Cold Water Springs

In addition to the hot springs for which the park is known, many cold springs lie within its boundaries. These springs come from underground aquifers, layers of porous or fractured rock filled with water. Water in aquifers is usually under hydrostatic pressure, as the weight of the water at the top of the aquifer puts downward pressure on the water below it. Following the path of least resistance, the water then finds its way through the rocks to emerge from the ground as a spring. Across Fountain Street is Happy Hollow Spring, where a jug fountain provides water for hikers to refill their supplies or take water home. Another cold spring, Whittington Spring on Whittington Avenue, also has a jug fountain. The Cold Springs Pavilion on the Fountain Street side was built in 1896 and expanded in 1908. Park records from 1895 show that the springs flowed at 960 gallons per day, and deepening the well in 1908 doubled that flow. By 1924 the springs had dried up, and the pavilion was eventually removed. Water from Happy Hollow Spring has a pH between 4 and 5, about the same acidity as orange juice, while Whittington Spring has more neutral water with a pH around 7. The pH of spring water is influenced by the types of rocks the water travels through and the length of its journey.

Hot Springs, Arkansas · United States