Am I right in thinking it's OK if I have a Lifestraw? Or am I just being daft (wouldn't be the first time).
Drinking canal water
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Can a life straw remove floating diesel? If not, you may have problems. Oil and the like from canal boats is likely to be your largest problem rather than organisms.
But if you drink from below the surface then you avoid any of those nasties that float on the surface surely?
I have drunk from the Severn, just above where it becomes canalised, using a simple purifier (Travel Safe I think.. cannot really recall) and was fine. I would prefer to get water from Waterways standpipes (the ones the barge users fill up from) though...
You asked a question, I answered it. A life straw will not remove some of the most likely contaminents to be found in canals. They are your internal organs however, roll the dice if you choose to.
Where there's a canal there will be another source of water I will not even canoe in The Kennet and Avon canal which is very local to me That water is contaminated in too many ways. In short don't do it
bambodoggy
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Myself and a few mates (most from here) camped by the Basingstoke canal a few years ago and drank its water all weekend. It was strained through an issue jungle headscarf and then boiled before drinking.....I have no idea how safe that was in terms of oil, heavy metals etc but we're all still here to tell the tale......
Wibble wibble pink fish......
(I should add that the Basinstoke canal isn't connected to any industrial canals and is suprisingly clean and unused....I appreciate this isn't reason not to use caution).
Wibble wibble pink fish......
(I should add that the Basinstoke canal isn't connected to any industrial canals and is suprisingly clean and unused....I appreciate this isn't reason not to use caution).
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Nowt wrong with asking the question and seeking a reasoned reply, but why ?
Under what circumstances would you feel a need to extract and drink water from it.
Just curious mate.
rorymax
That's OK being curious. I'm eternally curious. The reason is that I shall be following about 300 miles of the canal network on foot this June and thought if I can drink the water then it's one less thing to carry.
That is quite a walk, sounds really interesting, any chance of a blog as you do it?
Have a great time.
rorymax
Things have been dumped in canals for years sad but true, not a chance in hell id drink from one, there are bound to be farms houses rivers anywhere in Britain along any route, in the past when ive been long distance walking and run out of water ive knocked on a door of a house/and farm explained ive ran out of water could they please fill my water bottle up/ or could i use there outside tap to do so and ive never been turned away empty handed. Politness and manners has always worked for me, better than poisoning any day.
[FONT=&]What canals are you going to walk, your location states France so are you referring to the french canals or elsewhere for your canal walk, i have walked loads of canals here in the uk and getting water has never been a problem.[/FONT]
I'm taking the Grand Union from London to Brum then onto Ellesmere Port and then Liverpool to Lancaster.
nice
you can buy a key for facilities like toilets and water supplies along the canal network, they are only about a fiver, along the canals there are places where the boaters get their water from and toilets/waste disposal places, one key fits all, look on ebay for ''BWB Key'' or ''Canal & River Trust key''
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Lol lol lol.
Don't drink from anywhere below 250m would be my advice, as heavy metals would tend to get recycled and concentrated. And have you ever thought that deeply contaminated/murky water will block your filter really quick, it would be cheaper buying it. Be especially careful of the black Country, as the name derives from industrial poisoning. Animal water troughs are good, but if they are turned off you may need to turn them back on.
xylaria
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Pubs by law must provide tap water for free.
http://www.ccwater.org.uk/waterissues/currentkeywaterissues/tapwaterinrestaurants/
There is plenty of canal side pubs on most of the english canal network.
http://www.ccwater.org.uk/waterissues/currentkeywaterissues/tapwaterinrestaurants/
There is plenty of canal side pubs on most of the english canal network.
If you are going to just help yourself make sure you turn them back off again....they will have been turned off for a reason
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