In 1933 the National Portland Cement Company purchased about 300 acres from several farms near Nazareth, Pa. By 1935 the company had completed construction of a cement plant and began mining the adjacent limestone for use in cement manufacturing. Soon after the mining started, the quarry began to flood, and it became necessary to pump water out to keep the quarry operating.When mining operations were stopped during WWII, the water rose again. When the company was ready to resume mining after the war, the quarry was completely flooded and had to be pumped dry. The quarry continued supplying limestone until the 1970s when National Portland Cement went out of business. When operations ended and the pumps were shut off, the quarry, now as deep as 100 feet in some areas, flooded again, becoming a 50-acre lake. In 1980, the property was purchased and converted into one of the largest fresh-water scuba diving facilities in the country. Dutch Springs is spring fed from an underground aquifer that seeps through the limestone, filtering it to provide 20 to 30-foot visibility, which makes it ideal for scuba diving. Today, Dutch Springs has expanding to include the Aqua Park, Sky Challenge, and NorthStar Adventure, which provides adventure-based teambuilding experiences for corporations and other groups. Our goal is to make Dutch Springs a recreational facility with adventure fun for the entire family. The Landscape History of Dutch Springs is a April 2012 case study by Patrick McLaughlin, Department of Environmental Science Department of History, Allegheny College Meadville, Pa. on the role of historical context in the study of environmental science.
