Hundreds of years in the making, the water in this tiny Alabama town is a marvel

Walking into a sprawling barn about 50 miles north of Birmingham, I was met by a geological wonder that felt both timeless and surreal. The Great Blue Spring of Blount County, Alabama, is not just a local treasure; it is a source of some of the purest water on the planet, tucked away on unassuming Alabama farmland.

From the Source to the Bottle

Cameron Cardwell, the 60-year-old CEO and founder of Blue Spring Living Water, knows the drive from his home in Mountain Brook to Blountsville well. The hour-long commute gives him time to reflect on the growth of a business that now keeps a 12-member staff—including his wife, Elizabeth, the company’s VP of sales and marketing—running at a fast pace.

"We are swimming upstream with our story of transparency," Elizabeth said. "We want people to know about the cleanest, healthiest water in the world."

A Rich History of Hydration

The Great Blue Spring has deep roots. Legend has it that President Andrew Jackson and Davy Crockett stumbled upon the spring during a hunting expedition along the Black Warrior Trail in the early 1800s. However, the water’s journey began centuries before that, filtered through limestone bedrock and dolomite. The spring, measuring 60 feet wide and 45 feet deep, produces roughly a million gallons of water daily at a consistent 52 degrees, naturally enriched with silica, magnesium, and calcium.

Building a Legacy

The land has seen many stewards, from the VanZandt family in the early 1900s to entrepreneur Ottis Shedd, who launched the Blue Spring Water Company in 2004 at the age of 82. In 2017, after a successful career in film and marketing, Cameron Cardwell visited the site, and he and Shedd struck a 90-year lease agreement. The mission was clear: create a premium product capable of competing with global heavyweights like Fiji and Evian, while retaining the iconic eagle logo. Blue Spring Living Water officially launched in 2018.

Quality Without Compromise

With limited filtration—primarily to remove sediment—and an ozonation process for sterilization, the water reaches consumers remarkably close to its natural state. Today, the company produces 30,000 bottles daily, stocked in over 1,000 Alabama retail locations including Publix, Piggly Wiggly, Winn-Dixie, Food City, and Rouses Markets.

International Recognition

The success of this Blountsville-based operation has reached the international stage through the Fine Water Society. In 2025, Blue Spring Living Water secured a bronze medal in the society’s annual Taste Awards. The momentum continued into 2026, when their sparkling water earned a silver medal, placing it among the top finishers in a competitive field of over 1,000 global entries.

"We are a 100 percent U.S.-owned and -based company in Alabama, and we’re right up there with the best in the world," said Chief Operating Officer Tom Lewis. "It’s humbling doing so well in what I consider to be the Oscars of drinking water."

The Future is Flowing

Beyond standard spring water, the company is innovating with products like Pneuma High Oxygen Spring Water, which utilizes nano-bubble technology, and their own sparkling water line. With continued support from distributors like AlaBev and Water Way, and an eye toward future expansion into stores like Kroger, the team at Blue Spring is just getting started. Standing by the spring, it is easy to see why this Alabama marvel has captured the world's attention—and why it remains a source of pride for those who know the story.