On the side of the road, at the bottom of a concrete headwall. Limited parking, and be aware of traffic coming downhill. The spring has been in place for over a hundred years. The water is ice cold most of the year, and is enjoyed by many locals! Flows are consistent.
Visited this spring 2/28/2021, Found the location very easily using description above. Someone has made progress and cleaned up area, hanging trash bags for use.
I got water today. PH 8, TDS 58 to 110, because the water was running, so the number changed.
last year before the snow TDS 12 and PH 6.8
located is 606-632 Hapgood St, Athol.
The water is good because the street name is great Happy + Good
As stated by others, the location is a bit obscure, but we found e water here to be both quenching and visited by many locals. I had a brief conversation with a man who lived near hapgood street as a child and drank the water his entire life. He seemed in good health, filling nearly fifty or so 1 gallon bottles before departing. Will be returning in the future. Be well friends
This is a fantastic site and resource. I just went to this spring following Maria’s instructions. There’s actually a small parking area for this on Hapgood Street just a few feet before the Fletcher intersection. The parking area is a paved driveway hill on either side of which are two concrete walls that descend into the ground. The one with the spring is on the left. The water is clear and cold; no plastic or faucet taste .. the way water is meant to be! I am bringing bigger containers next time lol
I Was told of this place a few years ago an I went and got a a few gallons but I was skeptical so I went and bought a test kit and it turned out that the water had bacteria growing in it. I would not drink from this site
Just adventured to this spring today, and was happy to have made the journey. While the under the road location makes for a kinda sketchy area around the water, the ice cold flow was sweet and refreshing and we loaded up with water for 3 families. My kids thought it was amazing that clean water was there for the taking and would have spent all day filling up there. May go back, but probably will get water from a friend’s farm spring to avoid extra trips. Very very happy to have made the journey and to come home with a delicious treat.
Behind a motorcycle repair shop (with an unfreindly owner), under a road, piped in from a dodgy-looking manhole to a graffiti-strewn wall, and flowing into a mosquito-infested puddle littered with trash. THIS is the elixir of life?? Pardon my skepticism. Anyway, here are a couple of photos — part of SPRINGQUEST 2012
I visited this spring this weekend 11/25/11, I will say the water bothered my stomach a bit ( I do have some stomach issues). Today I decided to test the water and found the pH to be very low at 5 (which indicates “caution”. The Alkalinity is ideal, no chlorine, and very soft in regards to hardness (these were all the fields on the testing strip, not sure. Unfortunately I will avoid this spring as I am not someone who can handle high acid water, but I will get some more pH strips and test again, and I hope someone else can test at a later date, I’d love to here, this is the closest spring to me.
I went to this spring 2 weeks ago; if I hadn’t knocked on someone’s door, I wouldn’t have been able to find the spring (I traveled a little over 2 hours to this spring to collect drinking water). Here is how you find this wonderful little spring. Off of Hapgood Street, pull onto Fletcher Street and park at the Top Dead Center Cycle. Next to the center you will see and hear a running brook (this is the water source). You will see two small stone walls on the side of the road, the spring is located behind the RIGHT stone wall. The flow was strong, cold and I had a beautiful experience there. A butterfly greeted me at my car, and followed me back and forth to my car as I filled up my containers and packed them into my car. Many butterflies came to land on me and my containers. When I offered my prayers of thanks and love before I left, the butterfly that greeted me landed on my hands. A very sweet experience. The water is amazing, and it’s worth the trip for me to return to continue to collect this powerful source of medicine.
We went here today for the first time. We had no trouble finding it using Maria’s directions (thank you!). We usually go to Crystal Springs in Barnstable which is a beautiful location so I was really disappointed to find how disgusting this site was. There was trash everywhere. Not appealing at all. However, we measured the TDS to be 84 so the water is pretty excellent. We haven’t measured the pH yet. Next time I’m bringing a trashbag and some gloves and I encourage others who find the process of harvesting water to be a sacred one to do the same!
We have been getting our spring water here for 7 years, the ph measured 7.5 on our meter (not a test strip) on several occasions – we even re-tested today to be sure. Have no idea what JBIRD (commenter above) was testing or what he was testing with but he is wrong about the ph of this spring water. Right up the street from this spring was where people went in the 1800’s for the “Athol Water Cure” (true history).
Here are some notes from a local: I particularly enjoy this spring because of its natural acidity from the granite bedrock. Acidity is where the “refreshing” taste comes from. Do not let the location scare you or turn you away, I have been drinking this water for a while and it is simply delicious.
Again, as you have already probably read is right near Fletcher and Hapgood streets, and it is a little pipe behind a large concrete barrier (the one on the uphill side). If you are turning around to park or parking, be very careful because some folks come down that hill at pretty alarming speeds and Hapgood is well-traveled.
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.
Written by Dakota Chanel. Water Priestess and Ceremonialist. DakotaChanel.com
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Hapgood Spring, Athol, MA
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Visited this spring 2/28/2021, Found the location very easily using description above. Someone has made progress and cleaned up area, hanging trash bags for use.
Just went there this morning tested at 65 ppm. I am going to get a p.h. kit tomorrow mine was really old.
I got water today. PH 8, TDS 58 to 110, because the water was running, so the number changed.
last year before the snow TDS 12 and PH 6.8
located is 606-632 Hapgood St, Athol.
The water is good because the street name is great Happy + Good
As stated by others, the location is a bit obscure, but we found e water here to be both quenching and visited by many locals. I had a brief conversation with a man who lived near hapgood street as a child and drank the water his entire life. He seemed in good health, filling nearly fifty or so 1 gallon bottles before departing. Will be returning in the future. Be well friends
This is a fantastic site and resource. I just went to this spring following Maria’s instructions. There’s actually a small parking area for this on Hapgood Street just a few feet before the Fletcher intersection. The parking area is a paved driveway hill on either side of which are two concrete walls that descend into the ground. The one with the spring is on the left. The water is clear and cold; no plastic or faucet taste .. the way water is meant to be! I am bringing bigger containers next time lol
* sorry, it’s the concrete wall on the right lol
I Was told of this place a few years ago an I went and got a a few gallons but I was skeptical so I went and bought a test kit and it turned out that the water had bacteria growing in it. I would not drink from this site
Just adventured to this spring today, and was happy to have made the journey. While the under the road location makes for a kinda sketchy area around the water, the ice cold flow was sweet and refreshing and we loaded up with water for 3 families. My kids thought it was amazing that clean water was there for the taking and would have spent all day filling up there. May go back, but probably will get water from a friend’s farm spring to avoid extra trips. Very very happy to have made the journey and to come home with a delicious treat.
Behind a motorcycle repair shop (with an unfreindly owner), under a road, piped in from a dodgy-looking manhole to a graffiti-strewn wall, and flowing into a mosquito-infested puddle littered with trash. THIS is the elixir of life?? Pardon my skepticism. Anyway, here are a couple of photos — part of SPRINGQUEST 2012
I visited this spring this weekend 11/25/11, I will say the water bothered my stomach a bit ( I do have some stomach issues). Today I decided to test the water and found the pH to be very low at 5 (which indicates “caution”. The Alkalinity is ideal, no chlorine, and very soft in regards to hardness (these were all the fields on the testing strip, not sure. Unfortunately I will avoid this spring as I am not someone who can handle high acid water, but I will get some more pH strips and test again, and I hope someone else can test at a later date, I’d love to here, this is the closest spring to me.
I went to this spring 2 weeks ago; if I hadn’t knocked on someone’s door, I wouldn’t have been able to find the spring (I traveled a little over 2 hours to this spring to collect drinking water). Here is how you find this wonderful little spring. Off of Hapgood Street, pull onto Fletcher Street and park at the Top Dead Center Cycle. Next to the center you will see and hear a running brook (this is the water source). You will see two small stone walls on the side of the road, the spring is located behind the RIGHT stone wall. The flow was strong, cold and I had a beautiful experience there. A butterfly greeted me at my car, and followed me back and forth to my car as I filled up my containers and packed them into my car. Many butterflies came to land on me and my containers. When I offered my prayers of thanks and love before I left, the butterfly that greeted me landed on my hands. A very sweet experience. The water is amazing, and it’s worth the trip for me to return to continue to collect this powerful source of medicine.
Any recent updates on quality of this water for drinking,Thanx.
I got a TDS/PPM Meter this spring came in at a high 95. Swanzey spring is 13,and Ashburnham is 7.
Where is the spring in Ashburnham located?
We went here today for the first time. We had no trouble finding it using Maria’s directions (thank you!). We usually go to Crystal Springs in Barnstable which is a beautiful location so I was really disappointed to find how disgusting this site was. There was trash everywhere. Not appealing at all. However, we measured the TDS to be 84 so the water is pretty excellent. We haven’t measured the pH yet. Next time I’m bringing a trashbag and some gloves and I encourage others who find the process of harvesting water to be a sacred one to do the same!
We have been getting our spring water here for 7 years, the ph measured 7.5 on our meter (not a test strip) on several occasions – we even re-tested today to be sure. Have no idea what JBIRD (commenter above) was testing or what he was testing with but he is wrong about the ph of this spring water. Right up the street from this spring was where people went in the 1800’s for the “Athol Water Cure” (true history).
Here are some notes from a local: I particularly enjoy this spring because of its natural acidity from the granite bedrock. Acidity is where the “refreshing” taste comes from. Do not let the location scare you or turn you away, I have been drinking this water for a while and it is simply delicious.
Again, as you have already probably read is right near Fletcher and Hapgood streets, and it is a little pipe behind a large concrete barrier (the one on the uphill side). If you are turning around to park or parking, be very careful because some folks come down that hill at pretty alarming speeds and Hapgood is well-traveled.