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SheRight beside the Rd.
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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.
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.
I used the copy paste gps offered on this page and I was not able to locate the springs. I did not see an area that looks like the photo that is listed here. The gps lead me off of the main road down a rock laid path that branched into two directions… according to the gps instructions, I took a right which leads you directly to two small inhabited cabins. There was a no trespassing sign posted on a light post and the area appeared to be residential, moving forward would have meant that i was now on the property of a home owner…. the photo on the gps showed that I was near the area but I did not move forward because this looked to be someones residence. After making this post, I will attempt to upload a screenshot of what i was seeing on the gps. where the green car is, thats where i was … where the red marker is seemed to be behind where the second cabin or storage building was..
PERHAPS the springs gps location is wrong and the previous listed photo is a better way to see the spring, but i followed the gps. If anyone has success, please share.
The image on the left and the map on the right are 2 different places… i typed in the address found on the image on the left and it takes me to jackson springs NC, i looked on google street view and found the spring. Heres the coordinates. 35.1948212, -79.6202498
The map the poster put on the right, still may be a spring since there are many in the area…plausible. i dont see a very easy road to get in on google maps, looks like farly off road. Blissings ?
Have you tried the spring water? If so, how is it?
anyone drinking old spring?
I have been drinking from this spring. It is my favorite. It does have a pencil thin stream. Filled gallon in about 20 seconds. Keeps well got many weeks. No sediment. Crystal clear and has delightful taste. Light traffic on the road. Never saw any one else stop.
Do you have to hike to get to it? What road would you actually park at to get to it?
This spring is right along the road in the ditch 6 feet from a pull off parking area. The location is not tricky just slow down a bit. The water is sweet cool and delightful especially after along road trip. The water is clear and flows slowly but will fill up your containers in due time. The down side is I turned onto a dirt road maybe a hundred feet or so from the spring thinking that was the location due to my map. It was not instead of being able to turn around and look peaceably for what was not a sprint but a pile of trash and broken pipes. Before I could verify that it was just a pile of trash on someone’s poorly kept property I was greeted by an overly aggressive white male who yelled at me from the safety of his car. His overt racism questioning what I was at that location is something we should all avoid no matter who we are, especially when we are trying to find these springs in unfamiliar areas. This man most likely heard of southern hospitality. So please be careful avoid turning into the the poorly kept dirt road with no signs saying private drive or fences restricting access to unmarked area unless you count the heaps of trash. Helpful not the spring is right next to the paved highway parallel to the should in the ditch with a small white sign.