Fresh water supply from creeks or rivers for showers/cooking?

[Badsanta]

Spectra is one of the few that can process fresh water without adjustment.
Any water that has contaminants in it will clog your filters, not just fresh.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[bytownboy]

I was fortunate enough to spend forty-seven years as a logger on the coast of British Columbia, from the Queen Charlotte Islands to the southern tip of Vancouver Island. In that time I am sure I have drank from literally thousands of creeks. And most of the logging camps I worked in used untreated water for cooking, washing and drinking.

A few years ago due to a problem with a water system in Ontario the government started to inspect logging camps to ensure the water was safe. I had a discussion with an inspector about our habit of drinking water right out of the creeks and he stated that about 90% of the water we drank would not pass as suitable. I have no reason to doubt him, but I also cannot remember one incident of anyone I worked with those many years getting sick from the water.

We drink bottled water on the boat though, but use the water from the tanks for everything else. I'm not fussy about drinking water that has sat around for months and may not have been suitable to start with.

[Cadence]

I hate stories but here is one. I lived on a creek that dumped into the AICW. There was a beautiful oyster rake at the mouth with a closed bed sign. I called DNR, Department of Natural Resources. Nice people. We know oysters are a filter. It was closed for the amount of fecal coliforms coming down from the fresh water from the national forest.
I ask if he thought it would be opened, not in the past twenty years of his involvement.

We would swim off the dock. The gators or the bacteria didn't seem to be a problem.

[sailorcherry]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Drinking untreated water from unknown sources is a bit like having unprotected sex with strangers. You might be fine or you might catch a disease.


The question is, is it worth the risk?

Ha! Great analogy. However, I'm going to swap it for some of my friends. Having unprotected sex is like drinking water from a creek or waterfall - ya may or may not get a disease.

Maybe they will finally listen to that?!

[sailorcherry]

My experience:
Used a pump, powered by a honda genny, to pump freshwater from the sacramento delta. Used the hose filter. We did not drink it. Only used it to do dishes (did a bottled water rinse) and to shower and wash the boat down.
I was a bit concerned as a wk later it's big news in the paper to not even swim in certain stagnant parts. Marinas are up to 5+ miles away and we didn't want to loose our great spot (w/a tiny beach and nearby a big group of friends too).

People leave there boats at the same anchorage for many months w/o moving and then get out to their boat via dinghy (including ski boat).

We're still here and nobody has any missing or extra body parts - so we survived!

[Siberianhusky]

If you ever had giardia you wouldn't ever think of drinking untreated water again!
Worst backcountry trip of my life. No amount of savings is worth going through that again!
So much for pristine glacier fed creeks......

[zboss]

We had friends that completed a circumnavigation and in Africa they regularly drank water from muddy banks. The trick was to filter the water through one of those clay pots and then treat with bleach.

[gonesail]

you can assume that ALL stream water sources in north america contain giardia and possibly other assorted organisms .. so don't swallow any bath water