Only
in Benson can you get gas from drinking water, maybe
By
Chris Johnsen
April 28, 2005
| BENSON -- After
a long day of hard work nothing hits the spot like a
cold glass of water, but then, most people don't wait
for methane gas to clear from their water before drinking
it. Jim Watterson's well produces not only water, but
methane gas.
"It's better if you wait for the bubbles to clear,"
said Jim.
Bubbles of methane gas pass through the water from the
Watterson's well to their home. The gas is flammable
and Benson residents have seen 4-foot flames shoot from
their water tanks by lighting the gas leaving open tank
valves, said Jim.
"It won't kill you, it may stunt your growth; Barb
would be a lot taller now," said Jim as he described
the water he and his wife drank for 37 years. From his
childhood, Jim recalled lighting a bubbling mud-puddle
on fire and not being able to put it out. Back then,
the gas was so prevalent a neighbor used it to heat
his home and chicken roost, said Jim.
Thirsty?
"It [water] smells like a fart," said Aaron
Tesch, Utah State University student.
Well, perhaps a toilet; the water however, tastes surprisingly
like blood, due to its naturally high iron content.
But, the Wattersons don't harbor a strange fetish for
blood-flavored water; the well water hasn't been used
for drinking for about five years. The taste has deteriorated
over time as the well erodes, releasing more iron.
Jim said in the past the water tasted better than the
local culinary water. In fact, in the early 1900's the
well water was bottled and sent to Salt Lake City to
be sold medicinally for its high iron content.
Although, to
date, the well has not been tested by health officials,
Jim claims the water is safe to drink. He said he thinks
the water may have even helped him and his wife avoid
their family's common ailment, kidney stones.
Besides iron, the well water carries deposits of sand
which creates continual maintenance on the couple's
plumbing. Jim joked about it by saying "I keep
watching this [sand] in hopes that gold will come up
one day."
Although the Watterson's well hasn't pumped out any
yellow gold, black gold hunters have searched the Benson
earth. Sun Oil and Amoco once conducted tests searching
for possible oil deposits, said Jim.
Incidentally, if you should wish to search for your
own methane well, try considering the Watterson's method.
The well was drilled in 1919, in the spot designated
by a witching wand. "This is witchcraft here. .
. . Mother swears by it," said Jim.
To properly witch a well, the witcher holds the forked
end of a 3/4-inch stick of green willow in both hands.
Next, while twisting the forked ends of the willow inward
almost to its breaking point, the witcher walks slowly
over the ground holding the stick out in front. Legend
dictates as the stick passes over the underground water,
it will immediately point down at it.
Skeptical? "We all felt it, didn't we," said
Barb Watterson as she recalled using the witching stick.
It's the disruption of the water in the ground, the
stick comes right around. She pointed to a place she
said the stick had indicated. "Sometimes water
will ooze out."
Smiling, Jim said to remember that while carrying the
stick not to walk too fast. "If you're not careful,
the stick will come back and whack you in the face."
NW
JLC
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