What water (how bad) could you filter and drink?

[GrumpySmurf]

I am new to this, and had a trial walk the other day. I have a MSR Miniworks water filter. We were at Bells Rapid in WA, where the water flows after winter for the Avon Descent kayak race, but was still waters a couple days ago. The water was clear (could see .5m to the deeper end), with little fish and insects swimming around. The area is well upstream (12-25km?) from the ocean.

I thought this was as good a place as any to taste-test the filter. But was shocked to taste that the water was very salty (not seawater salty, but un-drinkable to me).

So, leads me to question, to what extent would you bother filtering water to drink? On a scale of 1 to 10 (where 10 is best), assuming no other filtration available, and you are not dying of thirst, but is out of water and quite thirsty. How would you rate the unknown? How do you know that it is worth pumping and drinking?

So assume;
Toilet water = 1
Sea water = 1
Still River 10K from ocean = ??
Still Duck Pond = ??
Still water on a road = ??
Deep lake
...
...
...
Free flowing freshwater stream = 9
Tap water in metro Australia = 10

[north-north-west]

If in doubt, dip a finger in and lick. If it tastes OK, go for it.
I've never been sick from bad water. Yet.

[corvus]

If in doubt, dip a finger in and lick. If it tastes OK, go for it.
I've never been sick from bad water. Yet.

+1 but I am in clean Tassie
corvus

[Strider]

If in doubt, dip a finger in and lick. If it tastes OK, go for it.
I've never been sick from bad water. Yet.

+1 but I am in clean Tassie
corvus

Animals die in Tassie too don't forget. Who says there isn't one lying in the creek bed 20m upstream?

[wayno]

minerals are the hardest to remove , they are the smallest particles there are, youre talking about atomic molecules, it would probaby take a home filtration filter with several filters to get all the minerals. flouride for instance is pretty hard to remove.
just because it's salty doesnt mean its still dirty water. unless its too salty to tolerate it should be drinkable, if you're still in doubt throw a purification tablet in it

[stepbystep]

I've never been sick from bad water. Yet.

I spent 2 days in intensive care from poisoning in the water, admittedly tank water(dead possum in the gutter), but if the water is not flowing and an animal has just rotted away, beware...even in Tasmania...
It's worth noting I have no spleen so therefore a weakened immune system to fight bugs.

There has been a number of mystery illnesses amongst bushwalkers in the last year or 2 in remote, presumably very clean areas, but I'm still prepared to risk it, just keep an eye out for dead animals

[wayno]

with all the overseas tourists coming over , esp on busy tracks, they duck into the woods, can have giardia, it's around in places in the south island, i wouldnt trust water in the ablel tasman, the great walks tend to be ok , there are extra toilets along the busy tracks...

[Son of a Beach]

If in doubt, dip a finger in and lick. If it tastes OK, go for it.
I've never been sick from bad water. Yet.

+1 but I am in clean Tassie
corvus

Animals die in Tassie too don't forget. Who says there isn't one lying in the creek bed 20m upstream?

I've never seen a dead animal in a Tassie creek ever. Still possible though. Maybe the Tassie Devils clean them all up. Could be a developing problem with the devils dying off from the facial tumor disease lately.

[ILUVSWTAS]

There have been cases along the south coast track of seals going up the creeks to die. The water at New Harbour was tainted for a long time years ago

[tasadam]

I see a problem in the OP.
That should say
Tap water from metro = 9
Free flowing Tassie mountain stream = 10.

That aside, beside Pelion East there is a tarn with a stream flowing into it. Laying in this stream was a very dead wallaby. We were going to get our water from there but rapidly changed our minds.
So, yes, dead animals in creeks does happen (I won't post the photo).

Having said that, I've never boiled or filtered water, and have not yet been sick.
I say "yet" like everyone else because we are all aware that it can happen. But, in Tassie and with careful selection, you can reduce your risks. Particularly if you are somewhere remote.

[Strider]

I've never seen a dead animal in a Tassie creek ever. Still possible though. Maybe the Tassie Devils clean them all up. Could be a developing problem with the devils dying off from the facial tumor disease lately.

Just saying, there is never a 100% guarantee that water will be suitable for drinking. Better to treat it and be safe than sorry.

[MrWalker]

Just saying, there is never a 100% guarantee that water will be suitable for drinking. Better to treat it and be safe than sorry.

From what I've heard about some town water supplies in Tasmania I would still prefer a flowing stream to tap water.
I find the idea of carrying a water purification system in Tasmania a bit weird. I'm a bit fussy about where I collect water but Freycinet is the only place where I've ever had a problem finding really clean water.

[Kinsayder]

I caught campylobacter from unfiltered water on Feathertop. I've always filtered since then, mostly from hut tanks or streams, so I've not really tested how degraded water can be before it is undrinkable after filtering.

[Strider]

I caught campylobacter from unfiltered water on Feathertop. I've always filtered since then, mostly from hut tanks or streams, so I've not really tested how degraded water can be before it is undrinkable after filtering.

You're probably aware of this, but filtering won't remove harmful bacteria. The water needs to be treated also (boiled/steripen/tablets).

[GrumpySmurf]

Sorry, I was not very clear in my question.

What I really want to know is:

At what point would you say, forget it, I won't even bother filtering that bit of water and will continue walking with a thirst until I find something better.

[WarrenH]

At what point would you say, forget it, I won't even bother filtering that bit of water and will continue walking with a thirst until I find something better.

When I know there is a quality water source not far away. Harvesting water that would overly tax my resources, at times, I might give a serious miss to initially, but I do carry a second and a third bladder, just wine cask bladders, that I put unprocessed water in, in case the worst comes to the worst. Several times I've emptied the bladders, when better water has been found. I don't ever forget that these spare bladders aren't pristine.

In the drier high country, water disappears as quickly as it appears. I waste very little water and never miss the chance to top up, ever. When I'm cycling off-road, I use twice as much water than when I'm just walking. Spending a few hours each day harvesting and processing water is a frequent happening, for me. This allows me to not be limited to staying close to fresh water.

I like to use farm dams, because they are frequently passed. Sometimes its hard to tell when stock last used a watering point. I treat every bit of water like it has been contaminated with Hydatids, Liver Fluke or prions ... because it probably has.

When I read stuff like, I've not ever been sick ... but then neither have I, nor do I intend to loose-out by guessing. I've an MSR Expedition water filter and use a pre-filter and boil water for a minimum of 8 minutes, without fail. I usually process the water at night, so it has the evening to cool down. I do go through a lot of pristine water ... totally pristine.

Warren.

[mikethepike]

Animals die in Tassie too don't forget. Who says there isn't one lying in the creek bed 20m upstream?

All other things being equal, dead animals won't make you sick. I have used, and so have many others, water from pools with dead goats floating on the surface and this has not caused any illness in people as far as I know. With regards water quality, in the end thirst will determine what you will be prepared to drink and then only once any possible adverse effects are judged to be the preferred option to dying of thirst. I had to drink brackish water for 2 days during a summer walk on Kangaroo Island when I was young but there was no other apparent option. I only known side effect was to cause, or was somehow associated with, a pretty aweful diarrhea that lasted for around 12 hours,. Human faecal contamination is the only fear I have for water these days. Muddy water? You can do no better than filter it though clothing and minimize the amount you drink until better water is found. If possible though, finish with a good white wine.

[Tortoise]

I am new to this... to what extent would you bother filtering water to drink? ...out of water and quite thirsty....

G'day Grumpy. A few comments (hmm or an essay!) from my perspective – hopefully relevant to your question.

A lot depends on where you're walking, and i reckon local info re reliable supplies, known contamination etc is a good start. I haven't had the problem of salt water, but had some challenging times in 38 deg + weather in Victoria in the 'Dry Barries' etc. Avoiding an urgent situation is way better if possible.

I always check where creeks come from –apparently pristine creeks can have known campsites a long way upstream – no idea re WA walks though.

When we knew that we’d probably only find water every 2nd day in hot conditions, we carried 6 litres each and rationed it. (5 l in a wine bladder under the lid of the pack - not an ideal spot for moving weight, but it worked).

We came across a muddy puddle on a 4wd track – soon after we had refilled. Otherwise, we would have filtered it through clothing before boiling it & letting it settle. There are many theories on how long to boil for – I think the World Health Org says that ‘bringing it to a rolling boil’ makes it safe – you could google them.

My philosophy is to NEVER actually run out – to always keep a bit, and make the most of what you have (small sips worked better). We nearly got to the point of collecting it using foliage (transpiration etc) – but did enjoy the dew off (recognised) leaves one morning. And investigating a few plants that were greener than the rest resulted in the longest, most refreshing guzzle & refilling that i remember!
Cheers

[highlander chris]

Hi grumpy smurf

I am a bit over cautious when it comes to my collection of water as I have been hospitalised with dysentery after consuming contaminated water from a creek (I thought it would have been fine! Clean and good flow).
I became ill in the evening and was forced to camp overnight, I was so ill it took me two days to cover 22km, with the worst cramping I have ever experienced due to dehydration. I honestly thought I was going to die in that valley and even wrote a last will and testament on the back of my topo.

So to answer your question I now filter / treat all my water include boiling. I only collect from clean flowing water sources, will not use any still water sources unless spring fed or clean with limited animal use.

This is extreme but I would rather carry 5 - 10kgs more in clean water than ever experience that again.
But it's all just personal preference.
Good luck

[TerraMer]

I don't filter but boil or use tabs but the two equally worst water sources I had to use were one near Mt Speculation (Vic Alps) where the small spring/puddle had been trampled by a pig or dear, there were scats on the edge of the water, it was still and warm. I topped up the spare water bottle but still had to drink that before refilling at Barry Saddle. I could see the small shrimp like things swimming in it. But after a couple of purification tabs it was fine, no side effects. The other bad water I had to drink was at Israelite Bay while attempting a summer trek around the Bight from Esperence, the well had a dead wallaby inside it, which had been there a while and no matter how much I boiled and treated with iodine I couldn't get the taste of rotting carcass out of the water. It was the only reason I turned back because the next water wasn't for about another 280km. But I had to drink it, diluted with water collected off the ground sheet in the morning, for a day until I caught a ride back to the Balladonia Track. It took days to get the taste out of my mouth.

[TerraMer]

with all the overseas tourists coming over , esp on busy tracks, they duck into the woods, can have giardia, it's around in places in the south island, i wouldnt trust water in the ablel tasman, the great walks tend to be ok , there are extra toilets along the busy tracks...

It's in the "pristine" rivers, creeks and lakes in the Australian Alps too. It has been found in most of the water along the tracks to Mt Kosciuszko, including Blue Lake. I cringe every time I see a tourist filling up their bottles from the upper Snowy River or drinking from the springs seeping out of the summer snow patches. Many other alpine water sources have been compromised by pigs. When my family owned a small holiday park up there our water (managed by the parks), sourced from a creek just outside our leasehold, had been contaminated by pigs and made us very sick for months before the park decided to let us know and do something about it.

[Kinsayder]

Really Strider? I wasn't aware of this, I was told by some outdoor gear website rep that my MSR whatever-it-is was good for that type of thing too.

[MartyGwynne]

Hi I thought that if you had a filter which was good for less than one micron you would be safe to drink it as the bugs are normally greeter than 1 Micron in size.
Also if you have a filter with a carbon cartridge in it it will/may take out most of the taste except minerals or salts which normally don't kill you (OK an arsenic dump puddle is good to steer clear of).
I have drunk water which smelt and looked green, yuk so I used it sparingly (Viking Saddle Vic Alps) till I dropped into the Wonangatta and drank it dry).
I take my filter with me if I think the water may be a bit suspect where I am going to go (mid summer in dryish places and along the Vic/NSW coast)
My rule of thumb is have a quick taste and spit it out, if it seems OK then proceed to use (filter or treat) if it tastes bad, salty then keep searching.
Older guys I used to walk with, who did lots of walking in the 60's just carried a rubber tube (yuky taste) to get water from a ground soak and would filter it through their clean spare clothing. they are still alive so you will know your own health and resistance to bugs and likely hood of getting good water the next day. You make the choice as per the conditions are presented to you at the time.