Lithia (water brand) facts for kids
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| Country | USA |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1888 |
| Source | Lithia Springs, GA |
| Type | Lithia water |
| pH | 7.3 - 8 |
| Bromine (Br) | 450 mcg |
| Calcium (Ca) | 130 mg |
| Lithium (Li) | 500 mcg |
| Magnesium (Mg) | 8 mg |
| Potassium (K) | 17 mg |
| Sodium (Na) | 450 mg |
| TDS | 2300 |
| Website | Lithiaspringwater.com |
| All concentrations in milligrams per liter (mg/L); pH without units | |
Lithia Spring Water is a special kind of bottled water from the United States. It's known for having many natural minerals, especially lithium carbonate.
This water comes from an old, sacred spring in Lithia Springs, Georgia. This spring is part of a large rock formation near Stone Mountain. It's located close to Atlanta, where Cobb and Douglas counties meet.
Lithia Spring Water has a lot of dissolved minerals, about 2,300 milligrams in every liter. It contains elements like lithium, calcium, sulfate, magnesium, potassium, silica, and sodium. The company Lithia Spring Water, LLC. owns the brand. They sell the water directly from the spring and ship it only within the United States.
Contents
A Look Back: The History of Lithia Water
The Lithia Springs area was a very important healing place for the Cherokee people for a long time. This was before a sad historical event called the Trail of Tears in 1838. The last Cherokee chief who looked after the springs was named Ama-Kanasta, which means "Sweetwater." He got his name from the pure, sweet water of the spring.
In 1882, the town of Lithia Springs, Georgia, was named after this famous natural spring. The spring's water was so popular for its health benefits that people traveled long distances to drink it. The nearby city of Austell, Georgia, also grew because of the spring's fame.
The Sweet Water Hotel Era
In 1887, a man named Judge Bowden from Atlanta bought the springs with some other investors. They started bottling and selling the water, calling it Bowden Lithia spring water. In 1888, the Bowden Lithia Spring Water Co. opened an office in New York City.
That same year, a fancy health resort called the Sweet Water Hotel opened in Lithia Springs. It had 300 rooms! The hotel and its famous Lithia spring water were very popular. Famous people like Mark Twain, the wealthy Vanderbilts, and presidents such as Cleveland, Taft, McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt were said to have visited the resort. Guests at the hotel even received a large bottle of Lithia Spring Water in their room. The resort also offered special Lithia Vapor Baths.
In 1887, Bowden Lithia Water won a "Gold Medal Par Excellence" award at the Piedmont Exposition in Atlanta.
Where the Spring Water Comes From
The special qualities of Lithia Spring Water come from the unique way the earth is shaped around the spring. The water starts deep underground. It slowly travels through tiny cracks in granite rocks for miles. As it moves, it picks up minerals from these rocks, including blue quartz.
The water comes out of Lithia Springs at a cool temperature of about 14.44 °C (58 °F). The water's rare mix of alkaline minerals, its purity, and its natural lithium content have stayed almost the same since it was first bottled in 1888. A very special thing about this water is that it has no nitrate. This shows that the water source is very old and doesn't get water from outside sources like rain or rivers. The spring produces only a small amount of water each day, just a few thousand gallons.
How Lithia Water is Packaged
Lithia Spring Water used to be sold only in glass bottles before 1984. But glass bottles could break easily and were expensive to ship. So, the company started using plastic bottles instead.
In 2017, the company decided to stop using plastic bottles. They wanted a more eco-friendly option that was safe and could be recycled. Now, they use an innovative 5-liter eco-friendly spout bag. This new packaging helps reduce shipping costs and creates less waste.
To make sure the water is safe and fresh, it's taken directly from the spring in small amounts. They use advanced cleaning methods. These include special nano-filtration technology, which was developed by NASA, and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI). These technologies remove any unwanted tiny living things without changing the water's natural properties.
See also
- Lithia water
- Mineral water
- Lithia Springs, Georgia
- Austell, Georgia
