March 20, 2007	Tuesday	Safar 30, 1428

SARATOGA SPRINGS (New York): The famed “natural mineral water” baths at Saratoga Spa State Park in New York have been diluted with regular tap water for the past two decades, state officials confirmed on Monday.

The park’s baths attract about 14,000 customers a year who pay $20 for the privilege of soaking in the bubbly water.

“I thought I was bathing in pure mineral water,” Kristina Weilbacher, 22, of San Antonio, Texas, told the New York Post, which first reported the situation. “I definitely should have been told.”

State parks spokeswoman Eileen Larrabee said on Monday that the state has never had a consumer complaint about the water mix, but she said the state wants to make sure people are fully informed about the makeup of the baths.

“We need to clarify that practice,” Larrabee said.

State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, who represents the city, called on the governor’s administration to investigate.

“The report that ordinary tap water has been secretly used at the baths could damage Saratoga’s reputation and be harmful to business and tourism,” he said.—AP