What is Raw Water? Consume at Your Own Risk!

Water can’t be cooked, per se, but it can be treated, boiled and tested to monitor and remove harmful contaminants that can potentially make one very sick. Despite this information, some still choose to drink “raw water.” A 2017 New York Times magazine article described this kind of water as “unfiltered, untreated, unsterilized spring water.” So, knowing this and not wanting to spend hours in the bathroom or at the ER, why would someone participate in the growing trend of drinking raw water with a pretty hefty price tag?

The raw water trend became popular in Silicon Valley in 2018. Start-ups started producing this water for purchase and even equipment that allowed one to collect their own raw water for consumption. “The rationale is that the existing water supply and tap water has many chemicals and pollutants and naturally occurring minerals that are filtered out when water is treated,” according to an article on forbes.com. But, what does that say about the raw water they are consuming? With a lack of any water filtration system, raw water could be not as “raw” as one would think and could lend itself to natural and man-made contaminates.

So, if this is something you might want to participate in, here are some things you need to know:

Raw Water is costly. According to one online retail site, livewater.com, a 2.5-gallon jug of raw water is retailing around $16.99.
According to the Center for Disease Control, our drinking water sources “are subject to contamination and require appropriate treatment to remove disease-causing contaminants.” Contamination can be from minerals in the ground such as arsenic or radon, or they could be from man- made contaminates like fertilizers, pesticides or sewer overflow areas.