Georgia spring draws people looking for tasty water

CAVE SPRING - A country doctor donated a natural spring to this northwest Georgia city in 1931 for the purpose of sharing his tasty water with his neighbors. <br> <br> Seventy years later, people drive miles to load up jugs of the Cave Spring water. <br> <br> Mary and Charles Cox drive from Cartersvillee once a month to load up 16 gallons of the water. Raymond Slaton of Cherokee County, Ala., insists that his wife forces him to make the drive to Cave Spring. <br> <br> ``She thinks this water is the only water that&#39;s worth drinking,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> During any hour on any given day during the summer months, people may be seen carrying milk jugs, water bottles and jars to the Floyd County spring. <br> <br> Better-experienced water gatherers bring along funnels, pans for dipping water and hand trucks to help tote the full containers back to their vehicles. <br> <br> Steve Beauchamp of DeKalb County in metro Atlanta comes to Cave Spring about three times a year, bringing home about 50 gallons of the water each trip. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s got a reputation as being one of the cleanest springs in the state,&#39;&#39; Beauchamp said. <br> <br> ``At least 100 gallons or more of water is taken out of the spring by people each day,&#39;&#39; said Frank Casey, who has lived in Cave Spring for 83 years. ``And I&#39;ve never heard of anyone getting sick from it.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> A state analysis of the spring water in September 2001 concluded that the water was free of many pathogens often found in lake or river water. The sample did contain small amounts of limestone, silica and sediment from the cave that do not pose a health threat. <br> <br> The spring and surrounding area a total of 29 acres was a gift to the city of Cave Spring in 1931 by Joseph B. Rolater. Rolater was born in 1861 in Alabama and bought the spring after becoming a wealthy physician. He insisted that the land can never be sold. <br> <br> In 1916, the city of Cave Spring began pumping water to citizens&#39; homes by installing pipes in the spring at the back of the cave. Yet even then area residents flock to the spring to get clean, non-chlorinated water. <br> <br> ``In my 83 years, I&#39;ve never seen the spring go dry,&#39;&#39; Casey said.

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