HARRISON – Before letting anyone wander down the hill to his natural spring, Bryan Pullen asks for photo identification.

“We provide water to thousands of families and we have to protect the source,” Pullen said during a tour of his water facilities. Because public water supplies have been considered a bioterrorism target since 9/11, his location has to be kept somewhat secret.

Pullen is one of a small group of licensed bottlers in Maine capturing the pure water of aquifers. He is trying to tap into some of the multibillion dollar U.S. market, which is expanding every year as more people shun tap water and sugary soda drinks for bottled water. But because he is a small operator, he faces a challenge competing with well-known brands such as Poland Spring, Evian and Aquafina.

Two years ago, Pullen bought the spring from a woman who had been bottling the water for 13 years for a small circle of customers.

“I bought it because I believe in water, because of how important it will be in the future,” Pullen said. He paid more than $1 million for the property and spring. Back in the 1970s, the land was worth $17,000, Pullen said.

Prior to becoming a water vendor, the 47-year-old flew airplanes for US Airways for 22 years. He still flies, but just two or three days a week so he can concentrate on his new business. During his travels he saw just how valuable water was, especially in the dry, parched parts of the earth, he said.

Water in Maine and elsewhere has become a controversial issue, especially as the profits associated with selling it have exploded. Bottled water sales grew 9.2 percent in 2005, to $10.1 billion. And this growth has been steady for the past 15 years, according to Beverage Marketing Corp., a consulting firm in New York City.

Maine has been targeted by those eager to capitalize on our thirst for spring water – and there’s plenty of that here.

The state is the source of Poland Spring water, sold by Nestle Waters North America Inc. As the company tries to expand to better compete with other bottled water corporations, it has bumped heads with some townspeople who resent the operation attempting to pump millions of gallons of water from aquifers to truck off to bottling facilities.

A group called H20 for Maine last year was unsuccessful in getting a referendum on the state ballot to tax water bottled by companies extracting more than 500,000 gallons a year. The group’s leader, Jim Wilfong of Stow, has said the revenues from ground water should be spread more evenly across the state, especially because he says it is the taxpayers who have protected the water.

But Pullen hates the notion of a water tax, despite the fact he isn’t pulling a half-million gallons – yet. “There are 36 bottlers in the state of Maine,” he said. “A lot of little guys. And when they go after one big company,” he paused, “the tax would put us out of business.” Because 35 million gallons of water flow from his spring, he said he is going to keep expanding, hopefully to well over 500,000 gallons a year, he said.

And he is not alone in his ambitions.

Scott Whitney, who regulates bottled water companies for the state, said the number of businesses he inspects has almost doubled in the past eight years.

Many of those sites have been Nestle developing more water sources, he said, and there has been turnover with smaller companies.

“Some have gone out of business, and new ones have come on board,” Whitney said.

Of the 37 licensed businesses, 18 bottle and sell their water, he said.

Others just load water to sell to another bottler.

And not all of the licensed bottlers are doing business, some because their facilities aren’t complete, others because they have dropped out.

Smaller scale bottlers also face the market challenges of going head-to-head with huge multi-national companies.

“If you don’t have an established brand already in the marketplace, it’s very difficult to come in because of the current competitiveness with very large companies,” Gary Hemphill, chief operating officer of Beverage Marketing Corp. said. “For companies competing head on, it’s fairly challenging at this point, because (the market) has consolidated so much. Nestle, Pepsi, Coke – they all have terrific distribution systems and production down very well. They’re formidable competitors.”

Last year, Pullen bottled 300,000 gallons of his water, and he hopes to keep growing. He sells Summit Spring water at co-ops and health food stores across Maine, as well as delivers to homes and businesses.

If he can find the demand, he certainly can meet the supply. His spring bubbles out 55,000 gallons a day.

“We’re committed to only taking the overflow,” he said, rather than drilling a well and pumping. He hires six employees and has invested in seven delivery trucks, painted a bright blue. Annual revenues last year were around half a million dollars. But the expenses are high, Pullen said, and his business is only marginally profitable. He hopes not for long.

“I always knew this site was magical,” he said.