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SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Old Red Spring, also known as the Beauty Spring, on High Rock Avenue in Saratoga Springs is open for public use again, Department of Public Works Commissioner Anthony Scirocco announced last week on Friday, Oct. 11.
The spring was closed due to a remediation project that started last fall and was completed by contractors hired by National Grid.
The remediation work included the “removal, stabilization/solidification, and/or containment of soil contamination from the historical production of gas” from the property, according to the official press release.
The Old Red Spring was first discovered around 1784 by Samuel North. It gets its name from the rusty deposits due to being a chalybeate spring with high iron content. Chalybeate springs are those that have mineral spring waters with iron salts.
According to www.saratoga. com, Saratoga County has 21 public springs, most being naturally carbonated and each with different compositions, leading to different tastes.
According to the Saratoga Springs Visitor Center, the springs’ water was trapped underground by limestone capped with shale. Eventually, the shale fractured due to a fault line, and the water found its way to the surface, now including various dissolved minerals from the rocks.
The release also stated that the project was overseen by various groups, such as the USEPA, NYSDECandNYSDOH, and that it involved “numerous engineering and construction firms” along with “cooperation from nearby business owners and the City’s Department of Public Works who operates underground utilities as well as the Old Red Spring Pavilion.”
The Department of Public Works conducted work related to the fountain itself, such as painting the pavilion, improving internal plumbing and installing new copper spouts.
The release concluded “the scope and complexity of the project required a cooperative, full-team effort in order to achieve its goals and completion deadline. The project site has since been meticulously restored and the general public is now welcomed back to enjoy the mineral water provided by the Old Red Spring.”
For more information, contact Michael Veitch at 518-587-3550, or visit www.saratoga-springs.org.
