If you value your health, you'll get your drinking water only from approved sources, or you'll treat it or carry it with you.
I confess to laziness in this respect. I despise the taste of chemically treated water; I don't like to mess with filters and at 8 pounds per gallon, I'll seldom carry more than a canteen full of water.
Usually, I obtain my drinking water from a lake or river, though I'm very careful where I get it. Here are the guidelines I religiously follow:
- Go well away from any shoreline to get drinking water. If you're camping at a spot that is frequented by man or animals, go upstream of the source to get your water. On lakes, a minimum of 100 feet from shore is recommended - and the farther out you go, the better.
- Decay organisms (bacteria, protozoans and fungi) generally prefer the shallows, so the deeper your water source, the better.
- Avoid any water with a greenish tinge. It contains algae and is usually loaded with micro-organisms.
- Don't take water from backwaters and stagnant areas. These are breeding places for micro-organisms.
- Don't drink any water that has been contaminated by wastes from a paper mill. Secure your water from incoming streams instead.
- Don't take water near beaver dams or lodges. Beaver are the favored host of GIardia lamblia - a small protozoan that will make you plenty sick. The disease (called Giardiasis) is characterized by severe diarrhea, cramps, nausea, gas and vomiting. Incubation time is generally 1 - 2 weeks though some people have gone to as long as 2 months without developing symptoms. If untreated, Guardiasis may go on for years. The disease is not at all easy to diagnose.
Using A Katadyn Water Filter
Refilling the water supplies
But whenever I'm venturing in areas where I'm less familiar, prudence takes over laziness.
I bring along the water filter and some chemical tablets along. These are the field methods of water treatment that I generally use in unfamiliar territory:
- Boiling: Most organisms are killed instantly when water reaches a rolling boil. A one-minute boil is usually adequate, except in problem areas or at high altitudes.
- Portable filters: The vacuum-operated portable filters sold at camping shops will produce quality water. Not all filters will remove Giardia.
- Chemicals: Tablets that release iodine or chlorine are available from most pharmacies. However, they don't work well in cold or cloudy water.
Camp Trainer is an
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