For the first time in more than 100 years, some of the natural springs that give Saratoga Springs, NY its name may soon be bubbling with naturally carbonated mineral water again.

The wells were capped in 1909 when many of the town’s residents became concerned that they would soon run dry, the Associated Press reports.

The Mohawks first introduced Europeans to the carbonated waters in Colonial times. Later, hotels sprung up around town for visitors who wanted to bathe in the water and drink it for its believed health benefits. But by the early 1900s, gas companies were drilling new wells to bring the carbonic gas to the surface so it could be used in carbonated beverages such as soda.

This drilling and well-building on such a large scale made locals worry that the area’s aquifer would soon be depleted.

“Our springs were basically going dry,” Alli Schweizer, the park’s educator, told the AP.

Now, a volunteer group is working in cooperation with state officials to find and restore some of those wells in Saratoga Spa State Park, with plans to build fountains on those sites and landscape the surrounding areas. They’ve succeeded with at least one well so far, bringing water bubbling to the surface on a recent summer day.

The plans won’t threaten the park’s aquifer, and are purely for historical purposes “so future generations can enjoy them,” Schweizer said.

In Saratoga Springs, reviving the wells that made it famous [Associated Press]

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