The Gotthard Pass is a high mountain pass (2106 meters / 6909 feet) connecting the northern German-speaking part with the southern Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. The mountainous area around this pass is home to the source springs of four major Swiss rivers (the Rhein, Reuss, Ticino and Rhone).
Aside from that, there are many small springs on the Gotthard Pass not far from the top where the hotel, restaurant and museum are located. The spring described here is only about a 15-minute walk away. It’s an easy road to walk on (no cars allowed) and the water can easily be collected about 150 meters (164 yards) downstream from the spring’s source. (Or you can go off the road and hike/climb to the actual source.)
What’s amazing and very exciting about this spring is its very low TDS value (total dissolved solids). In fact, I could barely believe my eyes when I measured it and saw the lowest value I have ever measured: a mere 11 ppm ! Wow, that’s very pure water!
As a comparison: the tap water in central Switzerland where I live measures around 160 ppm. A spring very close to my city and half-way up a mountain comes in at 230 ppm.
So I was absolutely amazed and excited to find this very pure spring on the Gotthard Pass today. I think with a TDS value of 11 ppm this spring provides some of the purest water that can be found in nature.
