Artesian Commons

Artesian Commons
Park entrance seen from 4th Avenue
Type Municipal (Olympia)
Location 415 4th Ave SE
Olympia, Washington
Coordinates 47°02′42″N 122°53′50″W / 47.0450°N 122.8972°W / 47.0450; -122.8972Coordinates: 47°02′42″N 122°53′50″W / 47.0450°N 122.8972°W / 47.0450; -122.8972
Area 0.2 acres (810 m2)
Created May, 2014
Operated by Olympia Parks Department
Status Open all year

Artesian Commons is a 0.2-acre (0.081 ha) park in downtown Olympia, Washington built in May 2014 around an artesian spring. It is described by the city as Olympia's first urban park (Sylvester Park in the Olympia Downtown Historic District is state-owned).[1]

Drinking water supply

People filling water containers at the artesian well

The free, public downtown artesian spring has long been used by Olympians for drinking water, along with other downtown springs used to make commercial kombucha, and beer brewed at McMenamins Spar Café and Fish Brewing Company.[2][3] Artesian well water is tested by the city, along with the main city supplies at McAllister Wellfield (replacing McAllister Springs since the 2010s) and Allison Springs.[4][5] Lead levels at the artesian spring in 2015 were less than 0.001 mg/L (the EPA action level is 0.015).[5][6] A summer, 2016 survey of over 400 park users showed that the median user bottled between 4 and 6 gallons of their own water to take home, and was the only drinking water supply for 70% of the respondents.[7]

Controversy

The park has been controversial because of a "steady stream of problems" including its high use by homeless people, drug dealing, violence and other criminal activity.[8][9] The trash generated by park users is three quarters that of a well-used 40-acre (16 ha) Olympia park, or 150 times greater on a per-acre basis.[7]

The park has a paid "well host", Garrett Cooper, an Army veteran, and a park ranger charged with enforcement.[10][7] In early 2016, the city applied some crime prevention through environmental design practices including fencing and lighting to deter unwanted behavior.[11]

A November, 2016 police surveillance video of a brawl in the park went viral and was reported in international media.[12]

The park was closed on August 24, 2018[13] because of concerns for staff and public safety. According to a press release, park-goers and park staff have witnessed and been victim to "violent incidents, verbal altercations, nuisance behaviors, and mental health emergencies" since it opened in 2014.

Art and folklore

The park's artesian well was decorated with public art murals by local artist Jennifer Kuhns.[2]

An urban legend states that if one drinks artesian water from one of the many springs in Olympia, one will return to the city.[14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Artesian Well and Commons, Olympia Department of Parks, Arts and Recreation
  2. 1 2 Allison Williams (June 20, 2012), "In Olympia, It's Still the Water: Olympia is different—same as it ever was", Seattle Met
  3. ↑ Karen Miller (June 20, 2016), "What's the deal with Olympia's Water?", South Sound Magazine
  4. ↑ McAllister Wellfield, City of Olympia
  5. 1 2 Water quality report, City of Olympia
  6. ↑ What Are the U.S. Standards for Lead Levels?, Environmental Health and Medicine Education, United States Centers for Disease Control, August 20, 2007
  7. 1 2 3 Andy Hobbs (January 21, 2017), "It's more than the water: Artesian Commons has come a long way in downtown Olympia", The Olympian
  8. ↑ James Lynch (December 29, 2014), Olympia police crack down on drug dealing in downtown park, KCPQ-TV Q13 News
  9. ↑ Artesian well in Olympia seeing steady stream of problems, KCPQ-TV Q13 News, January 14, 2015
  10. ↑ Andy Hobbs (September 19, 2016). "'Well host' and ranger watch over Olympia's Artesian Commons". The Olympian.
  11. ↑ http://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article62535717.html
  12. ↑ "Shocking moment a savage brawl breaks out at a park after a man sucker punches another before being attacked by a group of people", Daily Mail, UK, November 12, 2016
  13. ↑ http://mynorthwest.com/1090530/dori-artesian-commons-park-olympia/
  14. ↑ Moltar02 (April 7, 2016), "Intro: Artesian Commons Park", Climate change in Olympia, Washington (blog), The Evergreen State College
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