Historic spring on Green Springs Highway a favorite spot for filling up jugs of water
By Lee Juillerat for Ashland.news
Still closed.
There’s no indication when water from the historic drinking water tubs at Tub Springs State Wayside off Highway 66 east of Ashland, which have been closed for public use since January, will again be available.
The popular water source remains closed due to water quality concerns, although the wayside is open.
The Oregon Health Authority ordered the public use closure January 25 due to high turbidity, which can make drinking water unsafe for consumption. Jackson County operates the wayside through an intergovernmental agreement with Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.
According to the closure sign and Jackson County’s website, “For unknown reasons, most likely associated with recent heavy rain events, the water produced by the springs does not meet state water quality parameters. We are currently in consultation with Oregon Health Authority and the Jackson County Health Department to evaluate the next steps and will share that information as we learn more. Thank you for your patience and understanding, as we work to protect public health associated with this drinking water supply.”
The tubs will remain closed to the public until further notice at the direction of the Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Services Program. According to the notice, “Oregon State Parks, the Oregon Health Authority and Jackson County are working together to further evaluate the situation.”
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department has not yet responded to Ashland.news requests for updates.
In announcing the closure, the statement said high turbidity levels concerns means the water was cloudy and had high levels of sediment, which can lead to contamination. When park staff revisited the site in January, the spring remained very cloudy, again indicating a very high turbidity level. The Oregon Health Authority has since determined that the high turbidity levels indicate that the spring is not fed from groundwater but, instead, from surface water.
“Surface water must be treated and disinfected to ensure it is safe for human consumption. The Health Authority is currently working with Oregon State Parks, owner of the property, to determine the next steps. We are currently unsure when, or if the water will be turned back on for the public,” according to the earlier statement.
Before being shut off, the water was tested quarterly for coliform bacteria at the tubs and annually at the spring for nitrate levels and bacteria.
The wayside is a popular water source for many, including people making special trips to collect water in gallon or sometimes much larger containers. While the primary draw is what was regarded as crystal-clear water, the wayside also has restrooms, a short network of trails, picnic tables and interpretive panels explaining its history.
The history dates back to 1846, when a wagon train led by Jesse Applegate traveled from Nevada to far Northern California and Southern Oregon along what became known as the Applegate Trail. He created the trail as an alternative to the “perilous last leg of the Oregon Trail down the treacherous Columbia River” where his son and a nephew drowned. Early settlers traveling the Applegate Trail to Southern Oregon passed within 100 yards of the present-day wayside alongside the scenic highway that links Ashland and Klamath Falls.
An Applegate Trail history marker at the site, tells, “Then as now, with streams located in deep ravines, Tub Springs was a welcome source of easily accessible water.”
The name “Tub Springs” refer to the stone tubs that were installed in the 1930s to provide spring water for travelers. State and county officials say the wayside attracts some 75,000 day-use visitors a year, “some of them water purists who regularly collect the spring water for home use.”
Not now. It remains uncertain when and if the water will again be available.
Email freelance writer Lee Juillerat at [email protected].
