Treating Turbid Water

[flywire]

Much of the still water in Australia is turbid from the clay particles and not a good fit with water filters. Certainly the preference is to collect clear water but I am interested in the situation where it is not available. In my experience even boiling the hell out of water with particulate matter doesn't mean that you can hold it down.

Does anyone have any experience with clarifying turbid water for lightweight hiking? I am thinking clear enough to use a Steripen, boil or use SODIS (http://www.sodis.ch/methode/anwendung/index_EN). Maybe using salt, bore water, ashes, etc and allowing to stand overnight?

[GPSGuided]

Leave it for an hour or longer to allow it to sediment then filter through a few layers of cotton handkerchief.

[flywire]

Leave it for an hour or longer to allow it to sediment then filter through a few layers of cotton handkerchief.

OK, I'll suggest water from a dam with red or grey clays. They'll happy sit dirty in a jar for a week and easily pass through a handkerchief.

Plain sedimentation or settling ... Disadvantages: Only settable solids, such as sands, silts and larger microbes settle efficiently; clays and smaller microbes do not settle;

Reference: http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/wsh0207/en/index5.html

[GPSGuided]

No experience if that's the case except to use finer fabrics. Silk?

Or, a blast from my primary school science tidbits. How about alum powder? A bit of it dissolved will clump all the fine particulate matters and promote their sedimentation. Supposedly they come in food grade. No ideas where one can buy them here. If anyone know a trustworthy source, I'm keen to try it too.

[Mark F]

I filter water through a jif cloth that I use as a kitchen and tent wipe. I don't worry too much about the cleanliness of the cloth (within reason) as the water will be treated. Another option is a coffee filter paper. If I was to be walking in areas where turbid water is common I would carry a little alum powder - try the spice section of your supermarket. The process of clumping small suspended particles so they can be filtered or drop to the bottom of the container is called flocculation.

[GPSGuided]

Yes, that flocculation process is pretty magical. BTW, How much alum powder do you use? By formula or just titrating it to effect?

[Scottyk]

I wouldn't think is much you can do to clear up dam water on the trail, coffee filters would be the best lightweight option I would think

[Moondog55]

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2kg-Aluminiu ... 3aa9e42a30

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to- ... ter/#step2

it's a time thing for best results
The old timers method was a doubled trouser leg type cloth filter filled with charcoal from the fire before boiling

[vicrev]

When I was knee high in the bush,the water came out of a canvas bag (remember them ?) never filtered,treated,boiled,everybody used to drink straight out of the bag,nowdays people would be horrified with that, being O so un-highgenic " .....Did we become immune to the water-born nasties,or,just plain lucky?...

[GPSGuided]

Thanks for the links MD55! I'm a bit reluctant to buy them online as it's harder to know their source and suitability for ingestion. I read that there are 'food grade' of the stuff. Will hunt my supermarket spice aisle for it.

Talking of DIY filter. There's always the option of a pebble/sand filter that can be made up relatively easily.

In relation to the question on our immunity. I think that as many 3rd world countries have demonstrated, it really is a question of probability.

[flywire]

When I was knee high in the bush,the water came out of a canvas bag (remember them ?) never filtered,treated,boiled,everybody used to drink straight out of the bag...

Yeah, but the water going into the bag came from the rainwater tank or filtered through the sand in the well - remember?

[flywire]

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Purify-Muddy-Water/#step2 it's a time thing for best results.
The old timers method was a doubled trouser leg type cloth filter filled with charcoal from the fire before boiling

Certainly, that's what I am asking about. What are the practicalities? Using salt for flocculation doesn't seem real good in a hot climate, say Larapinta Trail where you don't really want to be carrying more water.

[vicrev]

When I was knee high in the bush,the water came out of a canvas bag (remember them ?) never filtered,treated,boiled,everybody used to drink straight out of the bag...

Yeah, but the water going into the bag came from the rainwater tank or filtered through the sand in the well - remember?

Ever looked in a water tank, or down a well .??..

[Moondog55]

Me?
I'd just do what we used to do
Filter through a double layer of fine cotton cheesecloth or a Millbank bag and drink the stuff, boil it if I had the fuel and time or use a chemical method to sterilise or the environmentally friendly method of putting in a PET bottle and leaving in the hot sun for a few hours.

[GPSGuided]

... or use a chemical method to sterilise or the environmentally friendly method of putting in a PET bottle and leaving in the hot sun for a few hours.

Never heard of this one. What's the mechanism? There wouldn't be much UV benefits after going through the PET.

[GBW]

Consomme d' eau. You use egg white to clarify stock in the preparation of consomme...isn't that right Moondoog... but I'm unsure if there's an equivalent method practical for bushwalking.

[Moondog55]

Combination on UV and heat, water left in the sun and wrapped in a plastic bag can reach 88 quite quickly and even lower than that can kill most pathogens in time. 65C should disable most non spore forming organisms
Same mechanism we use for melting snow in winter
A sheet of HD black plastic and a clear plastic bag can be used all year around and takes up minimum room
Mind you I don't dessert walk these days and only use the system in winter

[Gadgetgeek]

if you are already using a filter, something like the MSR siltstoper could be added to the intake. I have one with my mini-works, but haven't needed to use it yet. you could even make up a little cartridge type filter.

[Moondog55]

Yes lots of things can be used as a pre-filter or pressed into use as one; even cotton balls stuffed into the neck of a decapitated coke bottle work to a degree

[icefest]

... or use a chemical method to sterilise or the environmentally friendly method of putting in a PET bottle and leaving in the hot sun for a few hours.

Never heard of this one. What's the mechanism? There wouldn't be much UV benefits after going through the PET.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_water_disinfection

[walkabout]

Icefest, thanks for the link - very interesting.

[GPSGuided]

Thanks Icefest on the link to SODIS. Looks like it's not ideal for anywhere south of the Snowies along with requirements on the water containers and time.