Springs Way spring. Pic courtesy of Nurm's Blog.
I published a post a while ago on the valuable learning I got when doing a taste taste with bottled waters.
Read the post here. http://www.spill.co.za/tast-test/taste-test-mineral-water/2088/
Apart from the fact that some the bottled waters are not actually mineral water (tap water which has been bottled), and that you could poison yourself slowly drinking the stuff, the best bit of learning was that the finest water in Cape Town is free, and flows out of a natural spring overflow pipe on the approprately named Springs Way in Newlands.
The article provoked a huge reaction, not only from people who were shocked that well known supermarket brands were actually bottled tap water, but also from people who were delighted to discover that there was a safe, clean source of spring water that was available, 10 minutes drive from Cape Town CBD.
So I have decided to do a posting just on the spring.
I have to thank Norman Rasmussen for this (Nurm’s blog, www.norman.rasmussen.co.za) and also comments from Tim Godfrey from SAB Miller Breweries, who shed a light on how good this water is and its origins.
Firstly, it’s location. You can use your sat nav to guide you to 33 58 28 S, 18 27 28 e. Alternatively, if you are a paper generation analogue type person, drive out of town along the M3.
Take the Princess Anne exit (Signed for Rondebosch).
Drive down the hill after the exit and turn right onto Newlands Avenue. When you get halfway up, with the BP petrol station on your left, and the Forresters Arms on your right, you should prepare to slow down and turn left down Kildare Road, which is about three turns left after Palmboom Road.
Drive down Kildare, and the last turn left before the roundabout in the village (Melissas, Barristers Pub etc) is Springs Way. Drive down to the end and there it is. You’ll have to step down into the ditch and bend down to catch the water. If attempting this in darkness you’ll need a torch or a headlamp.
So what most people want to know is whether or not the water is really clean and safe.
I’ll let Tim Godfrey take over here.
Delicious drinking water is the result.
” The Newlands spring is abstracted by SAB, and all beer from the Newlands Brewery is made from only spring water, no municipal water.
The quality is excellent for brewing, it has a pH of 5.6 (same as rainwater), low alkalinity, low mineral content, no contaminants.We do not treat the water in any way. It is textbook quality brewing water, fortunately unpolluted by agriculture and industry.
As a brewer I only drink the spring water, and the products made from it. Forget about the chemical stories, they are not true”.
He adds, ”The spring is owned by SAB and the Newlands Brewery uses only spring water in production of our beers, and have been for well over 100 years. The water is excellent quality and we are able to use it without pre-treatment. It is indeed the reason the brewery exists where it does. What can be collected at the end of Springs Way is the overflow from the spring. The berm around the spring can be seen over the vibracrete wall. It was recorded as already built in 1841 and protects the spring from damage.
It has a low hardness, which would make it the envy of lager style brewers worldwide. It has very low levels of heavy metals (less than tap water) and no contaminants.In short, it is perfect water, much sought after by members of the public in the know. It has cultural and other significance from members of the Muslim community who collect it.
It is sad and ironic that our beers are rumoured to contain chemicals – nothing could be further from the truth, with the spring making 93% of our products.
If anyone is interested I have a short paper on the history and significance of the spring – you can e.mail me on timandsandi@gmail.com”
I drink this water at home all the time now. I only use tap water to shower and to wash the clothes and dishes.
You’d be amazed at the difference in tea, coffee, soups and other water based foods using this water.
So there you have it folks – everything you needed to know about the “magic little spring” in Newlands.
Table Mountain - the source of the spring.
Posted in 
…and now the secret is out!!! Sometimes the most awesome things are here around us, we must just exercise our eyes to see it!!!
Great post! We’ve been drinking this water for years – it really is the most delicious stuff! We take a crate-load of empty 2L Woolies juice bottles and stock up every few weeks, and often give it to family and friends who marvel at it’s flavour. Mmm… now I’m thirsty!
Great tip Jules on the Woolies bottles. Must get some. Thanks for the comments!
Thanks for the comments Nina. The best things in life are free……….Love your blog, keep up the good work!!
I can believe what you say about the spring water, not about SAB beers. Proof is in the drinking i.e. why the headaches after say, three Castles and not after three Windhoeks?
Mike, you get a headache after three castles?? I am having difficulty believing this. Do you mean three kegs?
[...] See my post on the spring; http://www.spill.co.za/the-producers/the-magic-little-spring-springs-way-newlands/2653/ [...]
I have been happily collecting water there for only a month, and appreciate that water sooo much.
I grew up in Manubie, Transkei, where there was a spring 0n my grandpa’s smallholding, and can associate the
palatable Newlands Spring water to that of my youth. So easy in my mouth and can drink glass upon glass.
This is a gift of Nature coming direct from God, our Creator.
Spot on Timothy. The water tastes alive. Makes a damn good ingredient for cocktails, spritzers and ice cubes. It also makes the BEST tea and coffee. You’d be surprised how much the chemicals in municipal water affect the tastes of certain beverages.
I believe the spring is to be shut down due to vehicles restricting access for emergency services (this spring is becoming increasingly popular). On Saturday an ambulance struggled to gain access to the old age home. Are there any other springs around?
That’s a damn shame Justin. Emergency vehicle access is a serious issue and needs to be addressed, but shutting down the spring? sounds like an over reaction to me.
SAB have springs and freshwater sources running from all over the mountain, surely they can locate a faucet or run off pipe somewhere else – the carpark up in the forest for example??
Generations of Capetonians have enjoyed the benefits of the water in Springs Way, there is no need to cut the supply off now.
There is no chance that Newlands Spring access in Springs Way will be shut down: there are millions of years of history there. The council has introduced new yellow street lines plus there are corporate plans to upgrade the rather uncelebratory outlet pipe and improve parking during collection.
Watch that space!
I will watch that space Andrew. In fact, I only live around the corner so me and the dog are going to take a walk over to see what’s happening.
hello Clare, I have been asked by dozens of people for the history of the spring – Is there a way you could post the article? If you PM me I will send you a PDF scan
I drove down Springs way but never ventured to the end as I saw a fence at the end of the road and assumed it was locked.
Is it?
Kind regards,
Abraham
Keep going Abraham, it’s there, 24/7.
The yellow no parking lines were demarkated in error. They have now been removed with one side of the road left in order to prevent traffic jams. Parking is available at the bottom of the road
The spring will not be cut off. It will remain for the citizens of cape town to enjoy its quality
Great to know Tim, where did you come by this information?
With a ph of 5.65 it seems to me slightly acidic, so I would have to up its ph to at least 8 with addition of sodium bicarbonate before drinking this water…imo
Hi Tim,
Just curious…are there restrictions on commercial use of the spring water as SAB is making use of it.
The spring is a wonderful historical collection point but it is also in the heart of a residential area. People collecting water tend not to be that conscious of this, though, and often collect water at as late as 3:00 in the morning talking at the tops of their voices. Although it’s wonderful to live near such a historic landmark it is can be incredibly disruptive having a collection point that is available all day every day. Perhaps more agreeable collection times could be set up so that both water collectors and residents in close proximity can enjoy it. The old age home struggles daily with inconsiderate parking and noisy water collectors.
In response to the issues raised around Springs way access issues and as a service to the citizens of Cape town, Newlands brewery has opened a new access point to the Newlands Spring at the brewery. This is completely free and we would hope that in this spirit that people do not use the water for commercial gain.
The following article is from the Peoples Post.
THE hundreds of Capetonians who make a daily pilgrimage to fill up on the perfect elixir spring water from natural spring overflow pipe in Springs Way, Newlands may now also do so at the SAB brewery in Newlands.
The brewery decided to add an alternative collection point to alleviate congestion in Springs Way.
Douglas February, engineering manager at SAB’s Newlands Brewery, says the spring in Springs Way is owned by SAB and the Newlands Brewery uses only spring water in production of their beers.
Ernest Sonnenberg, Mayoral Committee member for Utility Services of City of Cape Town, says the residents of the old age home opposite the Newlands spring complained to SAB.
He points out that some of the issues included traffic congestion, noise and inaccessibility of family and emergency vehicles to the home.
“Springs Way is not SAB property so there was nothing we could do, but being property owners in the road we wanted to be good neighbours and do our bit to try and help the community,” says February.
He explains they wanted to try and assist the community without exacerbating the problem in Spring Way.
“We didn’t want to make the facility in Springs Way more accommodating because more people might have come to collect. We conducted many workshops and planning with the City and thought of making another feature at the brewery, as it has the space,” February says.
“The process took two years because we had to do tests to ensure the water quality was good. We had to get permission from the City before we let people come and take water for free and we had to evaluate the various technical and risk factors.
“People come to collect water for various reasons such as health, spiritual, environmental and, for some, because it’s free.”
He adds the quality of water is the same.
“Water will always be running there and we would like people to know that it is physically impossible for the water quality at our feature to be different from the one in Springs Way.
“It is a direct line from Springs Way and the water is still the same when it gets here,” February says.
Sarka Svoboda, a Oranjezecht resident who has been collecting spring water for three years, says she prefers the new feature to the one in Springs Way.
“It is easier to drive in here and more convenient when collecting water,” she says.
Svoboda, who collects water two to three times a week for various family members, says she enjoys meeting different people.
“When you come to collect water you meet people from all over Cape Town,” she says.
“People drink spring water for various reasons.
“There is one guy from Mitchells Plain who comes to collect water every week for his son who has diabetes. He feels it’s the best quality water.”
Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, says he collects every four days, as his wife refuses to cook with anything else.
“My wife only cooks with water from the spring and says she can taste the difference in the food, especially in soups and other water-based foods,”he says.
He also points out that his coffee seems to taste better when made with the “best water in Cape Town” and the best part, according to him is, “it doesn’t cost a cent”.
Katherine Tudsbury and her mother, Pat, say they collect water because it has better nutritional value than tap water.
“It is healthier and has a lighter taste than tap water. You don’t get an after taste if you leave spring water standing around,” says Pat.
Where exactly is the spring water collection point at the brewery