Keough Hot Ditch - Hot Springs in California

Hot water that is flowing out of a hot spring resort because it is not fully used.

There is a good spot for soaking.

NOT Keough's Hot Springs

Keough's Hot Springs, a hot spring resort in Bishop, California, is an interesting facility of historical value, but I am not be going there.

See the ditch behind the sign?

The amount of hot water that flows out of Keough's Hot Springs is so great that there are waters that are not being used up and are flowing out.

The temperature in the ditch that borders the campground and the road was measured to be as high as 124 degrees F.

The temperature of source is said to be 127 degrees F, so it was found that the water was dumped almost before it cooled down.

Alpaca

Is the pool effluent mixed?

I don't care.

Capybara

This area is off-limits because it is the property of Keough's Hot Springs.

The water is too hot to soak in the first place.

Shivering in strong winds

There was a locked gate on the north side of the road 0.2 miles west of the pool, back toward downtown Bishop.

Just under the high-voltage power lines.

It was noted that the property was owned by the City of Los Angeles, which is far away.

This was the scene of the "California Water Wars" of the early 20th century, when the city of Los Angeles, suffering from water shortages, acquired water rights in a fraudulent manner, resulting in a dispute.

Now, I thought it was off-limits, but it turns out that camping and fire are strictly prohibited.

Since everything else seemed to be allowed, I decided to find a place to soak around here.

The hot water that flowed from the facility grew into a stream.

Warning signs written in red.

In fact, an 8-year-old boy died in 2018 as a result of soaking in this place.

The cause of death was Naegleria fowleri, sometimes called the killer amoeba or brain-eating amoeba.

The family of the boy filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, claiming that they failed to take appropriate measures such as chlorine disinfection.

There is no need to be overly fearful of this amoeba, as it can be found almost anywhere in North America's wild waters, but the recent case of infection was worrisome.

As long as the water does not get into your nostrils, you should be fine.

During the flow to this point, the water temp had dropped to 106 degrees F.

The stream poured through a drainage pipe under the dirt road into a pool on the other side.

At the time of my visit, it was a midwinter day with freezing temperatures.

Strong winds blowing down from the Sierra Nevada Mountains blew off the steam, resulting in a painful soaking.

Even so, the clear, colorless, tasteless, and odorless hot water was wonderful.

Here in ”Ditch” had a wild charm that "Hot Springs" did not.

Summary