Tubs, pools at Miracle Hot Springs turned to rubble by Forest Service agents

Nov. 4—It's no longer a whodunit.

Now it's been confirmed.

The rock-and-mortar pools and soaking tubs at Miracle Hot Springs, a U.S. Forest Service-managed day-use area on the east shore of the Kern River, were destroyed by men with sledgehammers or jackhammers, or maybe other tools last month.

On Friday, a ranger with the U.S. Forest Service confirmed that law enforcement officers with that federal agency broke apart the tubs on Oct. 20, days after a man died at the location.

"All of the tubs are all gone," said Ranger Al Watson.

According to Watson, the man died at Miracle three days before they were destroyed.

"I don't know cause of death or his name," he said. "I just know it was an older gentleman."

The release of those details is the responsibility of the Kern County coroner's office, he said.

At the site, situated between Bakersfield and the Kern River Valley, the natural mineral water bubbles hot and sulfurous from cracks in the earth. The area has the potential to be a perfect little paradise, but not everyone who visits is respectful of the rules or cares about keeping it pristine.

There are those who don't respect the sensitive Sequoia National Forest land that surrounds the natural springs, Watson said.

"There's a good 50 (percent) to 75 percent of people who are respectful of the springs, who pack out what they pack in, who use it for what it's for," Watson said.

But too many others bring in glass — which is prohibited. They use illegal drugs, spray paint trees and rocks and signs. They camp overnight — also prohibited. They leave their trash for others to pick up. They show no respect to the national forest.

This scene is now rubble.

A group of volunteers who call themselves the Hot Springs Angels would power-wash the tubs regularly and helped clean up trash, abate graffiti and attempt to educate visitors on the principles of "leave no trace."

They signed an agreement with the Forest Service annually, a volunteer agreement that included a set of guidelines they were bound to follow.

But even the Angels didn't agree on the best way to manage that little patch of paradise.

According to Hot Spring Angels volunteer Charlie Mazzei, he and his wife, Linda, have been working to keep Miracle and another nearby springs clean and graffiti-free for close to seven years.

"I've been enjoying hot springs since 1976," he said.

"We've been blessed with really great people with the Forest Service," Mazzei said.

While he loves the beauty and serenity of the mineral pools, and the health benefits he believes come with bathing in the water, Mazzei said part of him is glad the tubs are gone.

"They were being exploited," he said. "We messed up. We should have closed the place" after things began to get out of hand.

But the natural hot springs along the river and the powerful reach of law enforcement have a long and rocky relationship.

The tubs at Delonegha Hot Springs on the other side of the river were a popular spot for hot springs users in the 1970s. But over the years, the tubs were broken apart and rebuilt, broken apart and rebuilt again.

According to Watson, the Forest Service officers believed the tubs at Miracle presented a danger to the public. That's why they broke them apart.

"Miracle Hot Springs is closed," Watson said. "We're working with our partners. We're still figuring out a long-term solution for Miracle."

But one thing is certain. The ancient flow of mineral-rich water will continue to bubble up from the furnace of the earth.

And people will still come to partake of its magic.

Steven Mayer can be reached at 661-395-7353. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter: @semayerTBC.