Springs and The Water Cycle
Sustainability > Water Stewardship > What Is a Spring?
What Is a Spring?
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), a spring is any natural discharge of water from rock or soil onto the land surface or into a surface-water body.
Where We Site Our Springs
Under the guidance of our Natural Resource Managers (NRMs), we carefully seek out sustainable and clean water sources. When considering new spring sources, it is integral to engage early-on with local stakeholders to foster dialogue and understand water management and stewardship priorities.
This approach is rooted in our Community First principle, ensuring that our operations have a positive impact on the people, environment, and economy of communities we call home. Once selected, we diligently monitor the springs we own to maintain their sustainability for today and generations to come. Our Natural Resource Managers, whether hydrogeologists, geologists, engineers, or biologists, follow rigorous monitoring processes focusing on water recharge, levels, flows, and withdrawals. Each spring site requires a tailored approach because of its unique geological and climatic conditions.
What About Spring Water?
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) establishes strict national standards for labeling water as "spring water,” defining it as "water derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface of the earth." This water may be collected at a spring itself (i.e., catchment) or via a borehole connected to the underground source that feeds the spring.
At BlueTriton, our spring water products are exclusively sourced from natural springs. These springs are integral to our operations, and we are committed to managing them responsibly. We invest resources towards maintaining and monitoring the more than 40 spring sources under our management in the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, we help protect and conserve more than 20,000 acres of watershed area, helping to safeguard local ecosystems and preserve the quality and integrity of our spring sources.
Our water collection practices are guided by the natural sustainable limits of the spring and its surrounding watershed. We ensure sustainable sourcing through an environmental and hydrogeological monitoring program, which involves data collection and scientific analysis conducted by our team of Natural Resource Managers as well as independent experts.
What Is a Watershed?
According to the USGS, a watershed is an area of land in which all the streams and rainfall flow to a common outlet such as the outflow of a reservoir, mouth of a bay, or any point along a stream channel. Ridges and hills that separate two watersheds are called the drainage divide.
A watershed may consist of surface water – lakes, streams, reservoirs, and wetlands – and all the underlying groundwater. Larger watersheds contain many smaller watersheds. All land that drains water to the outflow point is the watershed for that outflow location.
While all water is connected through the water cycle, it’s important to be able to manage water on a smaller scale. When focusing on a watershed, you can more easily track monitoring data like precipitation and groundwater levels, as well as address any issues that come up, from pollution to drought.
Every watershed is unique and requires distinct management strategies to ensure sustainability, which is why we employ Natural Resource Managers to help make informed decisions about water resources. These scientists rigorously monitor a variety of environmental elements including precipitation, water levels, water flows, and water withdrawal.
What is the Water Cycle?
The water cycle is a complex process, comprising several stages and components. Watch this video to learn more.
