How safe is river water?

[Paganwolf]

Water is Survival, water is life, water is bushcraft matey same meat different gravey, Just a safety bit regarding this bit of your post "but I had in mind the water courses in more down to eath landscapes, those which pass through towns & agricultural land.....but if you say it's safe to drink, then it must be."The only thing you have to be careful of is chemical contamination, this is usually evident, i stress usually a bloom on the surface, frothing (sometimes this occurs naturally) dead fish plant life etc etc, its difficult to remove, you just have to use your noddle and common sense (which isnt that common belive you me!) dig a gypsy well etc, look for cleaner sources, get a map do your home work , but particulate matter and pathogens etc can be removed by simple means, ive premac pumped water out of a hole in a peat bog in scotland with dead things in and theres nothing wrong with me.......leave it!!!! it was still brown but hey so is tea eh lol, but milbank bag filtered and boiled to a rolling boil would have done the job, a dog has a much stronger stomach than us feeble humans so they drink from pretty much any where that smells ok, and thats an animal that rolls in dead things and fox turds?? go figure ?

 

[steve a]

Salmon are present in the Thames, have been for at least 25 years following reintroduction, returning numbers are low,but they are there. Water quality in the Thames has been improved greatly, 120+ species of fish present throughout its length.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Salmon are present in the Thames, have been for at least 25 years following reintroduction, returning numbers are low,but they are there. Water quality in the Thames has been improved greatly, 120+ species of fish present throughout its length.

Yes I know, I did add & eat, I think your'll find, (at the moment), eating your catches from the Thames is not recommended.................

 

[northumbrian]

you can catch and eat a salmon , brown trout and sea trout in the tidal stretches of the river tyne in newcastle , not to mention various species of sea fish that can be and are regually caught in the middle of the city itself which is a fair distance from the sea, surely once one of the worlds most poluted rivers ?

 

[blacktimberwolf]

you can catch and eat a salmon , brown trout and sea trout in the tidal stretches of the river tyne in newcastle , not to mention various species of sea fish that can be and are regually caught in the middle of the city itself which is a fair distance from the sea, surely once one of the worlds most poluted rivers ?

You did say "once" prehaps the reduction of industry may have changed the water quality,.... you eat one first & if in 30 years time you haven't developed a cancer or organ failure, I'll eat one too....................

 

[John Fenna]

You did say "once" prehaps the reduction of industry may have changed the water quality,.... you eat one first & if in 30 years time you haven't developed a cancer or organ failure, I'll eat one too....................

Nah - in 30 years he will have died from the effects of the rubbish added to fast foods, household cleaning products, food packaging or by some chav in a car they cannot drive safely.... or from drinking Nukey Brown...

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Nah - in 30 years he will have died from the effects of the rubbish added to fast foods, household cleaning products, food packaging or by some chav in a car they cannot drive safely.... or from drinking Nukey Brown...

Yes, I was prehaps a bit optimistic with the time span.......come to think of it, I won't be around either!

 

[northumbrian]

Nah - in 30 years he will have died from the effects of the rubbish added to fast foods, household cleaning products, food packaging or by some chav in a car they cannot drive safely.... or from drinking Nukey Brown...

nah i divnt drink the dog noo like,its yorkie broon now,lol

 

[northumbrian]

i plan to live a lot longer than 30 more years,lol.
in fact as of today im starting a fitness kick to loose some weight and get back to my fighting fit old self, ive just received in the mail two good recomended fitness books, The official british army fitness guide and The para fitness guide by major Sam McGrath . so my bergen and combat boots will be getting some stick soon,lol.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

i plan to live a lot longer than 30 more years,lol.
in fact as of today im starting a fitness kick to loose some weight and get back to my fighting fit old self, ive just received in the mail two good recomended fitness books, The official british army fitness guide and The para fitness guide by major Sam McGrath . so my bergen and combat boots will be getting some stick soon,lol.

so if we see a podgy runner with a bergen & combat boots , a huffing & a puffing & carrying genuine tyneside salmon sandwiches in the streets of Newcastle, we'll know it's you................good luck to you. keep it up & your'll out live me.

 

[steve a]

I've eaten plenty of fish out of the Thames estuary, the first over 40 years ago, still breathing here..........

 

[blacktimberwolf]

I've eaten plenty of fish out of the Thames estuary, the first over 40 years ago, still breathing here..........

there are people who smoke 3 packets of cigarettes a day, they're still breathing too................does that mean it's a good thing to do.

 

[steve a]

Well I can't get a fish to light up so probably a fag might be a better idea lol

 

[Bluefrog]

Use a millbank bag and heat it on a rolling boil for 3 minutes, providing there's no chemicals in it this is a very safe way to drink the water. Take a walk up the stream and have a thorough look for any pipes leading into the water, or dead animals that could contaminate that it.

Ste

 

[blacktimberwolf]

For any one who's interested. www.survivaltopics.com/.../how-long-do-you-need-to-boil-water/ -

 

[northumbrian]

so if we see a podgy runner with a bergen & combat boots , a huffing & a puffing & carrying genuine tyneside salmon sandwiches in the streets of Newcastle, we'll know it's you................good luck to you. keep it up & your'll out live me.

clasic,lol.

 

[Barn Owl]

Well our rivers are cleaner than they have been in the last few hundred years.

Foreby heavy chemicals a wee filter and boil and you should have no problems.

The chemical pollutants are less than what you breathe in day by day.

A dose of squirts doesn't mean it's bad,just means you need to aclimatise.

Nothing can be rendered 100% safe all the time,such is nature.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

I suppose if I drank, smoked, ate a lot of fatty red meat & processed pork products & used household aerosols & cleaning products containig synthetic parfumes, one more risk factor wouldn't matter.
It's a well kept secret that in fact river water is safer & cleaner(after filtering & boiling of course) to drink than tap water, but thanks to you guys, our water bills will be much lower from now as we all head for the rivers to fill our jerry cans.

 

[SMARTY]

You can drink anything ONCE, the trick is being able to do it twice.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

You can drink anything ONCE, the trick is being able to do it twice.

If that's all there is to it, I'll try & get some advice fom Bear Grylls.........