Untreated water enthusiasts swear by natural springs. Their movement has parallels with raw milk drinkers and vaccine skeptics. The highway that winds

For Those Who Don’t Trust Tap, There’s ‘Raw Water’

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2025-01-03 01:00:08

Untreated water enthusiasts swear by natural springs. Their movement has parallels with raw milk drinkers and vaccine skeptics.

The highway that winds along the coast of Marin County offers some of California’s most magnificent vistas, with the deep blue Pacific Ocean glittering through veils of fog. But for a handful of travelers, the views aren’t the prize.

At one blink-and-you’ll-miss-it pullout is a natural spring that draws people from across the San Francisco Bay Area, some of whom drive hours through traffic to get there. Many of them reject water from any other source and drink only what they say is “liquid gold” that gushes from the copper pipes of Red Rock Spring.

“To me, it feels more alive,” said Samantha Reich, who collected 50 gallons in water-cooler jugs that she strapped into her sedan with seatbelts on a recent morning.

Ms. Reich, 27, is among a small number of spring water aficionados who believe untreated water, or “raw water,” contains enriching minerals that are removed from tap water during the purification process.