raw water

[ raw waw-ter, wot-er ]

noun

1. untreated, unfiltered water from the ground, lakes, rivers, etc.: raw water collected from springs has been bottled and marketed as the most natural, healthy drinking water, but there is concern among water testers and health officials over the potential presence of dangerous bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

Word History and Origins

Origin of raw water¹

First recorded in 2000–05

Example Sentences

NI Water monitors its raw water intakes from Lough Neagh and the final treated water produced at its treatment works on a daily basis to ensure that drinking water supplied to customers meets strict drinking water quality standards.

From BBC

"The water treatment works that extract water from Lough Neagh are designed for the removal of algae that may be present in the raw water," it said.

From BBC

Silicon Valley elites, despite their professed devotion to reason and scientific wisdom, have often hawked quack medical cures or advocated for bizarre trends like consuming “raw water.”

From Slate

The statement also noted: "Drinking water supplied from the water treatment works which use Lough Neagh as their raw water sources, are designed with the potential for algae to be present and robust treatment processes are in place to manage this effectively."

From BBC

Any heavy metals in raw water, they say, are removed by treatment processes.

From Los Angeles Times