The Spring on 142: Watering Trough Hill

 From the town hall take 142 North until you get to Witches Gutter. On the left you will see Watering Trough hill and (for lack of any name myself and a couple of old time residents with a map could come up with)  "The Spring on 142." Drivers who travel between Brattleboro and Vernon might have another name for this tricky spot where cars pull into and out of the parking area.  I asked them what they knew about the spring and they shared that the back side of Laurel Ledges is up the hill from the spring and that in 30 years they had never known the spring to stop running even during seasons when wells went dry. But they also warned that the spring does sometimes test positive for bacteria.

Living in Vernon I have never really been concerned about drinking water unless the power goes out and my pump stops working. Vernon doesn't have a town water supply, but we do have plenty of fresh potable water accessed by private wells. It had been on my bucket list for quite some time to visit the spring which seems to have a constant year round stream of visitors.

"What are we going to do in this country when our water turns to sludge?" asks Lindsey while filling  gallon jugs with spring water and loading them into the trunk of her car.  Lindsey is from MA and told me that she used to drink water from the Quabbin Reservoir but hates that it's full of chemicals. She especially dislikes the taste of chlorine. "There aren't many places like this left." she adds. I asked her how she found out about the spring,  "I'm 68 years old" she offers up while pointing to her car,  "I used to come here with my dad. That's my mom in the car."  I picked up a couple of jugs and carried them to her car. She must have been at the spring for some time before I got there as she already had a dozen filled jugs inside her trunk. Lindsey mentions the rollbacks at the EPA and how she wishes that people would keep the area clean.

In 2008 Vermont passed legislation making the state's groundwater a public trust.  I think Lindsey would approve. - Norma Manning

Lindsey fills gallon jugs at the spring on 142

Town Clerk Tim Arsenault's father used to call this spot  "Watering Trough Hill"