The healing waters of Abita Springs

In the 1800s people flocked to what is now Abita Springs, seeking out the healing waters the town is now named after. Promising to cure many ailments, including the dreaded yellow fever, the water drew rich New Orleans residents from their plantations on the Southshore to the pine forest of the Northshore, The area prospered, and the town was formed as a resort area, complete with hotels and a train station.

Jack DeWald is hoping the natural springs waters of Abita Springs will bring him and his company, Princess Springs, the same kind of luck, and Mayor Louis Fitzmorris hopes history repeats itself as the town seeks to benefit once again from its most treasured asset.

DeWald said he has been researching the quality of water in Louisiana for 10 years, and he has discovered what St. Tammany residents have known for hundreds of years — there is something special about the water in the Abita Springs aquifer.

Tests prove the water in this particular aquifer has a ph level of 7.03, about as close as one can get to the perfect balance of 7.0.

DeWald said this is due to the thickness of the aquifer. His product, Princess Spring Water, is true spring water. Spring water is a natural occurrence, and in order for a product to be legally considered and sold as spring water it must come from a source that comes naturally to the surface. DeWald explained spring water is produced when there is a section of sand underground, and a water source, a river or stream, cuts through that sand. When the river or stream reaches a certain height the water is absorbed into the sand. Therefore, a spring water source never runs out because it replenishes itself with heavy rains.

Spring water has a unique balance of minerals, and the water DeWald is drawing out of the ground off Prats Dairy Road in Abita Springs is special in that it comes from shallow 150-foot deep well. He said the area where the Prats Dairy once stood is ideal for his kind of operation because underneath the ground where milk was once bottled there is 114 feet of sand. The Princess Spring well is drawing from a 40-foot area, meaning it does not have to pull very hard to bring the water up. This helps, DeWald said, because it means the well does not draw up much grit with the water.

But none of this surprised DeWald. He did extensive research, and when he obtained the logbooks for the well of the original Prats Dairy he knew he had found the perfect spot to set up his patented spring water system, which allows for the water to be bottled at the source. This eliminated the need for chemicals to be added and prevents contamination.

The sanitized plastic bottles are placed on the assembly line covered in plastic bags.

Machines remove the plastic before sending the bottles into the clean room, where the equipment is protected from dust. They are filled with the water, which comes directly from the well located at the same location, capped, labeled and boxed by machines.

The company built a new metal building on the property it leases off Prats Dairy Road. It is currently capable of bottling 2.5 million 1 gallon bottles every month. Work is nearly complete on the small bottle assembly line. When operational, this line will bottle 7 million 16.9-ounce bottles every month.

The product is currently available for sale in several small grocery chains, but DeWald said the company is just getting started and he hopes to grow as word spreads.

The town of Abita Springs has agreed to allow the company to use its logo for advertising purposes. In exchange, the company will give the town 1 mill per bottle sold. The money will be used to enhance the town’s park and for historical projects.

“It’s really a marriage for the town and us,” DeWald said, pointing out that both sides will benefit from Princess Spring locating itself in Abita Springs.

“We’re bringing the springs back to Abita Springs,” he said.