Lithia Spring Water

Lithia Spring Water, also marketed simply as Lithia, is an American spring-water brand associated with Lithia Springs, Georgia, roughly twelve miles from Atlanta and near the boundary between Cobb and Douglas counties. The brand takes its name from the spring and the town that developed around it. Its distinguishing characteristic is a naturally high concentration of dissolved minerals, including lithium, calcium, sulfate, magnesium, potassium, silica, and sodium. The water is described as naturally containing lithium carbonate and has a reported total dissolved solids level of approximately 2,300 milligrams per liter. The spring has a long history predating commercial bottling. It was regarded as a medicinal and culturally significant site by members of the southern Cherokee Nation. The source was associated with the Cherokee leader Ama-Kanasta, whose name is translated as “Sweetwater.” Following the displacement of the Cherokee during the period culminating in the Trail of Tears, the spring later became a commercial attraction. The town of Lithia Springs was named in 1882, reflecting the local importance of the water source, while neighboring Austell also developed in part because of the spring’s popularity. Commercial activity began in the late nineteenth century. In 1887, Judge Bowden of Atlanta acquired the springs with a group of investors and began bottling the water under the Bowden Lithia name. In 1888, Bowden Lithia Spring Water Company established offices in New York City, and the Sweet Water Hotel opened at Lithia Springs. The 300-room resort promoted the spring as a health destination, offering bottled water to guests and lithia vapor baths. Historical accounts associate the resort with prominent visitors, including Mark Twain, members of the Vanderbilt family, and several United States presidents. The water also received a gold-medal distinction at the 1887 Piedmont Exposition in Atlanta. The source’s commercial appeal rests on its unusual geological setting. Water is understood to move slowly through fissures in the Stone Mountain geological pluton, a granite intrusion containing blue quartz-bearing formations. During this underground passage, it acquires its mineral content before emerging from the Lithia Springs source at approximately 58 degrees Fahrenheit, or 14.44 degrees Celsius. The spring is characterized by limited output, reportedly only a few thousand gallons per day. Its published analysis emphasizes high ionic-mineral content and the reported absence of nitrate, which the brand associates with a deep, isolated groundwater origin rather than direct inflow from the surrounding watershed. For much of its modern commercial history, Lithia Spring Water was packaged in glass. Before 1984, glass was the exclusive packaging format, but breakage and the expense of shipping and handling led the business to adopt plastic bottles. In 2017, the company changed direction again, replacing plastic bottles with a recyclable five-liter spout bag intended to reduce material use, shipping expense, and waste. The company states that water is collected directly from the spring in small batches and treated for food safety using antimicrobial nanofiltration and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation. These processes are presented as methods for controlling organic and biological contaminants while preserving the water’s mineral characteristics. Lithia Spring Water, LLC owns the brand. The water is sold directly from the historic spring and shipped within the United States. Its positioning combines heritage, source specificity, naturally occurring minerals, and distinctive packaging rather than broad international distribution or a large portfolio of flavored or functional beverages.

Lithia Springs was an ancient medicinal and culturally important spring associated with the southern Cherokee Nation. The source was linked to Ama-Kanasta, a Cherokee chief whose name was associated with the spring’s sweet water. The area’s Indigenous history predates the commercial brand by many decades; Cherokee displacement during the period ending in the Trail of Tears altered the community connected with the springs. The town of Lithia Springs, Georgia, received its name in 1882 because of the prominence of the natural spring. The water attracted visitors from considerable distances who sought its reputed health benefits, and the spring’s popularity contributed to the development of nearby Austell. In 1887, Judge Bowden of Atlanta purchased the springs with other investors and began commercial bottling under the Bowden Lithia name. The same year, the water received a gold-medal award at the Piedmont Exposition in Atlanta. In 1888, Bowden Lithia Spring Water Company opened offices at 131 West 42nd Street in New York City. That year also saw the opening of the Sweet Water Hotel, a 300-room health resort at Lithia Springs. The resort made the spring central to its visitor experience: guests received large bottles of Lithia water, and the property promoted lithia vapor baths. Historical descriptions connect the resort with prominent visitors such as Mark Twain, the Vanderbilts, and Presidents Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, and Theodore Roosevelt. These associations helped establish the water as a nationally recognized health and resort product during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The spring’s distinctive mineral profile is attributed to its geological setting within the Stone Mountain geological pluton. Water passes through deep granite fissures and contacts blue quartz-bearing rock before emerging at Lithia Springs. The source is reported to have a total dissolved solids concentration of about 2,300 milligrams per liter and to contain measurable amounts of lithium, calcium, sulfate, magnesium, potassium, silica, and sodium. The spring emerges at approximately 14.44 degrees Celsius. Its output is limited, reportedly reaching only a few thousand gallons per day, which constrains production and supports the brand’s source-specific identity. Packaging practices changed as distribution developed. Until 1984, the water was packaged exclusively in glass. The company later adopted plastic because glass breakage and the cost of transporting heavy bottles made the earlier format impractical. In 2017, Lithia Spring Water announced a further packaging change, moving away from plastic bottles in favor of a recyclable five-liter spout bag. The stated objectives were to reduce environmental waste, avoid toxic materials, and lower shipping costs. The company states that current production draws water directly from the historic source in small batches. It uses antimicrobial nanofiltration and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation as sanitation measures intended to remove organic and biological contaminants without materially changing the water’s natural mineral properties. Lithia Spring Water is owned by Lithia Spring Water, LLC and is sold directly from Lithia Springs for shipment within the United States. Publicly available material identifies the brand primarily as a source-specific spring-water business rather than as a diversified beverage company.

• 2017

  Five-liter spout bag introduced

  [1]Lithia (water brand)en.wikipedia.org

  The company moved away from plastic bottles and adopted a recyclable five-liter spout bag designed to reduce waste and shipping costs.

• 1984

  Transition away from exclusive glass packaging

  [1]Lithia (water brand)en.wikipedia.org

  After using glass bottles exclusively, the company adopted plastic packaging because of breakage and distribution costs.

• 1888

  New York office and resort expansion

  [1]Lithia (water brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Bowden Lithia Spring Water Company opened a New York City office, while the 300-room Sweet Water Hotel opened at Lithia Springs.

• 1887

  Commercial bottling begins

  [1]Lithia (water brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Judge Bowden and an investor group acquired the springs and began bottling the water under the Bowden Lithia name.

• 1887

  Piedmont Exposition medal

  [1]Lithia (water brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Bowden Lithia Water received a gold-medal distinction at the Piedmont Exposition in Atlanta.

• 1882

  Lithia Springs receives its name

  [1]Lithia (water brand)en.wikipedia.org

  The town of Lithia Springs, Georgia, was named for the natural lithia spring whose reputed medicinal properties had made the area a visitor destination.

A heritage American spring-water brand positioned around a historic Georgia source, naturally occurring lithium and other minerals, high total dissolved solids, limited spring output, and reduced-waste packaging.

• Spring water · 1888

  Lithia Spring Water

  The brand’s core offering is water drawn from the historic Lithia Springs source in Georgia. It is marketed as a high-mineral spring water with naturally occurring lithium carbonate and a reported total dissolved solids level of approximately 2,300 milligrams per liter. Published composition information identifies lithium, calcium, sulfate, magnesium, potassium, silica, and sodium among its mineral constituents. The company states that the water is collected in small batches and treated with nanofiltration and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation for sanitation.

• Spring-water packaging format · 2017

  Lithia Spring Water five-liter spout bag

  Introduced in 2017, the five-liter spout bag is the brand’s stated eco-oriented packaging format. It replaced plastic bottles as the company sought a recyclable, lower-waste package with reduced shipping and handling costs. The format is designed for direct distribution from the spring and retains the brand’s focus on source-specific, high-mineral water rather than flavored or blended products.

• 2017

  Shift from plastic bottles to recyclable spout bagsStrategy

  Background

  The company sought to reduce packaging waste and address the shipping costs associated with conventional bottles.

  Action taken

  Lithia Spring Water adopted a recyclable five-liter spout bag described as non-toxic and environmentally friendlier than its previous plastic-bottle format.

  Aftermath

  The bag became the brand’s stated modern packaging solution for direct shipment from the spring.

  Source

• 1984

  Adoption of plastic bottlesStrategy

  Background

  The company’s earlier glass packaging created breakage, shipping, and handling challenges as distribution expanded.

  Action taken

  Lithia Spring Water adopted plastic bottles after having used glass exclusively before 1984.

  Aftermath

  Plastic became the practical distribution format until the company later pursued a lower-waste alternative.

  Source

1. 1Lithia (water brand)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Lithia Spring Water official websitelithiaspringswater.com