Sampling of the sulfur spring in Podvolovljek and the thermal springs in Laško, August 2026
Due to the prolonged summer drought, during which water levels in most rivers dropped significantly, it became possible—for the first time in decades—to access mineral and thermal waters that, under normal conditions, flow underground into the beds of streams and rivers. In mid-August, in collaboration with NLZOH and NTF UL, we sampled two unique springs. In the Lučnica riverbed, we investigated the mineral water and free gases of the sulfur spring Riherjev studenec. Opposite the health resort in Laško, in the Savinja riverbed, we sampled thermal springs flowing from a rock formation and observed numerous hidden outflows in a straight line along the riverbed. The existence of these reconfirmed natural thermal springs indicates that, despite several decades of thermal water extraction from boreholes, the system remains in good quantitative condition.
