During its peak, up to 300 people visited the hot spring daily. On 1 March 2002, it was closed for two months while upgrading and improvement works were carried out to the area around the spring, which had become sodden and muddy. Littering had also become a problem because of the increased number of visitors. The former dirt track leading to the spring was paved with cement, and lined with
bougainvillea bushes and high fences to ensure the security of the air base. Drainage pipes were also installed. Mindef, which owns the land, allows public access between 7 am and 7 pm daily, free-of-charge. When the spring reopened on 1 May 2002, more than 100 people visited the site despite the afternoon drizzle. At the same time, some new free-hold condominiums were built in the surrounding area; one of the developments, built by the property arm of F&N in 2001, is called Seletaris, named after the company's former mineral water. In July 2005, a
Business Times reader proposed that the authorities should explore the possibility of tapping the
geothermal heat that lies many miles under Sembawang—similar to the project in
South Australia's
Cooper Basin—in order to reduce Singapore's reliance on oil and gas for its energy needs. The proposal was not acted upon. As of 2014, the well could still be seen locked inside a red-brick enclosure with a steel gate, and its geothermal heat can be felt outside the building. Some plastic chairs, pails and mini-tubs kindly donated by visitors were stored at the perimeter of the compound, which has a makeshift shed in one corner. A caretaker, paid for by Mindef, takes care of the place to maintain its overall cleanliness, but there is no toilet on location. The hot spring has been less frequented and remains rustic before the major redevelopment in 2020. ==Redevelopment by the National Parks Board==