Our Story

What's in a name?

Radium Hot Springs was so named because of small traces of Radon in the water. The first analysis of the water from the springs, undertaken by McGill University in 1914, disclosed that it was radio-active, more so than the famous springs at Bath, England. A scheme to bottle and sell the water from the Radium Hot Springs was almost carried out in the early 1900's because it was thought to have therapeutic and medicinal value. The amount of radioactivity is harmless and is much less than that given off by an ordinary watch dial.

A Part of our Heritage

The Radium Hot Springs Aquacourt is a very special building for many reasons. It is rich in Historical, Architectural and Environmental Value and as such has been classified by the Government of Canada as a Federal Heritage Building.

To Learn more about this building's remarkable history and significance, you can visit the Radium Hot Springs Historic Place Listing on www.historicplaces.ca.

From Gravel Pool to Aquacourt

Sir George Simpson, the governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, made the first recorded visit to the springs in 1841. He bathed in a one-person sized pool dug out of the gravel.
James Sinclair followed the same route on his way to Oregon with a group of Red River settlers several weeks later.
By the late 1800's the Columbia Valley saw its first permanent settlers and more people began to use the springs.
The first legally registered owner was Roland Stuart, an Englishman, who purchased the springs in 1890 for $160 and owned them until 1922.
A concrete bathing pool, log bathhouse, small store and a home for the caretaker were built in 1914.
The springs were key in the formation of a new national park. They were expropriated for inclusion within Kootenay National Park in 1922.
A new bathhouse was built in 1927 and the pool extended.
The construction of the Aquacourt was begun in 1949 and completed in 1951 at a cost of $958,653.00.
A new hot pool replaced the original 1914 pool in 1968.
The main building and facilities have undergone extensive renovations since 1999
In the spring of 2001, Radium Hot Springs celebrated its 50th anniversary with special events all summer long.

Radium Hot Springs water

The water travels deep into the earth and returns to the surface with more than 700 milligrams of minerals per litre at a rate of 1800 litres per minute (396 gal/min). That' s enough hot water to heat the building in the winter!

Radium Hot Springs is an odourless hot springs. The hydrogen sulphide gas that gives most hot springs a pungent aroma, has already dissipated before it emerges at the outlet at Radium Hot Springs. Scientists believe this happens when the gas has been exposed to oxygen en-route to the outlet of the spring.

What's in the water?

Sulphate 302 mg/l*
Calcium 135 mg/l
Bicarbonate 100.8 mg/l
Silica 31.8 mg/l
Magnesium 31.6 mg/l
Sodium 18.4 mg/l
Chloride 0.17 mg/l
Fluroide 0.37 mg/l
Nitrate 0.6 mg/l
Alumina and Iron Oxide 3.6 mg/l
(mg/l = milligrams per litre)
*Varies throughout the year

How hot is hot?

The water is 44° C (114° F) at the source. It is chlorinated and enters the hot pool at a comfortable 39° C (103° F). The cool pool temperature is 29° C (84° F).