How safe is river water?

[Jaymzflood]

Also, what do people here practice?

1 chlorine tablet per litre of clean looking water, and 2 tablets for murky water?

Need some help with this

Cheers

 

[Trunks]

It all really depends on what's upstream. Dead sheep, sewage pipe, pesticides from a field?
IMHO tablets are good, but I proper filter is even better.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Also, what do people here practice?

1 chlorine tablet per litre of clean looking water, and 2 tablets for murky water?

Need some help with this

Cheers

Depends what you mean by river, Generally most rivers, streams & canals in England ( most of europe come to that) would be unfit to drink. As Trunks said, what's upstream is your concern, I'll add to his list, toxic factory waste which finds it's way into nearly every water course. Clear water is no guarantee of purity & chlorine tablets only kill microbes ( you could boil it as well).& filters won't take out everything. There are so many possible polluants, that unless your're dying of thirst, know the river very well or have access to a mountain spring/ stream, don't drink it.

 

[Retired Member southey]

I use a Mill bank bag to filter the water then bring to the boil and drink/use(once cooled obviously), have a wander up stream to see if there is any major industry or signs of pollutants, even look on-line for any kind of news about the water way your likely to use, but i have drunk water treated this way from many different water source, and suffered as yet no ill effects.

 

[Ape_Ogre]

In the Lake District my wife and I were out walking and had stupidly run out of drinking water on a very hot day. We passed a fast flowing stream but we didn't risk drinking from it but chatting at the b&b afterwards the owner told us that the locals drink from the stream all the time. I know you can buy bottles with built in filtration, has anyone used one of these and are they any good ?

 

[calibanzwei]

Drank straight from the burns' on Arran up in Scotland - lovely

 

[blacktimberwolf]

I use a Mill bank bag to filter the water then bring to the boil and drink/use(once cooled obviously), have a wander up stream to see if there is any major industry or signs of pollutants, even look on-line for any kind of news about the water way your likely to use, but i have drunk water treated this way from many different water source, and suffered as yet no ill effects.

I do hope your right Even minor industry pollutes & not just by versing it's filth directly into the water but by air as well. Many rivers are interlinked too, so even if on any particular course there's no sign of anything, does'nt mean the all clear...............I'm probably over dramatising a bit & I admit I don't understand some bushcrafters who wish to drink from a river or stream at all costs,

 

[garethw]

Years ago when I lived in the UK, we were fishing a lake that was flanked by the river Test. We used the river water to cook with every day to no ill effect. Then one of my friends made up some Angel Delight without boiling the water.. god were we ill !!! Puking, fever the works....
I'm sure if we'd continued to use boilied water we would have suffered no such mishap, especially as it was very clear and tasted sweet... BUT as previous poster have said you never know what has polluted the water course.
Similarly I've drunk lake water tea on many occasions.. if the water is clean and boilied it is 99% safe to drink.
cheers
Gareth

 

[blacktimberwolf]

In the Lake District my wife and I were out walking and had stupidly run out of drinking water on a very hot day. We passed a fast flowing stream but we didn't risk drinking from it but chatting at the b&b afterwards the owner told us that the locals drink from the stream all the time. I know you can buy bottles with built in filtration, has anyone used one of these and are they any good ?

The locals from DELIVERANCE drank from the river too...............with no ill effects.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Years ago when I lived in the UK, we were fishing a lake that was flanked by the river Test. We used the river water to cook with every day to no ill effect. Then one of my friends made up some Angel Delight without boiling the water.. god were we ill !!! Puking, fever the works....
I'm sure if we'd continued to use boilied water we would have suffered no such mishap, especially as it was very clear and tasted sweet... BUT as previous poster have said you never know what has polluted the water course.
Similarly I've drunk lake water tea on many occasions.. if the water is clean and boilied it is 99% safe to drink.
cheers
Gareth

Bonjour, oui mais ce le 1% qui reste qui vous tuera !...... MDR

 

[Nicholson95]

1 chlorine/aqua/purie tab to 1 ltr, no matter what the colour of the water... never done me any harm...
all my purie tabs are from MOD ration packs so I dunno if they are mil spec or what?
on all the army training caders I have been on they have all assured me its 1 tb = 1 ltr even if its thick dark and murky... ?

 

[Paganwolf]

Filter n boil or premac u are pretty much good to go, chemical run off in most parts is negligible to mch chem when you boil intensifies to chem obviously, never take chances with your water always filter n purify, or you will turn a comfy bushcraft situation into a survival situation and run out of clean cacks in no time at all..

 

[blacktimberwolf]

1 chlorine/aqua/purie tab to 1 ltr, no matter what the colour of the water... never done me any harm...
all my purie tabs are from MOD ration packs so I dunno if they are mil spec or what?
on all the army training caders I have been on they have all assured me its 1 tb = 1 ltr even if its thick dark and murky... ?

The way the MOD treats it's soldiers, that doesn't exactly inspire confidence.............

 

[Paganwolf]

Thats why you get loads of ex squaddies on bushcraft courses

 

[Retired Member southey]

Bonjour, oui mais ce le 1% qui reste qui vous tuera !...... MDR

I'm sorry, but that's just silly.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Aint nuffink rong bein silly now & agen...................

 

[Retired Member southey]

Aint nuffink rong bein silly now & agen...................

Absolument, je suis entièrement d'accord, et c'est un lieu de plaisir, je suppose que ce n'est pas la sortie du virage! Yay!

 

[mayobushcraft]

I knew I should have payed attention in french class.

 

[resnikov]

Drank straight from the burns' on Arran up in Scotland - lovely

Did that as a kid once and then spent the evening throwing up Must have picked a bad one.

 

[Paganwolf]

Did that as a kid once and then spent the evening throwing up Must have picked a bad one.

i rest my case lol