Some of the best water on Earth is right here in Janesville

JANESVILLE, WI - When I was a kid, my dad would take me for a long motorcycle ride and nearly every time we'd end up getting a drink of spring water from the artesian well in Janesville's Riverside Park. Back then, there was no fancy faucet or anything like that, just cold, organic, fantastic water - free flowing from an algae lined hole in the Earth. It was almost divine. The water then emptied into a stone pond (which I am happy to see has been rebuilt) and eventually flowed into the Rock River.

So, what is an artesian well? The geological name for an artesian well is aquifer. It is an underground river of clear, clean water that has been filtered through natural means. There are two basic types of these aquifers: confined and unconfined. An unconfined aquifer is ground water that meets the surface pressure and forms the common "water table." Residential wells are based on this concept. The source here in Riverside Park however comes from a confined aquifer, which means that the water is contained between two rock barriers 1000 feet underground.

According to an article from dailyreporter.com, which cites the City of Janesville's Parks Director, Cullen Slapak, the wells were drilled in the 1930's specifically for a public drinking water source. It flowed for WELL over 50 years! The pressure dropped in the 1990's and 2000's presumably due to new drills and the ebb and flow of nature. It was intermittent until 2016 when it began flowing more regularly.



Up until the 1980's, there were two wells in Riverside Park: one at the South entrance, and one at the North side of the park (near the concession stand). This well was designed to fill a stone pool like the one at the South entrance, but then flowed into a shallow public swimming pool.


I had the opportunity to speak with two fellow well admirers who are part of the Friends of Riverside Park Facebook fan page. They also led me to the remains of the old well (see below).



There is another, less popular artesian well tapped into the same aquifer near Fort Atkinson about 28 miles northeast of Janesville. As of this article, it too is running beautifully! Definitely a more rustic and crude stop, but the same good water.



There have been several studies on the importance of natural, (and especially) free flowing water and the benefits it provides to plants and animals. Nature's water contains minerals and other properties that tap water does not. So, make sure to stop on off and visit one of these wells if you are passing through Janesville or Fort Atkinson on the I-90 corridor. Safe travels and stay hydrated!