Cold Water In The Ground
This was a new learning adventure for my children. We filled our empty bottles with fresh cold water that was pouring out from the ground. 
Why? Why would we fill water bottles with water from underground?
Because we were thirsty.
We had explored the history and features of the park and played in the hot sun. Now we were thirsty, very very thirsty. Our water bottles were empty. We needed water!
The water was fresh and vibrant in our mouth! It was noticeably different from regular bottled water, and different from tap water.
There was something very special about this water. It was life giving. You could taste the gift of life in the water. It danced on your tongue. The water was thirst quenching.
There along the road and a crystal clear creek, was a lovely cobblestone bridge. On both sides of the bridge were places to fill your bottles / containers with fresh water.
We met other travelers on the journey who stopped to fill their containers too. We actually stood in a line for a few minutes while other travelers filled their containers. It gave us time to visit with them. Their boxes were full of empty bottles, perhaps as many as 30 gallon bottles. With precision, efficiency, and experience, we watched the man ahead of us fill each bottle.
He told us he has been filling 25 to 30 one gallon bottles with this fresh spring water for at least the past 6 years. His wife had grown up filling containers at this spring and it was a tradition they continued when they married. He said it saves him a lot of money and tastes better than using the bottled water from the store. He said it was quiet today, and he was glad for it as he usually has to wait in a long line before getting to fill his bottles. Many people know of the health value, and come here to get this fresh spring water for their families.
The spring water is flowing from what is called an artesian well. It is a an underground aquifer (a storage / collection area of water in the earth), and it has enough pressure that when you bore a pipe into it, it forces the water up through the pipe right out of the ground. The water is clean, and cold at around 53 to 54 degrees fahrenheit.
You can read about the history of Richmond, IN and Wayne County for more information.
Check out these old postcards of the park and more details about the spring water here.
Further The Learning
I thought it would be fun to learn about springs, artesian wells, and water purity as a family learning adventure. Here are a few resources my kids and I are enjoying.
Diagram of an artesian well. The water coming out of the well is under pressure. The pressure is caused by surrounding rock, soil, and clay, and because the water level in the aquifer is higher, or the saturation point is higher, than the opening or “head” of the well.
image source
Why does fresh spring water taste better?
Well everybody’s tastes are different, but most people prefer the taste of fresh spring water. I believe it is because it has a lot of dissolved minerals and it is oxygenated. In addition to minerals that help with the taste, it also has more oxygen than other water we usually drink. It is being stirred up as it travels up through the ground and pressure of the water mixes with air and increases the oxygen in the water. Our bodies love oxygen. Our bodies, and taste buds, like oxygenated mineral water.
Why is the water cold?
Ground water is insulated by rocks and soil from the earth’s surface temperature. Therefore the temperature of most aquifers is approximately 50 +/- degrees fahrenheit. However there is some variations to this.
Science Learning With Water
Fun Activity: Take an 3 empty containers, and in one fill with flowing spring water and check its temperature with a thermometer, in another fill with surface water from a creek, in another container fill with surface water from a pond or lake. Compare the temperatures of the three different sources of water. Which one is colder? Which one is warmer?
Pour each of the three water samples into a separate coffee filter. What can you observe with your eyes? Look at each coffee filter or a slide prepared with a water sample under a microscope. What do you see? Record your observations for each water sample.
Create your own water cycle.
Create your own water shed .
Create your own water aquifer in a tank.
Water Science, Math, Lapbooks, Unit Studies, and Literature Activities on my Pinterest Board Water Science and Activities.
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