Artesian Commons and Olympia Artesian Well

Free-flowing public well that locals have used for over a century

A small downtown pocket park built around a free-flowing artesian well — a city quirk that has somehow survived a century of downtown change. Residents line up daily with five-gallon water jugs and bottles to fill from the well's stainless steel spigot. The water comes from a deep aquifer, runs naturally cold and is well filtered by the geology above.

The surrounding plaza, with its painted murals and small stage, is an unofficial meeting place for downtown's busking and skateboarding community. Worth a five-minute stop on any walk through the centre, even if just to watch the queue.

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A story
Olympia sits over a freshwater aquifer, and the artesian well behind Diamond Parking Lot has been bubbling out cold, mineral-rich water since at least the 1890s. A long campaign by local activists kept it from being capped during downtown redevelopment, and in 2014 the city turned the surrounding lot into a small public plaza. Locals say drinking from the well guarantees you will return.