road.

          1. Cow pond??? I’m not aware of there being any ‘cow pond’ on the hill in question. I do know the dairy farms in the area, I use to pick up the milk from them. There is a cemetery at the top of the hill and when we go and get water here I often tease my son about the water having dead people in it.
            But lets forget all this for a moment… You folks that seem so worried about the cow pond thing, let me ask you; have you ever lived in a rural community? One where you had no sewer lines or public water system? I have most of my life, and let me remind you of just what goes into the very same ground your well is/was on via that cesspool or leach field.
            The Earth naturally filters the water and this is why when you have a septic system and a well they must be a certain distance from each other, so the Earth can filter the water back into the water table.
            I find the dye story a bit hard to believe and even if there was a ‘cow pond’ on the top of the hill, that would mean there’s a cow farm there, too… And where do you think that farm gets it’s drinking water? I’ve known lots of dairy farmers, many of them ate bacon & eggs 7 days a week and smoked, too. Many of these guys live well into their 80s and get up early every day.
            If you reallty want something to worry about just do a search on contaminated drinking water from public systems. You might also ask yourself about just how clean the pipes are that carry that water, and if there are any ‘cow ponds’ in the area… It all goes back to the Earth eventually.

  14. Well I am only using pH-Strips to test the water, but I did it twice and each time got a 6 – 6.5 reading. I don’t think the strips are the proper way to test pH though.

  15. I too collected with my family after the video was posted. I am concerned about the pH of the water. I am only getting a reading of 5.5 which is way too acidic. Any one else pH test?

  16. what is the status of this spring now? When’s the last time the water was tested and is it flowing?

    What is the best spring water source in Connecticut Rhode Island or Massachusetts? I would love to know because I’m desperate to find really good healing water to help me heal from illness. Thank you so much.

  17. We went back to the spring yesterday and the pipe had been cut and no water was flowing!!! I will miss this lovely little spring! Evidently the owners of the property want to deprive people of a valued resource that took very little maintenance, and cost even less!

  18. Was in the vicinity today so stopped by just in case … and EUREKA! the water is flowing again! Filled up my small drinking bottle and tasted as good as ever!

  19. We’ve been to this spring every two weeks for years and were always happy with the water! However, we’ve been back three weeks in a row, and the spring is no longer flowing. I believe that when the property adjacent to the spring was sold, the new owners shut it down! So, this spring is no longer running!

    1. We’ve been using this spring for water for my indoor plants. Recently observed that its been sabotaged, not flowing out pipe. if anyone has any interest in getting a work party together, to get it back up and running, I would make myself available. Its Town property.

    2. I tried 3 times from Warwick RI and still no water is flowing. If the new owners shut it down that would be a horrible thing to do on their part, especially without any new signs posted. Perhaps, the pump broke, can someone look in to it?

    3. I went to the spring today. The water is still flowing but I believe it is broken. The water comes out of where the pipe is. Is there some way we can raise a fund to have it fixed?

  20. I live near the N. Stonington Spring and have found that my body loved it. But two weeks ago when collecting water with a sieve and funnel I found at least 3 bugs in every two gallon fill up. I don’t know what they were…small, squiggly things. I boiled the water that time and then on Oct. 1st the spring-tube was DRY. I haven’t found anyone that is testing it.

  21. Need some help…We’ve been getting water from this spring for about a year. All has been fine, water has been great. On Labor Day (Sept. 4, 2017) we filled up our 3 five gallon containers for the week. In each one we found tiny shrimp like bugs in the water that were alive and swimming. I did not notice them until I poured a glass of water and they were darting around from top to bottom in my glass. I have not noticed them before but now I’m not so sure I want to continue getting water from this stream as this has grossed me out. Has anyone else noticed them or does anyone know why they would be in this water? I found at least 20 “shrimp” bugs. Here is a link to a picture I found online that shows what they look like: https://www.whatsthatbug.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/lawn_shrimp_mexico_fernando.jpg. Some people are calling them lawn shrimp but I’m not sure that’s what these were. They were actually smaller than what the picture shows. Thank you!

  22. Peter, I’d love to find out about your results.

    I did a bacteria test from a water sample last August and it came out low. I remember the first time I went there to collect water, one of the gentlemen stated that he’d been collecting since 1979 and that the people from Pfizer test it regularly.

    I’d be curious to find out more details.

    Any one recently do any tests?

  23. After reading through the comments here, I visited tonight after work and filled up a few bottles. I am curious to bake breads with a local spring water. This was refreshingly cold with a slight taste of some minerals. Very refreshing.

  24. I went to the spring today which was flowing beautifully. I tested the water using the H2Ookay drinking water kit. Here are my results
    Total Hardness ppm – 0 (yay!)
    Total Chlorine ppm – 0 (yay!)
    Alkalinity ppm – 40 ( is in the okay range but on the lower end)
    pH – 5 (too acidic 🙁 )
    Nitrite ppm- 0 (yay!)
    Nitrate ppm – 0 (yay!)
    Copper ppm – 0 (yay!)
    Iron ppm- 0 (yay!)

    So I haven’t tested the bacteria levels (anyone have any good advice on kits or how to methods?)

    Also, With the pH level, is this something we should avoid drinking :/

    1. Pure water, when it sits in the air, absorbs CO2 from the air which reacts with the water to form carbonic acic (H2CO3). Although pure water (free of any dissolved gases or other solutes) has a pH of 7, the presence of the carbonic acid lowers the pH into the 5 range. This is normal and safe. For comparison check the pH of a carbonated beverage such as soda or beer.

  25. I have been drinking from this spring as my main water source for many years. I know people who drive all the way from Cranston, RI to get water here. I have never had any problems with it. It is pure, delicious and safer than flouridated, chlorinated, chemical-laden town/city water. I love it!!

  26. I recently came across this spring and gathered water. The sign scared me a little but I’m still going for it. Has anyone tested it recently? I would love to hear from regulars who drink this spring water!

  27. This spring was down to a trickle in August due to lack of rain in the area but has since recovered from recent rainfall. We have been collecting and drinking water from this spring for many years and occasionally will see particulate in the water, but our feeling is that is better than drinking town tap water pumped with too much chlorine, flouride and other chemicals, plus the metals that leach in from the ancient town water pipes that deliver the tap water to the house. I have run into people at this spring who have been drinking from it for over 40 years, one person stops on his regular trip from New Jersey to Boston to collect water here. We are all still alive. It gets tested every year by someone, if it was contaminated it would be shut down.

  28. Went to the spring on 08/28/14 and it was dry, only droplets would trickle down. We didn’t have much rain lately and the temperatures were unusually high, so my question to the old-timers is, if this is normal or this Spring is done or someone has damaged it?

  29. UPDATE: collected water 12/5/13 and no particles, just the clean, clear beautiful water we’ve grown to love. While there, another water collector told me that he’s been drinking it for over 40 years and another visitor shared that there’s a woman who regularly scrubs the pipe. Thanks!

  30. Ironically, after passing the purity test this summer, the past 2 times we’ve gone to collect water (September and today October 12, 2013) there were quite a few brown particles floating in each of the 8 3-gallon bottles, any thoughts from site visitors? Thank you.

  31. I’ve seen videos online explaining how the water from a Spring comes from deep within in the earth and is VERY clean. (called an aquifer)

    Also, the way you know it comes from deep within the Earth, is because it will be very cold water, even when it’s quite hot outside.

    I’m looking forward to collecting some of this wonderful water.

    John Cleveland & Elizabeth —
    THANK YOU for having the water tested and sharing your results & experiences!

    It means more to me than you know! I trust my fellow human first and foremost, rather than corporations with an agenda to sell water.

    This is a WONDERFUL way to heal our bodies with pure water and heal the planet by reducing our plastic usage too.

    There are no manmade filters on the planet that can equal Mother Nature’s filtration system!

    Blessings and unlimited good health to all of you. Hope to see you at the Spring……….

  32. I went there today (Nov. 21, 2009). It was easy to find, thanks to your video and direction Stephen. The water is awesome. On the way home, I recalled my dad use stop by a place in North Stonington when he went fishing out there. This must be the place he was talking about. Back then I was just a little guy didn’t quite understand why he went through all that trouble when he could have had water straight from the tap. Now I understand! I’m now collecting my water in glass bottles with corks. It’s more than just getting fresh drinking water. It’s really a spiritual journey into our mother earth. By the way, Stephen Law’s cacao is pure magic too.

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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