HOT SPRINGS ARE MAGICAL.

I MEAN THEY HAVE THIS ABILITY TO INVOKE THE FOLKLORE WITHIN US - THERE'S OVER 120 IDENTIFIED HOT SPRINGS IN COLORADO, AND THEY'RE A WONDERFUL GIFT OF THE EARTH TO US.

- HOT SPRINGS ARE ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO COME TO WHEN YOU NEED TO EMBRACE YOURSELF, MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT.

AND YOU GO THERE KNOWING THAT THIS IS YOUR ANCESTRAL HOMELAND.

- THESE WATERS WERE ALWAYS USED BY NATIVE PEOPLE SINCE FOREVER.

IT WAS A SPECIAL AREA FOR PEOPLE THAT WOULD BELIEVE IN THE HEALING POWERS OF THE WATERS.

- SO WE WANT TO PROTECT THE SPRINGS FROM BEING DISRUPTED.

WE DON'T WANT THEM TO GO AWAY.

THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL.

PEOPLE STILL ENJOY THEM.

- IT CONNECTS YOU TO THE EARTH, IT CONNECTS YOU TO OTHER PEOPLE, BUT ALSO IT CONNECTS YOU WITH YOURSELF, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S MORE MAGICAL THAN SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

♪ (MUSIC PLAYING) - MY PEOPLE, THE UTE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN COMING HERE FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

SO THESE HOT SPRINGS IN THIS AREA, WE WOULD COME TO HEAL OURSELVES TO GET THAT OVERALL MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT TO RECONNECT AGAIN.

BUT AS A CULTURE COMING INTO HOT SPRINGS, THAT'S THE CULTURE OF UTE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR TIME IMMEMORIAL.

THE UTE PEOPLE, WE ARE A MOUNTAIN PEOPLE.

THE MOUNTAINS TAUGHT US HOW TO LIVE AND WE NEVER STAYED IN ONE PLACE, YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS FOLLOWED THE SEASONS, FOLLOWED THE GAME, FOLLOWED THE PLANT PEOPLE, AND THAT'S HOW WE LIVED UPON THE LAND AND SO WE WERE ONE OF YOUR FIRST GOOD STEWARDS.

WE TOOK CARE OF THE WATER AND WATER, BEING IT WARM, BE IT COLD, YOU KNOW, SHE'S A PART OF US, WHO WE ARE.

- WATER IS ONE OF THE OLDEST THERAPIES THAT MEDICINE HAS.

YOU CAN FIND CULTURES USING WATER FOR HEALTH AND WELLNESS, AND ALSO FOR SPIRITUAL PURPOSES THAT GO BACK THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

AND WHEN IT COMES TO HOT SPRINGS, BECAUSE WE HAVE THE ROCKIES AND WE HAVE THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE, THERE'S ACTUALLY QUITE A LOT OF HYDROTHERMAL ACTIVITY IN THE COLORADO ROCKY AREA.

- WE HAVE MINERAL SPRINGS HERE AND WE HAVE HOT SPRINGS, TWO VERY DIFFERENT PROCESSES THAT GO INTO THESE, AND THE WAY TO THINK ABOUT THIS IS WE HAVE TO KIND OF DIAL THE CLOCK BACK.

WE HAVE TO GO 200 MILLION YEARS AGO.

THAT'S WHEN PANGAEA STARTED TO BREAK UP.

THAT WAS A SUPERCONTINENT.

WHEN IT STARTED TO BREAK UP AND START TO MOVE THESE PLATES AROUND.

THE FARALLON PLATE, WHICH WAS BASICALLY ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE NORTH AMERICAN PLATE, STARTED TO SUBDUCT UNDERNEATH.

SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO DIAL THE CLOCK FORWARD A LITTLE BIT.

66 MILLION YEARS AGO, WE'RE STARTING TO COMPRESS THE LAND A LITTLE BIT MORE.

THAT FARALLON PLATE IS SUBDUCTED EVEN MORE, AND WE GET THIS BIG UPLIFTING OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

- ABOUT 70 MILLION YEARS AGO WE HAD AN EPISODE THAT WE CALL THE LARAMIDE OROGENY.

OROGENY IS JUST A BIG WORD FOR MOUNTAIN BUILDING AND STRUCTURING OF THE EARTH.

SO THAT'S WHERE WE GOT THE PRESENT DAY MOUNTAINS THAT WE SEE HERE AND DURING THAT TIME YOU'VE GOT ZONES OF WEAKNESS OPENING UP, FAULTS, FRACTURES, AND THAT SORT OF THING.

- WHEN YOU START TO PUSH ROCK AGAINST ROCK, SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE, AND IT WILL GIVE IN EITHER FOLDING OR IT WILL GIVE IN FAULTING AND THAT'S BREAKING THE ROCK.

- WHAT WE HAVE IN THAT SITUATION IS THE GROUNDWATER COMES DOWN, MOVES DEEP INTO THE EARTH, AND IN THAT PROCESS OF MOVING DEEP INTO THE EARTH AND THEN COMING BACK UP.

IT'S BEING HEATED BY THE GEOTHERMAL GRADIENT OF THE EARTH AND THEN AS THAT WATER BECOMES HOT IT BECOMES BUOYANT AND COMES TO THE SURFACE.

SO THOSE FAULTS AND FRACTURES BECOME THE PLUMBING FOR HOT SPRINGS AND BECAUSE YOU HAVE A HIGHER GEOTHERMAL GRADIENT IN SOME LOCATIONS IN THE MOUNTAINS, THE CIRCULATION OF THAT WATER DOESN'T HAVE TO GO AS DEEP TO PICK UP THAT HEAT.

THIS IS AN INTERPRETIVE GEOTHERMAL GRADIENT MAP OF COLORADO PROJECTING THE TEMPERATURE AT CERTAIN DEPTHS WITHIN THE EARTH.

THIS IS A PROJECTED TEMPERATURE AT 10,000 FT, AND COLORADO HAS ONE OF THE BEST RESOURCES IN THE NATION FOR WHAT WE CALL ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS.

SO AS YOU MOVE DEEPER IN THE EARTH, YOU'RE GETTING WARMER, BUT IT ALSO RELATES TO THE STRUCTURING OF THE EARTH AND WHERE THOSE ZONES OF WEAKNESS WHERE HEAT AND HOT WATER CAN MOVE TO THE SURFACE.

- SO THE GEOTHERMAL GRADIENT IN GENERAL VARIES AND IT'S HIGHER IN THE WESTERN U.S.

AND COLORADO IS PART OF IT.

AND WESTERN COLORADO ALSO HAS TYPICALLY HIGHER GEOTHERMAL GRADIENTS THAN THE EASTERN PART OF THE STATE.

SO HERE'S THE GEOTHERMAL OR KIND OF HEAT FLOW MAP.

AND SO YOU CAN SEE THE RED, IT'S JUST HOTTER, HIGHER HEAT FLOW COMING UP.

AND THESE ARE THE HOT SPRING LOCATIONS.

SO HEAT FLOWS HIGHER HERE AND THEN HOT SPRINGS, THERE IS A GOOD CORRELATION.

AND THEN IF YOU LOOK AT HEAT FLOW IN COLORADO, THIS IS THE COLORADO HERE, STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, AND THEN THAT'S ALL THE HOT SPRINGS IN COLORADO.

MY NAME IS SHEMIN GE.

I AM A PROFESSOR IN THE GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES, AND MY EXPERTISE IS IN HYDROGEOLOGY, WHICH MEANS I STUDY GROUNDWATER FLOW IN ROCKS AND SOILS.

AND SO ONE OF THE MAIN PARTS OF HOT SPRINGS IS THE GEOTHERMAL GRADIENT.

IT'S EVERYWHERE.

AND THEN THE OTHER KEY PART OF HOT SPRINGS IS WATER CIRCULATION, AND THEN YOU HAVE TO HAVE FRACTURES AND FAULTS.

SO THESE ARE REALLY THE THREE MAIN THINGS YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE HOT SPRINGS.

- IN COLORADO THERE'S OVER 120 IDENTIFIED HOT SPRINGS.

SOME OF THESE ARE GROUPED IN AREAS LIKE GLENWOOD SPRINGS, WHICH IS COMPOSED OF 12 TO 15 HOT SPRINGS, AND ONE OF THE REASONS THERE ARE SO MANY HOT SPRINGS IN THAT AREA IS THE LEADVILLE LIMESTONE.

BECAUSE THE LEADVILLE LIMESTONE CAN CARRY SO MUCH WATER AND SO THE BIG SPRING, THE YAMPA SPRING AT GLENWOOD SPRINGS IS THE LARGEST IN THE STATE AT OVER 2000 GALLONS PER MINUTE.

-SO DOWN HERE, OUR MOTHER SPRING DOWN HERE IS WHERE THAT WATER COMES OUT OF THE GROUND ORIGINALLY.

IN THE MIDDLE IS WHERE IT WILL ACTUALLY GO UNDERGROUND TO THE ORIGINAL SPRING.

WE'VE NEVER REACHED THE BOTTOM OF THAT SPRING.

THE CAMERAS HAVE BEEN SENT DOWN, BUT WE DON'T KNOW HOW DEEP THAT EXACT SPRING IS.

WHAT WE DO KNOW IS HOW MUCH WATER IS COMING UP.

WE DO GET OVER 3 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER THAT COME UP OUT OF THAT SPRING EVERY SINGLE DAY.

MY NAME IS TAYLOR MAYS, I'M THE POOL MANAGER HERE AT THE GLENWOOD HOT SPRINGS.

GLENWOOD SPRINGS RESORTS HAS BEEN SOMETHING TO EVERYBODY.

IT'S WHAT REALLY DEVELOPED THIS PART OF COLORADO.

THIS WHOLE TOWN WAS BUILT AND FOUNDED AROUND THE HOT SPRINGS BEING HERE.

- IN 1887, THE DENVER AND RIO GRANDE RAILROAD ARRIVED IN GLENWOOD SPRINGS WITH PASSENGER STOPS EASTBOUND AND WESTBOUND.

THIS CREATED A TOURIST BOOM, AND WITH THE REJUVENATING HOT SPRINGS, IT BECAME A WELLNESS DESTINATION, AND THIS INCLUDED PRESENT DAY VAPOR CAVES AND THE GLENWOOD SPRINGS POOL, WHICH IS STILL CONSIDERED THE LARGEST OUTDOOR MINERAL HOT SPRINGS POOL IN THE WORLD.

- OVER HERE WE HAVE OUR GRAND POOL.

THAT POOL IS 1,078,000 GALLONS BY ITSELF.

IF YOU KIND OF LOOK ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE POOL HERE, SEE OUR ORIGINAL SANDSTONE BUILDING THAT WAS PART OF THIS PROPERTY WHEN WE OPENED IN 1888.

- DADDY, WATCH THIS!

CANNONBALL!

- THE FORTUNATE THING ABOUT THIS RESORT IS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE GREW UP HERE LOCALLY AND THEY HAVE THOSE MEMORIES WE MEET PEOPLE THAT COME BACK AFTER 20-30 YEARS AND HAVE THOSE SAME STORIES ABOUT GROWING UP OR LEARNING HOW TO SWIM IN THIS POOL.

- GROWING UP I'VE ALWAYS HEARD THAT HOT SPRINGS WERE VERY SPECIAL THAT THE WATERS CAN SOMETIMES HEAL PEOPLE AND THESE WATERS WERE ALWAYS USED BY NATIVE PEOPLE SINCE FOREVER.

- GLENWOOD SPRINGS WAS ONE OF THOSE KEY AREAS WITH HOW THE GLENWOOD CANYON WAS ONE OF THE MAIN ROUTES WEST IF YOU WERE CENTRALLY LOCATED IN COLORADO.

SO THIS WAS ALWAYS A MAIN ATTRACTION FOR UTE INDIANS.

THIS WAS A PLACE THEY WOULD TRAVEL TO AND SEEK ANY OF THAT HEALING PROPERTIES FROM THE MINERAL WATER ITSELF.

- WE STILL ARE DRAWN TO THESE PLACES TO HELP OURSELVES BY, YOU KNOW, JUMPING IN THE WATERS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF BLESSING OURSELVES AND, YOU KNOW, FLUSHING OUT THE BAD TOXINS.

- GLENWOOD SPRINGS IS THE HEART OF UTE COUNTRY, AND THAT WAS WHERE WE WOULD GO BECAUSE OF THE CEREMONIAL PLACES AND THE PLANTS AND DIFFERENT MINERALS THAT ARE THERE WITHIN THAT CANYON THAT MAKE IT A VERY GOOD PLACE FOR US TO GO TO.

- THE COLORADO RIVER CORRIDOR NORTH OF HERE WAS THE WHITE RIVER BAND OF UTES.

SOUTH OF THE RIVER WAS MORE OR LESS THE UNCOMPAHGRE,TABEGUACHE,WEENUCHE BUT GENERALLY THIS AREA WAS KIND OF LIKE A COMBINATION JOINT USE I GUESS OF BOTH BANDS BECAUSE IT WAS A SPECIAL AREA FOR PEOPLE THAT WOULD BELIEVE IN THE HEALING POWERS OF THE WATERS.

- IN THAT CANYON THERE, GLENWOOD SPRINGS, IT WAS FOR IF YOU WERE SICK AND YOU DIDN'T FEEL GOOD, IT WAS A NATURAL PLACE TO GO ALONG WITH THE CAVES, THE VAPOR CAVES.

SO THOSE VAPOR CAVES ARE LIKE OUR SWEAT LODGES GOING BACK INTO MOTHER EARTH.

- GROWING UP CULTURALLY I PARTICIPATED IN A LOT OF SWEAT LODGE CEREMONIES SO THE VAPOR CAVES GIVES ME THAT GENERAL FEELING OF A SWEAT LODGE BUT IN A NATURAL SENSE.

THEY SAY WHEN YOU'RE IN THE SWEAT LODGE, YOU'RE SWEATING OUT A LOT OF THE BAD ENERGY, BAD THINGS THAT MIGHT BE ATTACHED OR INSIDE OF YOU.

IT COMES OUT IN THAT SWEAT IN THAT HEAT.

- GLENWOOD SPRINGS HAS THE ONLY NATURAL VAPOR CAVES THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO VERIFY LIKE THIS IN THE WORLD.

ALL OF THEM HAVE BEEN USED BY THE INDIGENOUS TRIBES OF THE AREA FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS AS A SWEAT LODGE.

IT'S REALLY THEIR PLACE TO COME AND COMMUNE WITH EARTH.

YOU GO DOWN 22 STEPS INTO THE EARTH AND YOU GO THROUGH A PASSAGE ABOUT 50 FEET INTO THE MOUNTAIN.

IT'S ABOUT 112 DEGREES, 100% HUMIDITY, AND IT'S A NATURAL STEAM ROOM IN A CAVE FORMATION THAT IS CREATED NATURALLY THROUGH HOT SPRING WATER THAT CARVED IT OUT OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS.

- THE LEADVILLE LIMESTONE UNDERNEATH GLENWOOD SPRINGS CAN BE DISSOLVED FAIRLY EASILY BY WATER.

REGULAR TEMPERATURE WATER WILL DO THE TRICK, BUT IF YOU HAVE HEATED WATER, IT'LL MAXIMIZE THAT KIND OF SOLUTIONING OF THE CALCIUM CARBONATE IN THE ROCK.

AND SO IN GLENWOOD SPRINGS THERE ARE THE GLENWOOD CAVES.

THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF THE SOLUTION ENHANCEMENT OF FRACTURES AND FAULTS THAT HAPPEN IN THE LEADVILLE LIMESTONE.

- OUR MEDICINE PEOPLE A LONG, LONG, LONG TIME AGO WOULD USE THESE WATERS IN DIFFERENT WAYS TO HEAL PEOPLE AND MAKE YOU KNOW PEOPLE THAT WERE NOT SICK FEEL NOT SICK OR BETTER.

SO MY UTE PEOPLE HAVE CHANGED QUITE A BIT SINCE COLONIZATION, BUT WE STILL HAVE THAT WITHIN US.

- AT THE SAME TIME THAT SETTLERS WERE MOVING INTO WESTERN COLORADO, DISEASE AND ILLNESSES WERE RAMPANT IN EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA, AND TUBERCULOSIS, ALSO KNOWN AS TB, WAS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE 1800S.

SO STARTING IN THE 1860S, TB PATIENTS AND OTHER PEOPLE DEALING WITH ILLNESS FLOODED COLORADO AS DOCTORS CLAIMED THAT THE FRESH AIR, HIGH ALTITUDES, AND ABUNDANT SUNSHINE WERE KIND OF A CURE-ALL FOR ALL AILMENTS, AND THIS INCLUDED HOT SPRINGS.

THIS PHOTO HERE IS OF PAGOSA SPRINGS.

IT'S THE VIEW ACROSS THE SAN JUAN RIVER TO THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICT OF PAGOSA SPRINGS, AND THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN IN ABOUT 1890 TO 1910.

- THE TOWN OF PAGOSA SPRINGS WAS NAMED AFTER THE SPRING THAT WAS HERE, OBVIOUSLY, BUT THE NATIVE POPULATIONS AROUND HERE HAVE BEEN USING THE WATER SINCE PRE-RECORDED HISTORY TIME, AND THEY HAVE A DEEP ORAL TRADITION ABOUT THE WATERS.

AND WHERE I'M AT IS ON THE RIVER OF THE SAN JUAN AND ALONG THE SAN JUAN, THE UTE PEOPLE WHO LIVED OUT HERE A LONG TIME AGO BEFORE THIS TOWN WAS ESTABLISHED AND USED TO COME TO PAGOSA ALL THE TIME.

IT'S A PLACE TO CLEANSE YOURSELF.

IT'S A PLACE OF HEALING.

- THE WATERS HERE HAVE BEEN USED SINCE BEFORE COLONIAL TIMES, BUT PEOPLE WERE COMING HERE IN PIONEER DAYS AS A FORM OF HEALTH CARE.

THIS WAS A PRIMARY SOURCE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE FOR THEIR HEALTH CARE.

THEY'D COME AND SPEND A FEW WEEKS DURING THE YEAR JUST TO RECOVER AND RESTORE THEMSELVES TO HEALTH.

MY NAME IS DOCTOR MARCUS COPLAND.

I'M THE MEDICAL ADVISOR FOR THE RESORT IN PAGOSA SPRINGS, COLORADO.

I MEAN, WHAT'S GREAT, FIRST OF ALL IS JUST THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT WE CAN FIT HERE AND YOU KNOW, IT'S EVERYONE'S KIND OF FINDING THEIR OWN PATHWAY AS THEY'RE HERE, DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES OF THE WATER AND THEN OF COURSE WE'VE GOT THE COLD PLUNGE HERE WHICH IS JUST THE SAN JUAN RIVER.

- I'M GETTING OUT ALREADY.

-ALRIGHT, BUD.

- WITH HOT SPRING BATHING, THERE'S 3 MAIN EFFECTS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET: A THERMAL EFFECT, A PHYSICAL EFFECT, AND A MINERAL EFFECT.

SO THE THERMAL EFFECT OBVIOUSLY IS THE HEAT, THE DEGREE OF THE HEAT STRESS ON THE BODY, THE PHYSICAL ASPECT IS THAT KIND OF BUOYANCY, THAT ANTI-GRAVITY EFFECT THAT YOU GET WHEN YOU'RE SOAKING IN THE WATER.

AND THAT MINERAL EFFECT IS WHAT MAKES HOT SPRINGS UNIQUE AND EACH HOT SPRING DOES HAVE THEIR OWN BALANCE OF MINERALS, BUT IT REALLY ISN'T MORE IS BETTER BUT EVERYONE WILL BE DIFFERENT AND DIFFERENT PEOPLE GRAVITATE TOWARDS DIFFERENT SPRINGS.

- SO IT WOULD DEPENDENT ON WHAT YOU WERE TRYING TO DO.

SO I COME HERE TO PAGOSA WHEN I'M NOT FEELING WELL AND I REALLY NEED TO HEAL AND MAKE MYSELF FEEL BETTER BECAUSE THE PROPERTIES AND THE IRON AND THAT SULFUR, THIS IS THE PLACE YOU WOULD COME TO, TO WORK THOSE THINGS OUT OF YOU.

- PROBABLY THE MOST STRIKING MINERAL THAT PEOPLE EXPERIENCE WHEN THEY COME HERE IS SULFUR.

IT'S THAT KIND OF EARTHY SMELL THAT YOU GET RIGHT BEFORE YOU EVEN SEE THE PROPERTY.

AND THAT SULFUR MINERAL HAS BEEN REALLY EXTENSIVELY RESEARCHED IN TERMS OF WHAT IT DOES FOR THE BODY.

SO FOR INSTANCE, IF YOU TAKE SOMEONE AND YOU SOAK THEM IN A SULFUR POOL LIKE WE HAVE HERE AND YOU TAKE ANOTHER PERSON AND YOU SOAK THEM IN JUST A PLAIN TAP WATER POOL AT THE SAME TEMPERATURE, WE CAN SHOW THAT THE SULFUR IN THE WATER IS ACTUALLY INCREASING REDUCTION IN PAIN, INCREASING CIRCULATORY BENEFITS, AND LOWERING INFLAMMATION.

- WE CALL IT PAGOSA, MEANING STINKY SMELLY WATER PA IS WATER, AND SO THIS IS PAGOSA, MEANING IT'S SMELLY, IT HAS THAT STRONG SULFURIC SMELL TO IT.

- EACH POOL, NOT ONLY DOES IT HAVE A DIFFERENT TEMPERATURE, BUT EACH POOL HAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF BUILD TO IT.

SO THERE'S DIFFERENT FEATURES WITHIN THE POOL.

THERE'S DIFFERENT SIZES WITHIN THE POOLS.

SOME ARE MORE ACTIVE, SOME ARE MORE SOCIAL, SOME ARE MORE QUIET, MORE ZEN, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE CAN KIND OF FIND THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE HERE.

SO WHEN YOU'RE OUT SOAKING IN OUR WATER, YOU CAN NOTICE THAT THERE'S KIND OF A TEXTURE OR ALMOST CLOUDINESS TO IT, AND THAT ACTUALLY BUILDS UP AS THE WATER SPILLS OVER.

ALL THESE ROCK FACES THAT WE SEE HERE ARE ACTUALLY PRECIPITATED MINERALS THAT OVER MANY, MANY YEARS HAVE JUST BUILT UP, BUILT UP AND BUILT UP.

SO WE CALL THAT TUFA, AND THAT TUFA IS ACTUALLY JUST THE MINERAL THAT'S FALLEN OUT OF SOLUTION WITH THE WATER AND CREATED THESE BEAUTIFUL KINDS OF ORGANIC EVOLVING SCULPTURES THAT WE GET TO LIVE ALONGSIDE OF.

- WATER AND ROCKS INTERACT ALL THE TIME AND THE WATER WILL REFLECT WHAT ROCKS IT HAS PASSED THROUGH.

SO DIFFERENT PLACES IN COLORADO WILL HAVE DIFFERENT CHEMISTRIES, FOR EXAMPLE, IN STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, THERE'S A NUMBER OF SPRINGS.

SOME ARE WARM, SOME ARE HOT, AND SOME ARE JUST MINERAL SPRINGS AND THE MINERALOGICAL DIFFERENCES IN THE MANY SPRINGS IN STEAMBOAT SPRINGS ARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ROCK THAT THAT WATER IS MOVING THROUGH.

- THERE ARE OVER 150 SPRINGS AT LEAST IN STEAMBOAT AND EVEN WHEN YOU GO 50 FEET AND YOU HAVE ONE SPRING VERSUS THE OTHER AND THEY'RE SO MINERALOGICALLY AND BIOLOGICALLY DIFFERENT EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE ONLY 50 FEET AWAY.

ACROSS THE RIVER FROM US WE HAVE SEVERAL MINERAL SPRINGS.

THE FIRST ONE ON OUR LEFT IS CALLED TERRACE SPRING.

THE ROCK THAT'S BEHIND HERE THAT THE SPRINGS ARE COMING OUT ON AND IT'S ACTUALLY DEPOSITING TRAVERTINE.

SO THIS IS A LITTLE TRAVERTINE MOUND.

I AM AUDREY WALKER.

I LIVE HERE IN STEAMBOAT, HAVE BEEN HERE ABOUT 20 YEARS.

I TEACH GEOLOGY UP AT COLORADO MOUNTAIN COLLEGE.

I'M ALSO ON THE MINERAL SPRINGS COMMITTEE FOR THE CITY OF STEAMBOAT SPRINGS.

SO THIS IS STEAMBOAT SPRING.

THIS IS OUR NAMESAKE.

IT HAS TWO LITTLE ENTRY POINTS HERE.

YOU CAN SEE HOW THE GAS IS JUST BUBBLING UP AND THERE'S SOME ALGAE IN THE WATER.

IT ALSO HAS THAT LIGHT TURQUOISE COLOR TO IT, SO IT'S A LITTLE HIGHER IN LITHIUM THAN SAY SOME OF THE OTHER SPRINGS THAT WE HAVE.

AS FAR AS THE MINERAL SPRINGS RIGHT HERE IN TOWN, SOME OF THEM YOU JUST WOULDN'T GO SIT IN THEM.

IT'S FULL OF CAT TAILS AND WHO KNOWS WHAT LITTLE CREATURES LIVE IN THEM.

THE HOT SPRINGS ARE THE ONES THAT ARE THE ONES THAT ARE PLEASANT TO SIT IN.

OLD TOWN HOT SPRINGS AND STRAWBERRY PARK HOT SPRINGS.

- SO THE SOURCE OF STRAWBERRY HOT SPRINGS IS JUST RIGHT HERE.

IT HAS 35 GALLONS A MINUTE OF HOT WATER FLOWING OUT.

THE WATER COMES OUT AT 148 DEGREES.

AND BY THE TIME IT FLOWS DOWN THROUGH HERE AND INTO THE POOLS, IT'S COMING INTO THE POOLS AT 118 OR 20.

IT COOLS DOWN PRETTY QUICK AFTER THAT.

WE LIKE TO KEEP OUR POOLS BETWEEN 102 AND 106.

- MY NAME IS ADAM GEISLER.

I WORK AT STRAWBERRY PARK HOT SPRINGS.

I HAVE FOR 17 YEARS NOW, AND I'M THE GENERAL MANAGER CURRENTLY.

HERE'S SOME OLD PICTURES OF THE HOT SPRINGS.

THIS IS THE SOURCE COMING DOWN.

YOU CAN SEE A COUPLE OF THE LITTLE POOLS THAT THESE INDIVIDUALS MADE ALONGSIDE HOT SPRING CREEK TO HOLD UP THAT HOT WATER TO SIT IN.

THIS IS THE SPRING ON OUR SIDE OF THE RIVER THAT WE'RE ON NOW.

THERE'S ONLY SO MANY GEOTHERMAL HOT POOLS THAT DON'T HAVE AN ODOR FROM SULFUR AND COME OUT OF THE GROUND AT JUST THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE AND THE THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS OF IT ALL.

FEELS GREAT AFTER A LONG HARD DAY IN THE MOUNTAINS.

IT'S JUST A PERFECT LITTLE OASIS THAT HAS GROWN IN POPULARITY OVER THE YEARS AS STEAMBOAT HAS GROWN AND MORE PEOPLE COME TO VISIT THE MOUNTAIN.

- HOT SPRINGS CONTINUE AS A POPULAR ACTIVITY FOR RESIDENTS AND TOURISTS ALIKE, ALONG WITH THE REGION'S OTHER RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES.

SO HOT SPRINGS REALLY PAIR WELL WITH A LONG DAY OUT IN THE SUN, HIKING, SKIING, SNOWMOBILING, WHATEVER YOU'RE ENGAGED IN.

HOT SPRINGS SEEMS TO BE THE ANSWER TO ACHY MUSCLES AT THE END OF A LONG DAY.

THE SURROUNDING TOWNS AND RESIDENTS ALSO BENEFITED ECONOMICALLY FROM HOT SPRINGS BECAUSE IT BROUGHT TOURISTS AND OTHER FOLKS COMING TO THE AREA.

PAGOSA SPRINGS, FOR EXAMPLE, ATTRACTS 175,000 VISITORS ANNUALLY.

PAGOSA ALSO DEVELOPED A GEOTHERMAL HEATING SYSTEM IN THE EARLY 1980S, WHICH PROVIDES HEAT TO SOME OF THE TOWN'S BUILDINGS, SO RESIDENTS BENEFIT FROM HOT SPRINGS IN A MULTITUDE OF WAYS.

- WE ARE ONE OF 19 GEOTHERMAL HEATING DISTRICTS IN THE UNITED STATES AND IT'S NOT WARM ENOUGH FOR US TO GENERATE OUR OWN ELECTRICITY, BUT YOU CAN HEAT YOUR HOME, HEAT YOUR BUSINESS, SIDEWALK ICE AND SNOW MELT.

IN THE PAGOSA SPRINGS AREA THEY HAVE UTILIZED THE HOT WATER NOT ONLY FOR RECREATIONAL PURPOSES BUT FOR SPACE HEATING.

THEY HAVE DRILLED SEVERAL WELLS IN TOWN.

TO PUMP THE WATER AT DEPTH INTO A PIPING SYSTEM, PUT IT THROUGH A HEAT EXCHANGER SO THE HEAT FROM THE MINERALIZED WATER GETS TRANSFERRED TO THE CLEAN WATER AND THEN IT'S PIPED AROUND TOWN TO DIFFERENT BUILDINGS.

- SO THE RAW GEOTHERMAL COMES IN AT ROUGHLY AROUND 145 DEGREES.

ONCE IT GOES THROUGH THE HEAT EXCHANGER AND LEAVES THE BUILDING AS RAW GEOTHERMAL, IT'S SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 120, 124 DEGREES.

- SO, OUR GEOTHERMAL HEATING DISTRICT WE HAVE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT WELLS THAT ARE ARTESIAN PRESSURE, WHICH IS JUST THE NATURAL PRESSURE THAT THE WATER IS GETTING PUSHED OUT OF THE GROUND SO WE DON'T HAVE TO PUMP THE WATER BASICALLY.

SO AS A HEAT SOURCE IT'S A GREAT WAY TO HEAT BUILDINGS AND PROVIDE HEAT FOR LIGHT INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES THAT ONCE THE SYSTEM IS ESTABLISHED IS A LOW COST SYSTEM.

IT'S A KEY COMPONENT TO RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES.

IT'S REALLY THE ONLY ONE THAT'S AVAILABLE THAT IS 24/7,365.

IF YOU PUT IN A SOLAR PANEL, YOU'RE NOT GETTING MUCH SOLAR ENERGY AT NIGHT, AND WHEN THE WIND'S NOT BLOWING, A TURBINE'S NOT BLOWING.

SO THERE IS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY, ESPECIALLY HERE IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE THERE ARE MULTIPLE POCKETS AROUND THE WESTERN UNITED STATES THAT HAVE A LOT OF GEOTHERMAL ACTIVITY.

- IN THE LONG RUN THAT SOURCE OF ENERGY IS NOT GOING TO GO AWAY.

IT ALSO DOESN'T PRODUCE CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE ATMOSPHERE, AND I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT THOSE KINDS OF SOURCES OF ENERGY THAT ARE CLEAN AND ARE NOT GOING TO GO AWAY.

BUT THERE ARE LIMITATIONS, SO I MEAN, WHERE WE'RE AT NOW WITH OUR 33 CUSTOMERS AND HOW THEY USE IT, WE HAVE ROOM TO MAYBE GET TO ABOUT 40, BUT WE'RE LIMITED ON OUR FLOW AND THE TEMPERATURE OF THE WATER SO IT'S NOT NECESSARILY AN ENDLESS RESOURCE.

- YOU CAN'T DEPLETE THE HEAT THAT'S COMING FROM THE CENTER OF THE EARTH AND COMING TO THE SURFACE, BUT IF THERE'S LESS WATER THAT IS COMING INTO COLORADO, IT COULD HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE HOT SPRINGS IN THE STATE.

SO CLIMATE CHANGE COULD HAVE, I THINK, A SMALL EFFECT ON THE HOT SPRINGS IN COLORADO.

IF IT CHANGES THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE IN COLORADO.

FOR EXAMPLE, WE GET A LOT OF RAINFALL IN OUR MOUNTAINS AND SNOWPACK, AND THAT WATER IS WHAT DRIVES THE HYDRODYNAMICS OF WATER MOVING DOWN INTO THE EARTH AND THEN UP ALONG ZONES OF WEAKNESS TO OUR HOT SPRINGS.

SO IF COLORADO BECOMES A HIGH DESERT WITHOUT ANY PRECIPITATION TO SPEAK OF, THAT WOULD LIMIT THE NUMBER OF HOT SPRINGS AROUND THE STATE.

- IN TERMS OF WHETHER CLIMATE CHANGE WILL IMPACT HOT SPRINGS, MAYBE NOT IN THE TIME FRAME OF A YEAR OR A MONTH OR WEEKS.

I THINK IN THE LONG RUN, YES.

PART OF THE REASON IS CLIMATE CHANGE WILL IMPACT THE WATER CYCLE.

AND WATER IS A HUGE COMPONENT OF HOT SPRINGS.

IF THE WATER CYCLE IS INTERRUPTED, GROUNDWATER FLOW WILL BE CHANGING.

AND I THINK IT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT.

♪ (MUSIC PLAYING) - WATER IS VERY IMPORTANT.

IT'S LIKE THE SAYING GOES, WATER IS LIFE.

WATER IS A BIG PART OF EVERYTHING, SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT.

- WATER, YOU KNOW, SHE GIVES US EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED AND WITHOUT HER, OUR BODIES WITHOUT HER, WE WOULD, WE WOULD GO AWAY JUST LIKE THE PLANET OR JUST LIKE MOTHER EARTH WOULD GO AWAY.

- SO HAVING RESPECT FOR THAT, HAVING RESPECT FOR THE WATER AND FOR THESE GEOTHERMAL HOT SPRINGS, BECAUSE THEY GO AWAY SOMETIMES AND THEY DON'T COME BACK.

- I HOPE THESE WATERS AND THESE SPECIAL PLACES ARE HERE FOR THE FUTURE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS OF EVERYONE, NOT JUST WE NATIVE PEOPLE BUT FOR WHOEVER IS HERE THAT EVERYONE CAN GET SOMETHING GOOD FROM THEM.

- YOU KNOW YOU CAN TALK ABOUT THESE HOT SPRINGS ALL DAY, BUT YOU WON'T KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE UNTIL YOU GET IN THAT WATER.

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO EXPERIENCE IT IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND IT.

♪ (MUSIC PLAYING)