The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

‘Raw water’ is the latest health craze. Here’s why drinking it may be a bad idea.

January 4, 2018 at 6:59 a.m. EST

Hold your canteen under a natural spring and you'll come away with crystal clear water, potentially brimming with beneficial bacteria as well as minerals from the earth.

That's what proponents of the “raw water” movement are banking on: selling people on the idea of drinking water that contains the things they say nature intended without the chemicals, such as chlorine, often used in urban water treatment processes.