Saratoga mineral baths cut with tap water 'Watergate'

[MedicCook]

Saratoga mineral baths cut with tap water

You may want to think twice before taking a dip in the famed "natural mineral water" baths at Saratoga Spa State Park.

A Saratoga State Park official has confirmed a New York Post article which reported the baths have been diluted with regular tap water for two decades.

Customers pay $20 to soak in the bubbly water. The state and the company that operates the baths in the park -- Xanterra Parks and Resorts -- mix heated public drinking water with the chilly carbonated mineral waters that made Saratoga famous.

A parks spokeswoman said the agency will inform customers at the Roosevelt and Lincoln baths about the makeup of the water.

http://www.capitalnews9.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=207540

[MedicCook]

The story made Yahoo


N.Y. mineral water spa mixed with tap

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The famed "natural mineral water" baths at Saratoga Spa State Park have been diluted with regular tap water for the past two decades, state officials confirmed Monday.

The park's baths attract about 14,000 customers a year who pay $20 for the privilege of soaking in the bubbly water.

"I thought I was bathing in pure mineral water," Kristina Weilbacher, 22, of San Antonio, Texas, told the New York Post, which first reported the situation. "I definitely should have been told."

State parks spokeswoman Eileen Larrabee said Monday that the state has never had a consumer complaint about the water mix, but she said the state wants to make sure people are fully informed about the makeup of the baths.

"We need to clarify that practice," Larrabee said.

The state and the company that operates the baths, Xanterra Parks & Resorts, mix heated public drinking water with the chilly carbonated mineral water pumped up from more than 1,000 feet below the surface, the newspaper said.

Larrabee said it was not immediately clear why the mixing started. The Post said it began when a mineral water heater used by the park since the 1930s broke down.

"They're lying to the public. It's the state committing fraud," Former Saratoga Springs Mayor Raymond Watkin told the Post.

There was no immediate response Monday to calls seeking comment from Xanterra's Colorado headquarters.

State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, who represents the city, called on the governor's administration to investigate.

"The report that ordinary tap water has been secretly used at the baths could damage Saratoga's reputation and be harmful to business and tourism," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070319/ap_on_re_us/mineral_bath_mixup

[MedicCook]

From the Times Union.


Bruno calls for spa water investigation
Ordinary tap water has been secretly mixed into mineral baths for decades, report says

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- A report that ordinary municipal water is being ``secretly'' mixed into the city's natural mineral baths at Saratoga Spa State Park should be investigated and corrected immediately, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said Monday.

Bruno, whose district includes the city and state-owned Roosevelt and Lincoln bathhouses, said the report in today's New York Post uncovered a fraud that could harm the city's reputation and tourism economy.

``The Post has uncovered a serious fraud that should have been corrected by the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation,'' Bruno said. ``The agency is responsible for overseeing the park and the baths and it must be held accountable to find out what happened and fix it.''

Bruno called on Gov. Eliot Spitzer and acting state Parks Commissioner Carol Ash to conduct the investigation.

State officials could not immediately be reached for a response.

The Saratoga Spa State Park's Web site says the bathhouses mix 52-degree mineral water with 149-degree tap water to get a desired bath temperature of 97 degrees.

People have come for centuries to Saratoga Springs for its special mineral water, which serves as a relaxant, and can cure skin disorders, digestive problems and more, advocates say. But when regular water is added, the baths lose the carbonation that produces a certain fizzy feeling, Commissioner of Public Works Thomas McTygue said.

He said Monday the state did not reinvest in large tanks at the bathhouses that stored and heated the mineral water taken from underground. The tanks may have been replaced with hot water heaters, he said.

``They tore the storage tanks out and whatever was heating the mineral water is no longer in place,'' McTygue said.

The city did see some plans in 1988 that called for the removal of the mineral tanks, but don't know when the state took the tanks out, McTygue said.

The Democratic city official said mixing water at the bathhouses is emblematic of greater issues at the park, which he said had been allowed to fall into disrepair under the Pataki administration.

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=573253&category=&BCCode=HOME&newsdate=3/19/2007

[MedicCook]

I have searched the State Park website's and see nothing about the mixing of tap water. All it talks about is the spring water they use.

[MedicCook]

Post Star 3/20/07



Spa City's own 'Watergate'
Media, politicians decry bathhouse's diluting of storied mineral water

http://www.poststar.com/content/articles/2007/03/20/news/local/116e37fc7d97352f852572a400136a7e2_thumb.jpg

http://www.poststar.com/content/articles/2007/03/20/news/local/116e37fc7d97352f852572a400136a7e3_thumb.jpg

http://www.poststar.com/content/articles/2007/03/20/news/local/116e37fc7d97352f852572a400136a7e4_thumb.jpg

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Parks officials are in hot water for diluting the mineral baths at the historic Saratoga Spa State Park.

Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said he was "deeply disturbed" by a report in Monday's New York Post uncovering the fact that tap water was being used to cut the mineral baths. Bruno called for a full investigation.

"The Post has uncovered a serious fraud that should have been corrected by the State Department of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation," Bruno said in a statement. "The agency is responsible for overseeing the park and the baths and it must be held accountable to find out what happened and fix it."

The Republican warned the report could hurt the Spa City's reputation and be harmful to business and tourism.

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The state and a Colorado-based company, Xanterra Parks & Resorts, operate the Roosevelt Baths and Spa, along with the Gideon Putnam Hotel and Conference Center.

Shawn Goodway, general manager of the Gideon Putnam, said hot tap water is mixed with the mineral water to bring a bath up to body temperature.

"It's been this way since 1988," when Xanterra took over operation of the hotel and baths, Goodway said. He denied that the mixing had ever been a secret, adding that employees point out to customers the steps they take to draw a bath.

The Roosevelt Baths, built in the 1930s, reopened in 2004 after a $3 million renovation. The Lincoln Baths, also located in the park, closed after the renovated bathhouse opened.

The Roosevelt II Bathhouse, located on the main mall of the park, mirrors the Roosevelt Baths, but has been vacant since 1986.

The current practice of mixing the mineral baths with municipal water began about 20 years ago, state parks spokeswoman Eileen Larrabee said, after a mineral water boiler used by the park since the 1930s broke down.

"The public has the right to know," Larrabee said. "The parks agency will conduct a full review -- establishing what happened, the current process used and how to proceed next."

She said the state wants to make sure spa customers are fully informed about the composition of the baths. Signs stating the facility mixes tap water with the mineral water were posted at the Roosevelt Bath and Spa on Monday.

The practice of mixing ordinary tap water and mineral water is not unique to the Roosevelt.

The Crystal Spa on South Broadway mixes hot tap water with mineral water for its baths, supervisor Amanda Colonell said. Mineral water from the ground in Saratoga Springs is about 50 degrees and is warmed to 97 to 100 degrees, she said.

Spas in other parts of the country have springs with mineral water too hot for bathing, and cool it down with cold water.

"It's been going on for centuries," Colonell said.

In the 1700s, Native Americans led British colonists to taste the mineral waters located in Saratoga Springs, and small bathhouses were constructed on the springs. The Washington Bathhouse, which is now the National Museum of Dance, opened in the park in 1920.

The mineral water contains zinc, magnesium, iron, potassium and sulfur, Colonell said. The carbonated baths are said to help increase blood flow and can be used to treat arthritis, rheumatism and skin disorders.

"It has a detoxifying effect," Colonell said.

She added that some people can become "overwhelmed" by a mineral bath.

Louise Goldstein, of the Save the Victoria Pool Society, said she hasn't taken a mineral bath at the park since the renovations to the Roosevelt Baths. A mineral bath usually has a brown tint, but when it reopened, the water was "very brown," Goldstein said.

"When I heard it was brown, I knew something was wrong," she said.

Goldstein said other buildings and facilities in the park, including the Victoria Pool, need work. She blamed the state for not caring enough and neglecting the old buildings.

"The only reason the buildings are standing is because they were overbuilt in the first place, during the Great Depression," she said.

The state is currently seeking proposals to operate the Gideon Putnam and Roosevelt Bath and Spa. Xanterra's lease to run the businesses expires Dec. 31.

http://www.poststar.com/articles/2007/03/20/news/local/116e37fc7d97352f852572a400136a7e.txt

[MedicCook]

From the Saratogian 3/20/07



NY Post 'Expose' all wet

http://images.zwire.com/local/Z/ZWIRE1169/zwire/images/2007/03/story/news_baths3tueWEB_story.jpg

SARATOGA SPRINGS - The Spa City woke up Monday morning to find itself on the front cover of The New York Post in a Fred Dicker-penned article, "Hot Water." After a recent visit to the Roosevelt Baths in the Saratoga Spa State Park, Dicker discovered the baths he thought to contain pure mineral water were being mixed with Saratoga tap water.
"I am deeply disturbed by the report in today's New York Post that ordinary tap water is being secretly used at the famous mineral baths in the Saratoga Spa State Park," said Sen. Bruno in a statement issued Monday.
"The report that ordinary tap water has been secretly used at the baths could damage Saratoga's reputation and be harmful to business and tourism," said Bruno, calling the practice: "a serious fraud."
"My thought on that is if you have some negative news, I don't know how you could say it's a good thing," said Greg Dixon, Vice President of Tourism at the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. "The story I read in The Post painted it as an integrity issue and whether you're involved in tourism or in running a grocery store, you have a responsibility to let people know what's going on," he said.
The story of Saratoga's mineral waters date back to before the formation of the city itself. By the early 19th century, spas had become a fashionable thing for the wealthy to indulge in, with Saratoga at the forefront.
Franklin D. Roosevelt became familiar with Saratoga during his time as governor in the 20th century. As he entered the White House in the early 1930s, a number of buildings would be erected at what today is Saratoga Spa State Park. The first two bathhouses were the Washington - today's National Museum of Dance - and the Lincoln, a building that currently houses the State Park Police. The bath houses in Roosevelt's namesake served as a hospital, a health club complete with mineral baths as well as the setting for a scene in the 1990s film, "The Horse Whisperer."
The mineral water used to be heated and sent to the tubs inside the Roosevelt Bath House. Approximately 20 years ago, the equipment heating the water was removed leaving only cold mineral water running into the tubs. The practice of heating tap water was instituted to mix with the mineral water, keeping the bathing liquid warm.
Dicker estimated he had taken hundreds of baths when he lived in the area, but hadn't immersed himself in them for more than a decade before Saturday afternoon two and a half weeks ago.
"I always loved the baths as a way of relaxing," said Dicker
when reached by telephone Monday night. "I signed up and went in and was surprised to find that the bath was already drawn. Then I got into the tub and it wasn't like the baths of old," he said, realizing they weren't as buoyant as he remembered them as well as noticing the absence of the smell of minerals.
"Those two things together led me to believe there was something very wrong," he said. After investigating, he said he was disappointed to learn that something so fundamental to Saratoga Springs was being altered.
"This is the first complaint that I've heard in 19-1/2 years," said Shawn Goodway, general manager of the Gideon Putnam Resort and Spa, which is operated by Xanterra Parks and Resorts.
The Roosevelt Baths and Spa were recently renovated and opened in the summer of 2004. A 20-minute bath costs $20 and Goodway said as far as he knew, the current company continued the practice of heating the tap water that had existed before he got there. There are 42 tubs at the Roosevelt Spa, each having two spigots. One releases the cold mineral water into the tub, the other, tap water which is heated by a pair of units in the basement at 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
"We knew about the water at the Roosevelt," said Louise Goldstein, co-founder of the Save the Victoria Pool Society.
"We've been trying to bring it to the park's attention for years, but they just said, 'Oh, it's fine,' and act like we were crazy," she said. "It is among the greatest architecture in the country, but all they do is cut back on staff so there are less resources in a park that was already being neglected. It's like your car or your body. You have to maintain the infrastructure," she said.
State parks spokeswoman Eileen Larrabee confirmed the method for heating the mineral baths at the park was changed about 20 years ago when the heating system was removed.
"This matter has only recently come to the attention of the new Parks Administration and as of today, we have instructed the concession contractor to ensure that patrons are being notified that the baths are a mix of mineral and tap water," she said. "The public has a right to know the content of the baths and State Parks will be conducting a full review."
"I hope something positive comes out of it," said Public Works Commissioner Thomas McTygue. "It was the Pataki administration that allowed a lot of our state facilities to deteriorate and there has been very little investment in our facilities throughout the entire park," he said.
"With this coming to light, I hope they do an evaluation of the entire state park and create a master plan to start seeing some kind of improvements," he said.

http://www.saratogian.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18100344&BRD=1169&PAG=461&dept_id=602469&rfi=6

[Tiffany]

Who cares?

[MedicCook]

Who cares?

This is a major scandal for this area. Saratoga Springs became Saratoga Springs because of these mineral springs. The fact that they have misrepresented the product people have been paying for over the last 20 years is fraud.