Springs, such as Fountainhead Spring, result from a wide variety
of natural occurrences coming together to make available the clear,
cold water for which they are most often known. Local geology,
elevation, atmospheric pressure, annual rainfall, and many other
factors can all play a part in the formation and location of a
spring.
In its simplest terms, a spring is a place where the
underground water level meets the earth’s surface!
The water table is the name given to the water level
stored underground. High water tables are located near the surface;
low water tables further away. People drilling a well most desire a
high water table. The higher the water table, the easier it can be
in reaching the water. When the water table is as high as it can
be, water breaks through the earth’s surface forming a
spring.
The underground storage area is called an aquifer.
Aquifers are large expanses of porous rock (such as sandstone,
limestone, or loose gravel) capable of holding tremendous amounts
of water (the largest aquifer in the world, in Australia, is over
1.7 million square kilometers!).
As part of the natural water cycle, precipitation (rain,
snow, sleet, etc) falls to Earth. Some evaporates almost
immediately; some becomes runoff joining streams to rivers to
oceans, and still more soaks into the ground recharging the
aquifers. As a renewable resource, a spring can be a reliable
source of drinking water for local residents and animals.
As such a water source, Fountainhead Spring played a significant
role in this area’s settlement and continued growth. The
information boards at this unique little park detail how city
planners were able to harness the waters of Fountainhead Spring to
nourish the seed of what the city of Fayetteville is today.
In order to get credit for logging this Earthcache, email me the
answers to the following questions AND post a picture as described
below:
1.) How long is it believed that Fountainhead Spring has been
used for drinking water?
2.) An early businessman, Edward Webster, located near here
because of the spring and what feature in the surrounding soil?
3.) Post a picture including you, your GPSr, and the spring.
FTF Honors go to DForce!!
Thanks to the Public Works Commission (PWC)
for uncovering and restoring the area around the spring and for
establishing this park as part of their 2005 Centennial
Celebration. Thanks to the City of Fayetteville for permission to
list this site as an Earthcache.
Get drenched in Hydrology at WikiPedia!
Aquifers
Water
Tables