I’ve seen channels that say it’s OK to drink the water, it is clean because they are in the mountains. This is irresponsible because there is risk to drinking that water.
When drinking water from a stream, creek, river, or lake you do not know what has happened to that water before you got there. Something could have defecated or urinated in the water. Something could have died in the water. Something could have walked through nasty stuff and then into the water upstream. The fact is, you don’t know.
Most people think it is just a potential case of diarrhea from Giardia – “Beaver Fever” but there are more organisms that exist: Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Aeromonas, Yersenia enterocolitica, Leptospirosis, Listeria, or Vibrio, as well as other viruses and protozoan parasites like Giardia and Cryptosporidium.
This article lists some of the bugs that are out there in my home province of British Columbia alone: Infections in the natural environment of British Columbia, Canada -ScienceDirect
Some people will say that they have been drinking from mountain streams for years with no ill effects. Maybe they are just plain lucky. It depends on where you drink the water and when. It could be that the water has washed away the contaminants before they arrived. It’s really a roll of the dice.
A February 8, 2018 article by Christine Wilcox in Discover Magazine called Backpackers, Don't Listen To Slate: Science Does Support Stream Water Treatment | Discover Magazine , epidemiologist Kathy Benedict ,PHD was quoted:
The gastrointestinal symptoms that can occur—intense diarrhea, vomiting—aren't easily managed by hikers on long trips in the middle of nowhere. "If they have an acute situation, it can actually be quite scary," says Benedict, "especially if they're out there by themselves, because they can get themselves into a lot of trouble very quickly."And people, even people with rapid access to medical care, do sometimes die.
One parasite that really got my attention personally is Toxoplasmosis. It comes from felines and where I live in British Columbia on Vancouver Island, there is a large concentration of cougars in the wild.
In 1995, it is suspected the parasite had managed to get introduced to the Victoria, B.C. residential water supply. It took some luck and good detective work to gather the evidence to point to the probability of one particular reservoir being the culprit.
Referencesin Outbreak of toxoplasmosis associated with municipal drinking water- The Lancet
Another article which is a good read talks about Toxoplasmosis potentially blinding a person. The article written April 6, 2022 by Patrick Durkin can be found here: UndercookedVenison Can Cause Rare Blindness Disorder | MeatEater Cook(themeateater.com)
The good news is that freezing meet will kill off the Toxoplasmosis parasite.
So what can you do about this? Gathering water from tree leaves and hollows is not a solutions because the water can have bugs and parasites in it there as well. Birds can and do defecate in those areas as well.
You can do the following:
1) Bring your own water, of course
2) Boil the water
- Bring it to a rolling boil for one minute – for altitudes above 5,000 feet (1,000 metres), boil water for three minutes
3) Filtration or purification pumps
- Mark Young has an excellent video regarding one on the market that also filters chemicals, heavy metals, and micro plastics. Water-To-Go Water Filtration System - YouTube. The website for Water-To-Go is: Water Filter Bottles for Travel, Camping, Hiking, Travel (watertogousa.com)
4) Purification drops and tablets (chlorine or iodine)
- See this page from the US EPA that shows how to use household bleach: Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water | US EPA
5) Make an evaporation trap in the ground
- Greg Gallaci commenting on a MythBusters post found here had the following comments about Solar Stills:
The US Army taught us about solar stills, but warned us that making enough water to drink was not the point! In order of importance:
1) They keep you anchored to one spot, basically immobile while waiting for the water to drip, drip, drip. You chances of being found rise if you don't wander around. Your camp and stills are easy-peasy to spot from the air.
2) By staying still and in some shade, your need for water and food decreases. Less chance of falling/getting hurt. Less chance of encroaching on animal territories.
3) Staying focused on one task prevents 'option panic'; a state where desperate people will 'try anything' to save themselves. "Let's burn the tents and make lots of smoke!"
4) Hope. You see the water droplets form, you don't feel so helpless and alone. A sense of mastery is returned. Fear is displaced by curiosity. "Can we make the still work better?" instead of "Is the still gonna make enough water?"
5) You get enough water to wet your mouth and talk about your big plans for when you all go home. Their usefulness goes way beyond the water they provide.
When treating water – remember to get the rim if you’re drinking from the same vessel that you used to scoop up the water.
Remember: If you’re in a real life survival situation, you need to be even more careful. Diarrhea will dehydrate you quickly.
To sum up, drinking water in the wild should not be considered 100% safe. What you get away with today may come to haunt you later on down the road.
Please be careful when you decide to go out into the wilderness and bring plenty of water or at least a method to treat water.
Consider watching my YouTube video on this subject.
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