Parry Spring, Dousman, WI  5/5 (2)

13 people follow this spring.
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Description

Flows from a pipe, I am told this spring comes from a deep aquifer, it is very popular and always has a line of cars waiting to fill up bottles.

Flow Rate 6.356 gal/min

Nearest Address

Parry Road, Dousman, WI

Directions from Nearest Address

From I-94, go South on WI-67 (Summit road) then head East on Parry Road (near the Dousman watertower), Spring is on the right.

From Hy 67 head East on Parry Rd appx 3/4 mile. Spring will be on left (north side) of Parry Rd.

Vital Information

  • Fee: No Fee
  • Access: Public
  • Flow: Continuous
  • TDS: 342
  • Temp: 52° F
  • pH: 7.7

Hours Spring is Open:

24/7/365

GPS:

43 00’09.91″ N 88 26’49.96″ W

Map Link: Parry Spring Map

Submitted by: Eric M.

Responses

  1. This water has a somewhat high tds – around 350 if I remember right – and it does leave a film – I haven't been able to find any low tds springs in southern WI. My feeling is that this water is ok occassionally, and certainly a lot of people in the area drink it, but I prefer not to drink it long term.

  2. hmmm – I haven't been back there since it snowed – perhaps it is harder to see? I would say it's a couple of miles – Parry road ends shortly after the spring if you are heading East.

  3. I tested this water with a kit after I collected some this weekend. Looks great to me! Results below:

    Alkalinity: 240 ppm
    Hardness: 200 ppm
    pH: 9
    Iron: 0 ppm
    Chlorine: 0 ppm
    Copper: 0 ppm
    Nitrate: 10 ppm
    Nitrite: 0 ppm
    Lead: negative
    Pesticide: negative
    Bacteria: negative

    Drink up!

  4. My husband and I have been getting water from this spring for 6 years. We took a sample into a private water testing facility in Brookfield, paid $25 for the test. There were no traces of heavy metals or any contaminents. Totally safe spring water! The white film is probably because it has a high lime content, which is a natural mineral!

  5. I have been going to the spring for over 35 years. Wonderful and refreshing. I use this water for all canning, fermenting, and home brewing. Municipal water, with chlorine, kills off some strains of the good bacteria when you are fermenting anything – in your gut too. If you are on a municipal water system drink from your tap then drink from the spring…its like store bought tomatoes compared to garden grown.

    I have never boiled the water before drinking; there is no need. Straight from the ground to you with only a couple inches of pipe in between. I would also like to see a full analysis to see all the minerals in the water.

  6. just keep drivign…if you turn onto parry left off of 67, its on the left side. its right after a curve, and before a curve! lol not that that helps any! you cant miss it!

    its also called “rebeccas well” back from the 1800's–i grew up on this water…my formula was even made with it 16 years ago when i was a baby:) best water ever!

  7. I had the water tested for brewing purposes, but thought I would share for all who are interested…

    BTW the white stuff left behind after boiling is called temporary hardness, it is the Carbonate & Bicarbonate that precipitates out of solution by boiling… The calciam and/or magnesium ions form into solids (calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate).
    Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est, ppm 430

    Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.72

    Cations / Anions, me/L 8.2 / 8.0

    Sodium, Na 12 ppm

    Potassium, K 1 ppm

    Calcium, Ca 81 ppm

    Magnesium, Mg 43 ppm

    Total Hardness, CaCO3 382 ppm

    Nitrate, NO3-N 8.4
    ppm (SAFE)

    Sulfate, SO4 24 ppm

    Chloride, Cl 42 ppm

    Carbonate, CO3 < 1 ppm

    Bicarbonate, HCO3 348 ppm

    Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 285 ppm

    "<"
    – Not Detected

  8. I plan on visiting this spring later today.  I would be curious to see the full write up on the mineral content, TDS, Suspended solids, DOC, etc.  I’m going to assume that the water will be similar to Waukesha’s water, and contain some degree of Radium (Ra) <— but that would entirely depend on the lithology of the aquifer (which I have not researched).  Chloroform, an additive to municipal drinking water used to protect against Typhoid, is slightly carcinogenic (Gold et al, 1992) and should be absent from this spring 🙂 If any one finds out more info. on this well please post. 

  9. It’s on the north side of the road, you’ll see a dirt area on both sides of the road to park.  Delicious cool water! no smell, no aftertaste. I’ll be going back!

  10. Do they test this water? I was told that there is no testing done. Please let me know, as we do get our water from there. A neighbor told us about this. She gets het water from another spring. Thanks.

  11. Went to try and find the spring today, but couldn't find it. How far is it once you turn onto Parry Road? According to Mapquest, it's about .3 miles but we didn't see it. Will have to go back and search some more.

  12. Drove here from Chicago yesterday, totally worth the trip! The spout is high enough to be able to put 5-gallon jugs on the ground and just let them fill up.

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  14. Went there yesterday. Water tastes great. It really is a barrel with a metal pipe on the side of the road. If you are coming towards Dousman from the south, 67N, then Parry road is the last street (right turn only) before the Dousman water tower. Its a windy road. If you get to a T where Parry road ends, you have gone too far, but not by much. Just turn around. If you turn around, then the spring/well will be on your right. If you don’t miss it, it will be on your left.

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  16. I noticed it is not flowing as fast as it used to and there is water bubbling up from the ground on the other side of the “barrel”. Has anyone else noticed this? I am not sure how the pipe is attached to the spring itself, but wondering if there is a leak somewhere? Someone who knows more about how springs are tapped would be great! Thanks.

  17. Has anyone noticed that it seems to be flowing slower this year? There is also water coming out of the ground on the other side of “barrel” from the spout. Thanks.

  18. I am planning on getting this water tested at a facility in Mequon http://www.waterdiagnostics.net/, the state offers testing but it is expensive and has a long wait. I can only afford to test 2 contaminates; lead, arsenic but I would encourage and ask anyone else who can add to this list to please do so. I will add my results as soon as they come in. I would expect 2 weeks.

  19. i’m interested to know in particular, the levels of lead and the levels of arsenic.
    these are 2 main concerns for me.
    if nobody has the answer i’d like to know what local lab i can check this thru thats fast and affordable

  20. RYNhales…. Thanks for the posting as I have been using water from here for the past few years for drinking and brewing purposes as well…. without issue. I have met many people at this well. Some who have been drinking it for years (+20) and offered a little history about it as well as others who were there for the first time. The first timers would always ask if the water has ever been tested and my thoughts. So thanks again for the results….

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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