Ever wonder what’s going on with that spongy spot over near Navy Hall?

After a resident suggested it might be a leaky pipe that could cost the town big bucks, The Lake Report looked into it.

It turns out the land is owned by Parks Canada and the federal agency says there’s a spring flowing just under the surface.

“This water is the result of a natural spring that runs under Fort George national historic site,” said Parks Canada spokesperson Julia Grcevic.

Grcevic said it’s not the only underground spring in Niagara-on-the-Lake. 

There’s another one that flows underneath King street and surfaces close to Queen’s Royal Beach. And another on private property near Ryerson Park seeps to the surface from time to time.

Once upon a time, locals used to fill jugs with the natural spring water to bring home.

The water probably is not safe for consumption any more, though.

Grcevic said people have long stopped drinking it because of “the rise in chemicals and pollutants being used in agriculture” that could become mixed in with the spring water.