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Photograph of an open spring providing water to an old property.Spring Water Protection:
Boxes or Structures for Drinking Water Springs

Construct and maintain a spring box to protect the sanitation of spring water

Spring water protection:

Spring box construction: how to build and maintain a spring box or structure to protect spring water sources for drinking water.

This article describes methods for building and maintaining a spring box to protect spring water from animals, surface runoff, or other contaminants.

Our page top photo illustrates a large protective structure that can also house pumps or other spring water source equipment.

This article series describes using springs for drinking water and explains issues with spring water sanitation.

We provide advice about what to do when things go wrong with a drinking water spring, and we discuss the differences between a spring and a seep, spring and a dug well, and a spring and other types of water sources.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?

Drinking Water Spring Protection: Spring Box Construction & Maintenance

Spring box constructed at Los Picones, Santa Rosa de Lima, Guanajuato, Mexico (C) Daniel Friedman A spring house or "springhouse" is a small building constructed to collect and protect spring water.

Spring houses, constructed both to collect spring water as a water supply source and to provide refrigeration using cold spring water, have been in use since prehistoric times and are found worldwide.

Shown at left, a spring box constructed at Los Picones, located in high mountains near Santa Rosa de Lima, Guanajuato, Mexico. As you'll see in an additional photo of this spring house (below), it's difficult to keep spring water protective structures intact when they are located in remote, seldom-visited spots.

[Click to enlarge any image].

The first springhouse observed by the author [DF] in 1948 was at our summer home along the Rappahannock River in Virginia in the U.S.

That spring-house, built of concrete blocks around a natural cold water spring, collected surface water to a depth of several feet.

A roof protected the spring and an entry door gave ready access both to toss in watermelons kept cool in the spring house, and to install and later repair a small pump that sent spring water to our farmhouse.

While we have inspected spring houses of great variety in construction, location, and use, the most successful spring house designs include at least the features described in this article: methods to collect spring water, methods to protect spring water from contaminants, and often, methods to deliver spring water to its point of use.

Article Contents

Specifications for a proper spring water box or containment structure

Beginning at

SPRINGS as WATER SUPPLY

we explain the risks of relying on spring water for a sanitary potable water source - unprotected springs are an unreliable source in many parts of the world.

For springs whose water emanates from a sufficiently deep source, contaminants generally enter the water supply from the surface or from groundwater close to the surface.

Even if the original spring water is sanitary and of good quality it needs to be protected from surface-generated bacterial and chemical contaminants and runoff.

As our photograph of the Los Picones spring box (left) illustrates, because drinking water springs and their enclosing spring houses are often located in a remote spot and are often unattended, the spring water source may become exposed to surface contaminants simply because no one has been keeping an eye on the water source.

Benefits of a good spring water surrounding box

  • Can protect the spring water 

    from entry of surface contaminants such as contaminated runoff, organic debris, even animals
  • In some cases can improve the spring water flow 

    rate or yield
  • Can house a larger reservoir of water 

    accumulated from the spring and meeting surges in water usage
  • Can house a pump and water pick-up point

    for systems delivering spring water to its point of use by mechanical means rather than simply by gravity flow.

A useful reference for proper water-spring box or protective covering design is found at Will Hart's "Protective Structures For Springs: Spring Box Design, Construction and Maintenance", Will Hart M.S. Candidate School of Forest Resources & Environmental Science Master’s International Program Michigan Technological University.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Spring house (C) Daniel Friedman

Our springhouse construction plan shown here is excerpted and adapted from original plans for a "Farm Spring House" drawn by Pam Bennett in 1986, at msucares.com/pubs/plans/5197.pdf and posted by Mississippi State University's Agricultural & Forestry Experimental Station & the MSU Extension Service.

Schematic drawing for a water springhouse - adapted from Bennett 1986 (C) InspectApedia.com

Those plans include helpful details showing how water enters the springhouse and how the builders used clay, gravel, sand, and stone to provide initial water filtration. An excerpt from that drawing is shown at above right.

Some water spring box features recommended by Mr. Hart include:

  • Spring box water entry provision:

    back in 1945 our spring (in Dunnsville, Virginia) was located at the bottom of a sloping property and was fed by water that bubbled up from below through sandy soil.

    That spring box consisted of four masonry walls and a roof with an openable door. Its bottom was open to the sandy soil.

    Mr. Hart points out that some springs receive their water flowing horizontally down a hillside: such spring water enters the spring box through a below-ground wall that has suitable perforations and screening; however except where spring water flow rates are enormous, I question whether such sources will be sanitary.
  • Spring box walls:

    surrounding walls of the spring box do not leak surface contaminants into the spring
Spring box with no cover (C) Daniel Friedman
  • Spring box cover:

    the spring box needs an operable cover that is closed against animals, rain, leakage, and is secure against entry by a child. On our spring box it was possible to remove an entire roof to permit a person to enter and clean or maintain the spring.

Photo at left: close-up of a spring box with no cover.

This drinking water source is not only filled with leaves, it is not protected from surface runoff nor some other possible sources of water contamination.

  • Spring box overflow:

    an overflow pipe exits at a suitable height through one of the spring box walls and directs water away from the spring box at a location where spillage won't cause erosion around the spring box walls; some spring builders use this water to feed an open container of water for livestock or wildlife.
  • Spring box surface runoff protection:

    in addition to water-tight walls we need to protect the entire structure from soil erosion around the spring box by redirecting surface runoff away from the structure.

    Hart suggests an intercept "diversion ditch" or swale roughly 8 meters up-slope from the spring itself.
  • Spring protection from animals:

    Hart also recommends an animal fence to keep livestock and wild animals from visiting and contaminating the spring. [Hart points out that soil compaction around a spring can also reduce its yield - something I question since sanitary spring water should not be coming from groundwaters close to the ground surface anyway. ]

  • Spring protection from vegetation?

    Hart discusses the suggestion of removing some of surrounding vegetation, also an effort to increase spring yield, to which I raise the same question as above: spring water source depth.

    Our spring (in Virginia) was surrounded by mint that loved growing in the cool damp soil and shaded area of the spring box. But we agree that trees or other aggressive-root plants should be kept away from the spring box to avoid possible root damage to the structure.

Photograph of an open spring providing water to an old property. Watch Out:  proper spring water protection is done at the "eye" or "ojo" of the spring - where spring water reaches the earth's surface.

I've inspected springs whose source was hundreds of feet uphill from a "spring box" built to collect its water; water arriving at such a spring box by running over the ground surface will almost never be reliably sanitary.

Photo at left: a spring box has lost its roof and surrounding walls are collapsing; this water source is exposed to surface runoff, cannot be assured to be sanitary, and may also be a trip or fall hazard to anyone walking in the area. This water source was in active use at the time of our inspection.

To read the details of reader A.S.’s leaky spring box question and our responses, see Case #1

at SPRING BOX REPAIR

 

...

Spring Box Maintenance Inspection Checklist

Pumping springwater in Jalpan, Queretaro, Mexico (C) Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.comThe following springbox inspection checklist is excerpted and paraphrased from MAINTAINING STRUCTURES for SPRINGS [PDF] cited in detail below. That document expands the details of each of the springbox inspection points listed here.

Photo: pumping water from a spring source in Jallpan, Queretaro, Mexico.

  • Examine the spring box periodically to ensure that there is no silt build-up and that water quality is good.
  • Study the following conditions at the site to ensure that the spring is well-protected from any operating problems ... [excerpting] & paraphrasing - Ed.
  • Check the surface water diversion ditch above the spring
  • Check the fence above the spring (if present)
  • Check the upslope spring wall condition
  • Check the spring water (turbidity indicates surface runoff trouble)
  • Test the spring water for fecal coliform contamination
  • Check the tightness and security (child hazard? ) of the spring box cover or roof
  • Check that all available water that the spring produces is being collected
  • Confirm that the spring box interior is being cleaned adequately, and then disinfected.
  • Check that screening at the spring outlet is clear and in place.

...

Spring House Water Supply Troubleshooting

can now be found at

SPRING BOX TROUBLESHOOTING - new & existing spring troubleshooting, diagnosis & repair

Spring Box Repair Recommendations

can now be found at

SPRING BOX REPAIR PROCEDURES - spring-box investigation, cleaning & repair - separate article

 

Water Spring Source Construction, History, Protection

  • Airoldi, L., and F. Cinelli. "Sources and biochemical composition of suspended particulate material in a submarine cave with sulphur water springs." Marine Biology 128, no. 3 (1997): 537-545.
  • Albanis, T. A., D. G. Hela, T. M. Sakellarides, and I. K. Konstantinou. "Monitoring of pesticide residues and their metabolites in surface and underground waters of Imathia (N. Greece) by means of solid-phase extraction disks and gas chromatography." Journal of Chromatography A 823, no. 1 (1998): 59-71.
  • Awni, T. Batayneh. "Heavy metals in water springs of the Yarmouk Basin, North Jordan and their potentiality in health risk assessment." International Journal of Physical Sciences 5, no. 7 (2010): 997-1003.
  • Bennett, Pam, "Farm Spring House" 1986, Mississippi State University's Agricultural & Forestry Experimental Station & the MSU Extension Service., retrieved 8/6/14, original source: http://msucares.com/pubs/plans/5197.pdf
  • Bischofberger, Thomas, S. K. Cha, R. Schmitt, Bärbel König, and W. Schmift-Lorenz. "The bacterial flora of non-carbonated, natural mineral water from the springs to reservoir and glass and plastic bottles." International journal of food microbiology 11, no. 1 (1990): 51-71.
  • Burns, Douglas A., Peter S. Murdoch, Gregory B. Lawrence, and Robert L. Michel. "Effect of groundwater springs on NO3− concentrations during summer in Catskill Mountain streams." Water Resources Research 34, no. 8 (1998): 1987-1996.
  • Cairncross, S and Feachem, RG. Environmental Health Engineering in the Tropics: An Introductory Text, 2nd Edition. John and Wiley Sons, Chichester, 1983.
  • Chapelle, Frank. The hidden sea: Ground water, springs, and wells. Geoscience Press, 1997.
  • Cruz, J. Virgílio, and Zilda França. "Hydrogeochemistry of thermal and mineral water springs of the Azores archipelago (Portugal)." Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 151, no. 4 (2006): 382-398.
  • Dillon, John, Coran Kelly TOBIN, Robert Meehan, and Jenny Deakin TCD. ESTABLISHMENT OF GROUNDWATER SOURCE PROTECTION ZONES CLIFDEN CLARA WATER SUPPLY SCHEME CLIFDEN CLARA BOREHOLE GROUNDWATER SOURCE PROTECTION ZONES (2010). U.S. EPA

    Note that this is one of a series of articles by these authors on establishing the area of groundwater source for spring water supplies and thus that need protection.
  • Du Commun, Joseph. "On the cause of fresh water springs, fountains, etc." American Journal of Science 14 (1828): 174-176.
  • Edberg, Stephen C., Henri Leclerc, and John Robertson. "Natural Protection of Spring and Well Drinking Water Against Surface Microbial Contamination. II. Indicators and Monitoring. Parameters for Parasites." Critical reviews in microbiology 23, no. 2 (1997): 179-206.
  • Garrels, ROBERT M., and FRED T. Mackenzie. "Origin of the chemical compositions of some springs and lakes." Equilibrium concepts in natural water systems 67 (1967): 222-242.
  • Geldreich, Edwin E. Microbial quality of water supply in distribution systems. CRC Press, 1996.
  • Geological Survey (États-Unis), William A. Fischer, Dan A. Davis, and Theresa M. Sousa. Fresh-water springs of Hawaii from infrared images. US Geological Survey, 1966.
  • Glazier, D. S. "The fauna of North American temperate cold springs: patterns and hypotheses." Freshwater Biology 26, no. 3 (1991): 527-542.
  • Glazier, Douglas S., and James L. Gooch. "Macroinvertebrate assemblages in Pennsylvania (USA) springs." Hydrobiologia 150, no. 1 (1987): 33-43.
  • Hart, Will, PROTECTIVE STRUCTURES FOR SPRINGS: SPRING BOX DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE [PDF] Will Hart M.S. Candidate School of Forest Resources & Environmental Science Master’s International Program Michigan Technological University www.cee.mtu.edu/peacecorps. 2003 for the requirements of CE 5993 Field Engineering in the Developing World.

    Includes alternatives to a spring box that may be more suitable for some situations - Ed.
  • Hawley, Robert J. A TECHNICAL BRIEF FOR SPRING BOX CONSTRUCTION [PDF] (2003) Written April 2003 for the requirements of CE 5993 Field Engineering in the Developing World by Robert J. Hawley M.S. Candidate Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Master’s International Program Michigan Technological University www.cee.mtu.edu/peacecorps
    Abstract:
    Springboxes provide one solution to communities that consume unsafe water and/or have an inadequate supply.

    The purpose of this report is to present a detailed briefing of the construction of a springbox for an audience with little construction experience and a limited science background.

    Through the use of this report and a motivated and invested community, one will be able to build a functional springbox, should the technology be appropriate for the sight.

    The paper also addresses the science behind springs, the reasons for building and not building springboxes, and the evaluation of different types of springboxes.
  • Jordan, T. D. Jr A HANDBOOK OF GRAVITY-FLOW WATER SYSTEMS FOR SMALL COMMUNITIES [PDF] (1980 - 1984) UNICEF, Box 1187, Kathmandu, Nepal

    Detailed and thorough treatise, 250 pp, also Available for a fee from Scribd - not purchased, available here as a free PDF download - Ed.
  • Karanis, Panagiotis, Christina Kourenti, and Huw Smith. "Waterborne transmission of protozoan parasites: a worldwide review of outbreaks and lessons learnt." Journal of water and health 5, no. 1 (2007): 1-38. [Citation includes "Nov 1981 Colorado, USA 85 Treatment deficiencies (back up of unfiltered beaver pond water into a spring house)"]
  • Katz, B. G. "Sources of nitrate contamination and age of water in large karstic springs of Florida." Environmental Geology 46, no. 6-7 (2004): 689-706.
  • Katz, B. G. "Influence of mineral weathering reactions on the chemical composition of soil water, springs, and ground water, Catoctin Mountains, Maryland." Hydrological processes 3, no. 2 (1989): 185-202.
  • Leitao, J. H., T. Alvim, and I. Sá‐Correia. "Ribotyping of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from patients and water springs and genome fingerprinting of variants concerning mucoidy." FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology 13, no. 4 (1996): 287-292.
  • Meinzer, Oscar E. "Outline of ground-water hydrology." US Geology Survey Water Supply 8 (1923).
  • Negi, G. C. S., and Varun Joshi. "Drinking water issues and development of spring sanctuaries in a mountain watershed in the Indian Himalaya." Mountain Research and Development 22, no. 1 (2002): 29-31.
  • Neku, A & Hillmann, E (1996) Rural gravity flow water systems (Design Technique and Standard Structures), UNICEF, Nepal – the updated version of Jordan, T.D. Jr, but not published
  • OXFAM SPRING PROTECTION [PDF] Oxfam, - retrieved 2023/07/10, original source: oxfamwash.org/water/spring-protection/TB5%20Spring%20Protection.pdf

    Excerpt: This Technical Brief looks at spring protection including the catchment area, the immediate area around the spring and the construction of spring boxes. It also highlights two methods of reducing sediments in the water coming from large springs and introduces alternative protection methods to spring boxes. This Technical Brief does not discuss the distribution system between spring box and supply.
  • Postel, Sandra L., and Barton H. Thompson. "Watershed protection: Capturing the benefits of nature's water supply services." In Natural Resources Forum, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 98-108. Blackwell Publishing, Ltd., 2005.
  • Robertson, John B., and Stephen C. Edberg. "Natural protection of spring and well drinking water against surface microbial contamination. I. Hydrogeological parameters." Critical reviews in microbiology 23, no. 2 (1997): 143-178.
  • Rous, Tim. "Protecting a shallow seepage spring." Waterlines 4, no. 2 (1985): 23-25.
  • Shahbazi-Gahrouei, Daryoush, and Mohsen Saeb. "Dose assessment and radioactivity of the mineral water resources of Dimeh springs in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran." (2008).
  • Skinner, Brian, and Rod Shaw. PROTECTING SPRINGS–AN ALTERNATIVE TO SPRING BOXES [PDF] (1999) WEDC Loughborough University Leicestershire LE11 3TU UK www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/cv/wedc/ wedc@lboro.ac.uk - retrieved 2023/07/10, original source: sswm.info/sites/default/files/reference_attachments/SKINNER%20and%20SHAW%204000%2034%20Protecting%20Springs.pdf

    developed by these authors for the Water Engineering and Development Center (WEDC), Loughborough University, Leicestershire
  • Stevens, Lawrence E., Anwar A. Aly, Sarah M. Arpin, Iva Apostolova, Gail M. Ashley, Paulo Quadri Barba, Jose Barquín et al. THE ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY OF SPRING ECOSYSTEMS: A GLOBAL REVIEW [PDF]  Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences, Reference Module, Elsevier (2021).
  • U.S. ARMY FIELD MANUAL 21-10, FIELD HYGIENE AND SANITATION, [PDF] 1988, web search 07/02/2010, original source: http://www.enlisted.info/field-manuals/fm-21-10-field-hygiene-and-sanitation.shtml

    The purpose of this manual is to assist individual soldiers, unit commanders, leaders and field sanitation teams in preventing disease and environmental injuries.

    The manual provides information on preventive medicine measures (PMM) to the individual soldier as well as essential information for the unit commander, unit leaders, and the unit field sanitation team on applying unit level PMM.
  • USDA, WELL DESIGN & SPRING DEVELOPMENT, Chapter 31, Part 631, [PDF] (2010) National Engineering Handbook, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation service, retrieved 2022/05/29, original source: https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/OpenNonWebContent.aspx?content=26985.wba
  • Whitford, L. A. "The communities of algae in the springs and spring streams of Florida." Ecology (1956): 433-442.
  • Water for the World, CONSTRUCTING STRUCTURES for SPRINGS [PDF] Technical Note No. RWS.1 1.C.1 (un-dated) - retrieved 2023/07/10, original source: sswm.info/sites/default/files/reference_attachments/WATER%20FOR%20THE%20WORLD%204000%20Constructing%20Structures%20for%20Springs.pdf

    Easy to follow instructions for building springboxes or other structures to protect springwater supply points or spring eyes.
  • Water for the World MAINTAINING STRUCTURES for SPRINGS [PDF] Technical Note No. RWS 1.0.1

    Easy to follow guide for regular inspection & maintenance of spring water sources. Excerpt:

    The maintenance of spring boxes requires that a check be made to ensure that the structure adequately protects the water source and that all available water is being collected.

More scholarly research on spring box construction methods that's worth reading includes

  • Hart, Will. "Protective structures for springs: Spring box design, construction and maintenance." Michigan Technological University. www. cee. mtu. edu/peacecorps 16 (2003).
  • Jones, Sharon A., Abseen Anya, Nicholas Stacey, and Lindsay Weir. "A life-cycle approach to improve the sustainability of rural water systems in resource-limited countries." Challenges 3, no. 2 (2012): 233-260.
  • Niskanen, Matthew A. "The design, construction, and maintenance of a gravity-fed water system in the Dominican Republic." PhD diss., Michigan Technological University, 2003.
  • Fry, Lauren, James R. Mihelcic, and David W. Watkins. "Improving public health by improving water supply: Results from springbox projects in Cameroon." Journal of Engineering for Sustainable Community Development 1, no. 1 (2006): 33-42.
  • Annis, Jonathan E. "Assessing progress of community managed gravity flow water supply systems using rapid rural appraisal in the Ikongo District, Madagascar." PhD diss., Michigan Technological University, 2006.
  • Eubank, Wanda, Jerry D. Carpenter, Beverly A. Maltsberger, Nix Anderson, and Karen Mancl. "Bacteria in drinking water." (1995).
  • Skinner, Brian & Rod Shaw, Protecting Springs - An Alternative to Springboxes. Prepared for the Water Engineering and Development Center (WEDC), Loughborough University, Leicestershire
  • Also see spring box construction articles & sources listed at the end of this article at References or Citations

...


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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2023-07-15 by InspectApedia Publisher - What wood species should be used for a spring box?

@Kelly Shreve,

I will be glad to help but need to understand the situation better. Perhaps you could post a photo.

I would not normally build a spring box out of wood - masonry is a stronger construction more able to keep out unwanted surface runoff or debris.

So what's meant by "bracing it up" ?

Is your wood forming the spring box? In contact with the water?

Climate Tanks, a company who sells wooden water tanks such are still used atop many buildings, tells us:

Wood tanks, similar to water towers at railroad depots, were historically made of redwood. However, modern wood tanks are usually of pine, cedar, or cypress wrapped with steel tension cables. For potable use, a food-grade liner should be used.

Notice that liner requirement? Don't ignore it.

Thanks to Cline Tanks, Web: climatetanks [dot] com

On 2023-07-14 by Kelly Shreve

We have a 100 year old spring box from up in the mountain. It supplies 2 houses. We need to brace it up with wood. What wood species would you recommend? We have Eastern
Red Cedar available.



...

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