ABOUT THIS LOCATION
Parry Spring is located in the road right a way so it is
available 24/7. Please take little ones by the hand and be careful
of cars as this is a country road.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Childhood memories brought me back to this location in the quest
to share yet another piece of history here in Waukesha County.
Parry Spring Artesian Well still runs today, many years after the
closing of the Parry Family Dairy Farm.
The cold Artesian Spring water provided the "refrigeration"
necessary to keep the milk from the dairy cold until the milk man
came to pick it up. The wooden "barrel" structure around the
Artesian provided the holding tank.
GEOLOGICAL INFORMATION
There were four major stages of Ice Age Glaciation that left
their mark on the topography and soils of Wisconsin. The last
stage, called the Wisconsin stage, ended approximately 10,000 years
ago. The outwash plains left stratified deposits consisting of
gravel, sand, silt and clay, laid down by water from the melting
ice fronts.
The water in an artesian well flows from an aquifer, which is a
layer of very porous rock or sediment, usually sandstone, capable
of holding and transmitting large quantities of water.
The geologic conditions necessary for an artesian well are an
inclined aquifer sandwiched between impervious rock layers above
and below which trap water in it.
Water enters the exposed edge of the aquifer at a high elevation
and percolates downward through interconnected pore spaces. The
water held in these spaces is under pressure because of the weight
of water in the portion of the aquifer above it.
If a well is drilled (or dug) from a land surface through the
overlying impervious layer into the aquifer, this pressure will
cause the water to rise in the well. In areas where the slope of
the aquifer is great enough, pressure will drive the water above
ground level in a spectacular, permanent fountain.
Artesian springs (which is what we have here) can occur in
similar fashion where faults or cracks in the overlying impervious
layer allow water to flow upward. Water from an artesian well or
spring is usually cold and free of organic contaminants, making it
desirable for drinking.
Technical data...
Pascal's law predicts the theoretical hydrostatic pressure
P:
where p (rho) is the density of the fluid, g the acceleration
due to gravity, and z is the elevation. In practical terms the
pressure is expressed as metres water column (zr - zw).
To log this earthcache, you must complete 2
tasks.
1) BRING YOUR CAMERA. We would like a photo of your team
with your GPSr at the Artesian Well. However, if you are solo
caching, a photo of your GPSr with enough of the Artesian in the
background that can be identified, will also be accepted. Please
upload your photo(s) with your "found it" log. See photo example
below.
2) BRING A GALLON CONTAINER. Measure the time it takes to
fill the gallon container, then calculate this into gallons per
minute - email me your answer when posting your "found it" log. (If
you do not have a gallon container, use a container of known volume
and do the calculation.)
Please be advised, failure to complete the
TWO tasks listed above (emailing the answer and posting your photo
will result in log deletion without notice.
You do NOT have to wait for confirmation from me before logging
your find. Please do not make any reference to these answers in
your log.
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