WATER REGISTRY SUBMISSION

Dear Hot Spring Owners and Operators:

Since our founding in 2011 the Balneology Association of North America (BANA) has made the protection and preservation of geothermal mineral water sources a core objective. BANA stands for the integrity of these waters and their therapeutic value.

BANA has launched the first National registry for Therapeutic Mineral Waters, and we want to include your waters among our ranks. With the ever growing popularity of mineral spring bathing, issues around hygiene, regulation, and access to mineral water springs have become more prevalent. As every state has its own set of guidelines, and federal guidelines are yet to be set around many of these issues, BANA sees a need to be proactive in protecting the autonomy of these waters, and ensuring the integrity of their therapeutic value.

As a non-profit 501(c)3 entity, BANA is upholding our mission of education, information, and research and from this platform will uphold the historically, culturally, and scientifically backed understanding that natural geothermal mineral waters are a distinct type of water source, and maintain a therapeutic value. With a coalition of water sources registered with BANA for their therapeutic value, we will stand with integrity of message and strength of numbers in the years to come as new, as of yet unforeseen, regulations affect the operation of hot springs across North America.

To have your water registered as a North American Therapeutic Mineral Water source, simply join our association at the Organization Level (Join here) and email us a pdf file of your most recent mineral analysis.( Email to Info@balneology.org, be sure to include the name of your Spring and the name on your BANA membership). You will receive a certificate that you may display at your springs stating that your water is registered as a North American Therapeutic Mineral Water.

Your analysis will not be published, BANA will not be making any specific claims as to the benefits of your waters, there will not be a promotion of your springs on the BANA website. This is plain and simple an insurance policy to grandfather your water as a registered and distinct therapeutic mineral water source. In our work alongside international organizations with similar missions, we have seen the value in having a cohesive voice when it comes to protecting and providing access to our waters.

The annual cost to be a part of our Association is nominal, but even so, if the cost is too much for you at this time, please send us your mineral analysis and ask us for a scholarship. If you have the financial ability to support others in our Association, please purchase a membership under the name of Scholarship.

For the Waters,

Janet Abbott, President BANA

The BANA Board of Directors

Balneology.org