Touring - Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop fit to drink.

I met a German man while touring in Eastern Utah. As he filled up my water bottles in this dry land he quizzed me. “How come when I come close to cities in the United States the water tastes like (here he stumbled trying to find the right word and finally blurted out) . . . a swimming pool?”

How, if at all, do folks treat their water while on tour?

I carry two water filter bottles. A Clear 2 Go (http://www.clear2o.com/c-1-mobile-filtration.aspx) for all municipal and biologically safe water, mostly to clean up the chemical taste, and a Katadyn My Bottle (http://www.katadyn.com/usen/katadyn-products/products/katadynshopconnect/katadyn-water-filters-ultralight-series-products/) for most surface water. Basically, I filter nearly every drop I drink.

Yup, chlorine & fluorine.. , unless its private well water..

I have a Katadyne ceramic filter, that .02 micron pumps the water through it.
but is for Guardia and other microbial life , doesnt change the taste..

need a charcoal filter stage for doing that.

I went to Europe I got my bottles filled in Taverns and such..

some places the minerals in the drainage basin, or rock strata impart a taste,
or now Fracking for more Gas and Oil contaminates the Aquafer..
in the drilling Biz those are' Externalities'.

How, if at all, do folks treat their water while on tour? I carry two water filter bottles. A Clear 2 Go (http://www.clear2o.com/c-1-mobile-filtration.aspx[/url) for all municipal and biologically safe water, mostly to clean up the chemical taste, and a Katadyn My Bottle (http://www.katadyn.com/usen/katadyn-products/products/katadynshopconnect/katadyn-water-filters-ultralight-series-products/) for most surface water. Basically, I filter nearly every drop I drink.

I've toured for many a year and have never used filtration, amazingly enough. And I definitely have had less tolerable water on tours, but only a couple times was anything out-and-out drinkable. I tend to use Platypus water bladders for extra water when I'll need it, and I also get water sometimes from the soda machine at the convenience store, since it's cold and filtered.

Saying all that, I did recently pick up a CamelBak "All Clear" water purification system:
http://www.rei.com/product/830862/camelbak-all-clear-water-purifier-bottle
I plan on doing a bit more backcountry touring this year, so I definitely will need it.

The Clear 2 O system looks interesting. Your link didn't work, so here's a good one:
http://www.clear2o.com/

I filter nearly all natural water sources which is very handy and if it keeps me from buying water. There are places I would definitely not get water from even with filtering, like run offs from the highway or industrial areas. I don't quite trust my water filter enough for chemicals.

I just like the ability to get safe drinking water from almost any natural water source whether it's a puddle or an intermittent creek. Maybe I may have to start filtering water piped-in also. I am really wanting to buy one of these http://www.rei.com/product/737349/katadyn-base-camp-water-filter for in-camp use or for increasing my carrying capacity for dryer regions.

I am getting into backpacking this year and have done some research and the Sawyer system seems to be the best, it will also be useful on my short tours...no more buying water.http://www.rei.com/product/786393/sawyer-complete-water-filter-system-2-liter

Depending on the location I may or may not carry or use a filter. Most places I do not. When municipal sources are scarce and there are lots of mountain streams I carry a Sawyer Squeeze and filter all water from lakes, streams, puddles, and so on. I really like that particular filter and always take it when backpacking, but way less than half the time when touring.

I pretty much never filter water from a tap that is supposed to be potable, but there are places where I refuse to drink it due to the mineral content and associated nasty taste. In those relatively infrequent cases I might buy bottled water.

Chlorinated water doesn't bother me because I grew up drinking it.

On tour in New Zealand I had a Katadyn Pocket filter. There were stretches where water had to be taken from lakes and streams. Otherwise, for the most part, I'll drink any old tap water.

Must say, those Sawyer filters look interesting...

I met a German man while touring in Eastern Utah. As he filled up my water bottles in this dry land he quizzed me. “How come when I come close to cities in the United States the water tastes like (here he stumbled trying to find the right word and finally blurted out) . . . a swimming pool?”
I agree, city water doesn't generally taste the best. In much of Europe, they use ozone for water treatment instead of chlorine, hence the taste difference.

I have carried a MSR filter in the past, but have actually never used it. In the east, I pass through towns often enough that I just stock up as needed (obviously with some planning ahead). I just got a steripen from Sierra Trading Post (they were on sale for $25) which I will be using for my ride of the Colorado Trail this summer, where I will need to treat water at times. In addition to my primary treatment method, I carry iodine as a lightweight backup.

In short, I don't worry about taste, but I do about safety.

Most tap water is just fine, especially if you fill a jug and leave it uncovered so the chlorine can evaporate. Bottled water? A complete rip off.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=XfPAjUvvnIc

and of course all the damn plastic that is thrown out, dumped on the street or wherever, ending up in a landfill most likely.
Not to mention having to be made in the first place.
The attitude people have to "having to have" some bottled water is a very sad example of attitudes in society of not giving a rats patootee about waste, garbage and landfill issues. First world people buying bottled water and creating mountains of (usually) non recycled plastic bottles is just plain wrong.

I certainly don't 'treat' municipal water in North America. On rare occasion, I've dipped out of a stream, lake, stock tank,, run it thru a piece of panty hose, and sterilized with iodine and/or boiling.

Being able to treat water is a bit like prepping for the very rare blown tire. Just takes a tiny bit of material, so might as well if there is a possibility of need on your touring route. Mostly useful for managing load in remote, hilly terrain. Of course, best to verify there is an actual source of wild water before setting out with empty bottles. Can be very problematic, especially in the west.

Since switching to a bent, not much of a problem, as I can pack 10 liters if the terrain is not too hilly. Did carry 8 on a long, hot day in Big Bend. No wild water anywhere.

First world people buying bottled water and creating mountains of (usually) non recycled plastic bottles is just plain wrong.

1+

Most tap water is just fine, especially if you fill a jug and leave it uncovered so the chlorine can evaporate.
I agree as long as the "most" qualifier is there.


Bottled water? A complete rip off.
Try tasting the water in Jackson Hot Springs of some other places with super high mineral content. Water in some locales can be completely un-appealing. In those locations bottled water is a god send. You can usually spot such locations when you see all of the locals having multiple gallon jugs of bottled water in their shopping carts. I will acknowledge that this is the case for a limited number of locations. On the souther tier and in the sierras I don't recall any water that was bad. Ditto for the Colorado Rockies, the Pacific Coast, and the Santa Fe trail. There were a few places on the Trans America were the water was absolutely awful, to the extent we could hardly choke it down without adding gatorade powder and even then it was iffy.

Most tap water is just fine, especially if you fill a jug and leave it uncovered so the chlorine can evaporate. Bottled water? A complete rip off.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=XfPAjUvvnIc

I certainly agree with the environmental pollution posed by bottled water bottles, but Penn and Tiller are guilty of a bit of their own BS in their “blind” taste tests of an unnamed bottled water v NYC tap water. New York City has one of the purest municipal water supplies of any large city in the world. It is sourced from pristine watersheds in the Adirondack Mountain. How about a taste test between say San Pellegrino and the blended brown liquid that comes out of taps in Los Angeles (http://www.neontommy.com/news/2011/11/los-angeles-tap-water-drink-or-not-drink)? I don’t drink bottled water on tour, not even San Pellegrino sparkling water. I will on occasion enjoy a cold can of San Pellegrino Aranciata (http://www.sanpellegrinobeverages.com/int/en/default.aspx) after a hot day on the road.

I certainly don't 'treat' municipal water in North America.
It seems bizarre that people think that US municipal water needs to be treated (for safety). There is varying degrees of "clorine" smell/taste in US water that people have varying tolerance for (treating for smell/tasted might make sense). It's fairly common for Europeans to comment about it.

and of course all the damn plastic that is thrown out, dumped on the street or wherever, ending up in a landfill most likely.
Not to mention having to be made in the first place.
The attitude people have to "having to have" some bottled water is a very sad example of attitudes in society of not giving a rats patootee about waste, garbage and landfill issues. First world people buying bottled water and creating mountains of (usually) non recycled plastic bottles is just plain wrong.

Yes, I strongly agree! Also consider how much energy we waste transporting all of those bottles and how much of the plastic ends up in our oceans.

It seems bizarre that people think that US municipal water needs to be treated (for safety). There is varying degrees of "clorine" smell/taste in US water that people have varying tolerance for (treating for smell/tasted might make sense). It's fairly common for Europeans to comment about it.

European water is chlorinated, too. (Thank God!)

I agree as long as the "most" qualifier is there.


Try tasting the water in Jackson Hot Springs of some other places with super high mineral content. Water in some locales can be completely un-appealing. In those locations bottled water is a god send. You can usually spot such locations when you see all of the locals having multiple gallon jugs of bottled water in their shopping carts. I will acknowledge that this is the case for a limited number of locations. On the souther tier and in the sierras I don't recall any water that was bad. Ditto for the Colorado Rockies, the Pacific Coast, and the Santa Fe trail. There were a few places on the Trans America were the water was absolutely awful, to the extent we could hardly choke it down without adding gatorade powder and even then it was iffy.

You see people filling their carts with bottled water no matter where you go, even New York, which has, as Western Flyer has pointed out, some of the purest water available anywhere. I contend that this is 99% mental.

I have drunk a few sources untreated:
High lake in Scottish isle (Raasy) that was the water supply.
Waterfalls after heavy rain in high Alpes and Madeira
Mineral spring in Slovenia (yuk), Bath, UK (yuk).
Spring water piped into the town centre in Malvern (http://www.goherefordshire.co.uk/malvhina-spout-of-malvern-spring-water-i2585.html) (yummy)
Malvern spring water is one of the posh bottled spring waters that you buy at restaurants. You get it for free in Malvern but in the supermarket not 50 paces away, you can buy French and Italian spring water.

Fans of bottled water madness should check out Peckham Spring (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Nature's_Son_(Only_Fools_and_Horses)) water.

You see people filling their carts with bottled water no matter where you go, even New York, which has, as Western Flyer has pointed out, some of the purest water available anywhere.
Actually my observation is that most folks do not buy their water in bottles. For small rural town folks to overwhelmingly buy their water in gallon jugs is definitely not the norm unless the local water is really bad.


I contend that this is 99% mental.
I'll buy that it is mental in 99% or more of the US. Still there is that fraction of a percent of the country where the water is really bad to the extent of being pretty much undrinkable.

Actually my observation is that most folks do not buy their water in bottles. For small rural town folks to overwhelmingly buy their water in gallon jugs is definitely not the norm unless the local water is really bad. I'll buy that it is mental in 99% or more of the US. Still there is that fraction of a percent of the country where the water is really bad to the extent of being pretty much undrinkable.

I remember when I spent time in Tucson a few years back, the water was pretty undrinkable so there would be filtered water kiosks in grocery store parking lots and the like. That's how many people got their drinking water. If you see a bunch of those in a place you're riding through, take it as a sign.

Most grocery stores also have a water filtration station, so you could always fill water bottles there.

I have drunk a few sources untreated:
High lake in Scottish isle (Raasy) that was the water supply.
Waterfalls after heavy rain in high Alpes and Madeira
Mineral spring in Slovenia (yuk), Bath, UK (yuk).
Spring water piped into the town centre in Malvern (http://www.goherefordshire.co.uk/malvhina-spout-of-malvern-spring-water-i2585.html) (yummy)
Malvern spring water is one of the posh bottled spring waters that you buy at restaurants. You get it for free in Malvern but in the supermarket not 50 paces away, you can buy French and Italian spring water.

Fans of bottled water madness should check out Peckham Spring (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Nature's_Son_(Only_Fools_and_Horses)) water.

I will drink artesian spring water that is untreated almost anywhere. I have done it several times in China with no ill effects. I like to taste where I am traveling. Because I burn readily available alcohol in my stove I will often boil surface water from a nearby lake or stream and not run it through a filter just to get the full taste of it.

Public water supplies in the USA are closely regulated and tested. Not all are chlorinated but most municipal systems are. Even the tavern on the side of the road in the middle of no-where probably has had regular water testing.


I will drink artesian spring water that is untreated almost anywhere. ... ... ...

I wish you luck. Spring water may have been in the ground for millenia in whch case it is likely quite clean. But in other locations that water could have only a few days earlier been in a creek a few miles away with cattle standing in the creek (and doing what cattle occasionally do).

as someone who has a family member that got giardia about 30 yrs ago, when it was less known, and suffered from it until it was finally diagnosed, I tend to be a bit more careful than most drinking river or lake water. Good pump style filters have gone down in prices over the years, the MSR one or whatever I got many years ago was probably 150 or more, but it seems comparable ones are around half that (the last time I looked quickly at an outdoor store)

I checked and yup, current MSR type that screws onto wide mouthed nalgenes is $82 can.

I carry a set of AquaMira (http://www.allfilters.com/campingfilters/purificationadditives/aquamira-drops?gclid=CO7Y0b2y7bQCFSPhQgodWGUATg) though I seldom use it. It's cheap and light and long-lasting and effective for what I need it for, which is the occasional dip into a pond or stream possibly contaminated by septic or pasture. On a wet ride through the Cascades recently, I was able to fill up without getting off my bike by just reaching out to the streams falling off the rock walls. I don't treat piped spring water, either, though you don't see many of those on bike tours. I love finding the old manual well pumps in parks--it's hard to get better water than that. I've even dumped out my city swimming pool water and filled up on well water when I can find it.

On my AT thru hike, I would meet people carrying bottled "Appalachian Spring Water" (purchased in town at $3 per liter) into the woods. When faced with the actual spring, though, they'd pull out a filter or drop chemicals into it. It seemed sad, to be afraid of town water in town and afraid of spring water in the woods.

I agree, city water doesn't generally taste the best. In much of Europe, they use ozone for water treatment instead of chlorine, hence the taste difference.

I have carried a MSR filter in the past, but have actually never used it. In the east, I pass through towns often enough that I just stock up as needed (obviously with some planning ahead). I just got a steripen from Sierra Trading Post (they were on sale for $25) which I will be using for my ride of the Colorado Trail this summer, where I will need to treat water at times. In addition to my primary treatment method, I carry iodine as a lightweight backup.

In short, I don't worry about taste, but I do about safety.

Let me point out that there is a difference between municipal water supplies that are safe to drink...although perhaps not that palatable...and stream water sources. Generally speaking, there is no stream water source that you should drink unfiltered or untreated. To do so is to invite all kinds of nasties to a party in your colon. Colorado may have very high mountains that above most of the common sources of biological contamination but not all of them. "Beaver fever" or giardia is very prevalent in my area and not worth the week or two that you'll spend on the toilet.

Another problem in Colorado is mine drainage. Be careful where you source your water. There are certain drainages...the Arkansas, Clear Creek, the Blue River, etc...where you should be very aware of what is in your area. We have lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, etc in some of those areas. Basically, if you see mine tailings around or stream beds with off-color bottoms, pass on the water. On the other hand, if the waters have fish in them, they are generally safe to filter water from.

I'll buy that it is mental in 99% or more of the US. Still there is that fraction of a percent of the country where the water is really bad to the extent of being pretty much undrinkable.

The Trans American Trail anywhere east of Pueblo. The absolute nastiest water is in Fowler (Town motto: No place is...) which is really a shame because they used to have sweet water when I was growing up there. Ordway's isn't much better. We are talking NASTY!!!!

The Trans American Trail anywhere east of Pueblo. The absolute nastiest water is in Fowler (Town motto: No place is...) which is really a shame because they used to have sweet water when I was growing up there. Ordway's isn't much better. We are talking NASTY!!!!

Anywhere east of Pueblo? Really? Do you mean only in Colorado? I don't recall any place on the TA in the East where water was not at least acceptable. Even in Ordway I found the water to be acceptable if only barely.

I actually remember the Western half of the TA as being where we had problems with nasty tasting water. Those issues were only spotty and water was definitely OK way more often than not.

To put it into perspective, I have to say that over the area covered by all of my tours, I have only very rarely found the water bad enough to make me resort to bottled water. I don't recall buying water on the eastern half of the TA, the west coast, the Santa Fe trail, the Southern Tier, or in the Colorado Rockies except in one place where they wouldn't let me use the tap. I did buy water a few places on the western half of the TA and also a few in the Sierras.

BTW, once we made the mistake of picking up a gallon of distilled water and was surprised to find that it was pretty unpalatable. We added gatorade powder to it to improve the taste.

Anywhere east of Pueblo? Really? Do you mean only in Colorado? I don't recall any place on the TA in the East where water was not at least acceptable. Even in Ordway I found the water to be acceptable if only barely.



To about the middle of Kansas, yes, the water is bad. I can't recall anywhere west of the Front Range of the Rockies that has bad water. Certainly nothing to compare with the lower Arkansas River Valley in Colorado.

Let me point out that there is a difference between municipal water supplies that are safe to drink...
Another problem in Colorado is mine drainage. Be careful where you source your water.

I am quite aware of the distinction; I have significant wilderness experience outside of bike touring. Thank you for the reminder about mine tailings, though; most of my wilderness experience has been in the east, which does not have quite the widespread mining issues of Colorado.

I certainly agree with the environmental pollution posed by bottled water bottles, but Penn and Tiller are guilty of a bit of their own BS in their “blind” taste tests of an unnamed bottled water v NYC tap water. New York City has one of the purest municipal water supplies of any large city in the world. It is sourced from pristine watersheds in the Adirondack Mountain. How about a taste test between say San Pellegrino and the blended brown liquid that comes out of taps in Los Angeles (http://www.neontommy.com/news/2011/11/los-angeles-tap-water-drink-or-not-drink)? I don’t drink bottled water on tour, not even San Pellegrino sparkling water. I will on occasion enjoy a cold can of San Pellegrino Aranciata (http://www.sanpellegrinobeverages.com/int/en/default.aspx) after a hot day on the road.
NYC's water supply is indeed excellent, but it's largely from the Catskills and not at all from the Adirondacks.

NYC's water supply is indeed excellent, but it's largely from the Catskills and not at all from the Adirondacks.
I stand corrected :o

I just got a steripen from Sierra Trading Post (they were on sale for $25) which I will be using for my ride of the Colorado Trail this summer, where I will need to treat water at times.

+1 for STP! Just scored a sweet fly rod from them and I always stop by their Cheyenne outlet on the way through. Usually I pick up sweet trail running shoes for cheap, from the back return room.

Be wary of the UV sterilizers...in the world of microbiology we shy away from UV sterilization of bio-hoods for live cultures because even the professional and academic grade sterilizers are not effective enough to sterilize even smaller hoods. Granted, the surface area is much more, but then again water is much more dense than atmosphere. You can never go wrong with the proper filter, which in many circumstances is the preferred method of sterilizing liquid medium for culture.

I hope your Rocky Mountain tour pans out!

How about a taste test between say San Pellegrino and the blended brown liquid that comes out of taps in Los Angeles (http://www.neontommy.com/news/2011/11/los-angeles-tap-water-drink-or-not-drink)?

Not a just comparison; nearly everything that comes out of LA is crap.

Has anyone here field-tested the LifeStraw? I was considering getting one for my next tour, for use in emergencies, but I'm on the fence. Obviously, a big drawback is that you can't use it to fill waterbottles or Camelbaks, but also this: "Does not filter chemicals, salt, viruses, heavy metals, taste." I've never been all that picky when it comes to taste--I drank LA tap water all the time while I was at school out there--but I'm not too keen on chemicals & heavy metals. I'm thinking I might be better off with some sort of iodine treatment or a bottle with built-in filtration, but I like that the LifeStraw is compact and lightweight--especially since I'd be carrying it as a backup. http://www.amazon.com/Vestergaard-Frandsen-LifeStraw-Personal-Water-Filter/dp/B006QF3TW4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359402551&sr=8-1&keywords=lifestraw

I also use the Sawyer Squeeze. I toured all over the Northeast without a filter, but I picked up a sawyer for backpacking and at 3 ounces, there's no reason not to pack it.

I also use the Sawyer Squeeze. I toured all over the Northeast without a filter, but I picked up a sawyer for backpacking and at 3 ounces, there's no reason not to pack it.
I too am impressed with the Sawyer Squeeze although I am enough of a gram counter that I leave it home when I will be somewhere that I won't really need it. Even at three ounces, I figure that the ounces add up, so I only take it where I think that carrying it will reduce my load by allowing me to carry less water. For example, in the Rockies it was great, but on the Southern Tier there was nowhere to get water that needed to be filtered except in the wetter parts where tap water was readily available.

BTW: I have found that it is easy enough to backflush the filter by holding it against a water faucet (use a cloth to prevent getting soaked by the spray from the poor seal when holding it against the faucet) that I have never even opened the package for the syringe. Unless you are somewhere that the particulates are especially bad you will find that the need for cleaning is infrequent, less by a very large margin than I have experienced with ceramic filters.

I carry a set of AquaMira (http://www.allfilters.com/campingfilters/purificationadditives/aquamira-drops?gclid=CO7Y0b2y7bQCFSPhQgodWGUATg) though I seldom use it. It's cheap and light and long-lasting and effective for what I need it for, which is the occasional dip into a pond or stream possibly contaminated by septic or pasture. On a wet ride through the Cascades recently, I was able to fill up without getting off my bike by just reaching out to the streams falling off the rock walls. I don't treat piped spring water, either, though you don't see many of those on bike tours. I love finding the old manual well pumps in parks--it's hard to get better water than that. I've even dumped out my city swimming pool water and filled up on well water when I can find it.

On my AT thru hike, I would meet people carrying bottled "Appalachian Spring Water" (purchased in town at $3 per liter) into the woods. When faced with the actual spring, though, they'd pull out a filter or drop chemicals into it. It seemed sad, to be afraid of town water in town and afraid of spring water in the woods.

The notion that bottled spring water receives no treatment to sterilize it is false and the idea that you can drink safely from any untested surface water source can cut your trip short very unexpectedly. Suggest you research bottled water a little more - it has to pass government health standards and is tested far more extensively than municipal drinking water.

You might also find some of the information here interesting:
http://www.katadyn.com/usen/water-knowledge/

I don't know where you guys live buy the water pipes in my town were made with LEAD! I'm told to let the water run 5 minutes each day before using to get the lead out! LOL! I double filter my water before drinking. I opened the filter to remove it and it was yellow!

I carry two water filter bottles. A Clear 2 Go (http://www.clear2o.com/c-1-mobile-filtration.aspx) for all municipal and biologically safe water, mostly to clean up the chemical taste, and a Katadyn My Bottle (http://www.katadyn.com/usen/katadyn-products/products/katadynshopconnect/katadyn-water-filters-ultralight-series-products/) for most surface water. Basically, I filter nearly every drop I drink.

How do you like the Clear 2 Go bottles? I've never used a filtered bottle before... Do you have to squeeze it and how is the flow rate? Can you quaff down water when you are really thirsty or does it just trickle out?

Fear mongering is actually one of the oldest Madison Avenue advertising techniques.
Unfortunately, Americans have become profoundly fearful of the natural world - esp. of water.

Now I wouldn't take a slurp out of the Rio Grande in Laredo - but just might in the Weminuche Wilderness.
Yes, giardiasis is a serious condition - but affects different people differently - many are asymptomatic.
Also, it's not a zero level of contamination but a threshold level.

Although contaminated water is the leading cause of infant and child death in poor nations,
Natural microbial resistance is declining in developed nations where exposure is severely limited.
The vast majority of people would be unaffected by clean water sources in the High Sierras.

Thus, there is an unnatural fear of nature and a rush to buy manufactured safety.
And the sad thing - more for backcountry hikers than cyclists -
Is that most people will pass up a delicious, cool mountain spring.


Article by Peter Stekel:
http://www.peterstekel.com/PDF-HTML/Giardia.PDF

Fear mongering is actually one of the oldest Madison Avenue advertising techniques.
Unfortunately, Americans have become profoundly fearful of the natural world - esp. of water.

Now I wouldn't take a slurp out of the Rio Grande in Laredo - but just might in the Weminuche Wilderness.
Yes, giardiasis is a serious condition - but affects different people differently - many are asymptomatic.
Also, it's not a zero level of contamination but a threshold level.

Although contaminated water is the leading cause of infant and child death in poor nations,
Natural microbial resistance is declining in developed nations where exposure is severely limited.
The vast majority of people would be unaffected by clean water sources in the High Sierras.

Thus, there is an unnatural fear of nature and a rush to buy manufactured safety.
And the sad thing - more for backcountry hikers than cyclists -
Is that most people will pass up a delicious, cool mountain spring.


Article by Peter Steckel:
http://www.peterstekel.com/PDF-HTML/Giardia.PDF

So where do you want to draw the line? At the highest of the headwaters in the Weminuche? How about below Creede? Or below Alamosa? How about below a beaver pond? I fish and I see, first hand, what beaver do in mountain streams and I'm not all that willing to drink where they poop. And that doesn't include what other mammals...human or otherwise...do in the woods.

And while giardiasis may not happen every time you drink untreated stream water, if you've had it once, it is not something you want to repeat. That "delicious, cool mountain spring" tastes just a delicious after being filtered without the risk of a couple of weeks on the toilet.

So where do you want to draw the line?

I doubt you looked at the Stekel article.
Or have considered the pathology of giardiasis or its etiology.

You do not have to agree with me, nor do I have to agree with you.
I wish simply to share information that is readily available - -
And have people make their own choices based of their best interests.

No aspect of life is risk free - least of all getting into your automobile.
I might think I can reduce my risk to zero of being seriously injured or killed in an automobile accident
by refusing to drive or ride in a car, but then cyclists and pedestrians are often victims, too.
If I am prudent, then I will wear a seatbelt, limit my driving on holidays esp New Year's Eve, etc.

Similarly, most people who are aware of their own bodies and surroundings
Can drink high country water with safety - - provided they are prudent.
I choose to be one of those people.

To lose the pleasure of delicious fresh water is to lose something essential to the human spirit.

Fear mongering is actually one of the oldest Madison Avenue advertising techniques.
Unfortunately, Americans have become profoundly fearful of the natural world - esp. of water.

Now I wouldn't take a slurp out of the Rio Grande in Laredo - but just might in the Weminuche Wilderness.
Yes, giardiasis is a serious condition - but affects different people differently - many are asymptomatic.
Also, it's not a zero level of contamination but a threshold level.

Although contaminated water is the leading cause of infant and child death in poor nations,
Natural microbial resistance is declining in developed nations where exposure is severely limited.
The vast majority of people would be unaffected by clean water sources in the High Sierras.

Thus, there is an unnatural fear of nature and a rush to buy manufactured safety.
And the sad thing - more for backcountry hikers than cyclists -
Is that most people will pass up a delicious, cool mountain spring.


Article by Peter Stekel:
http://www.peterstekel.com/PDF-HTML/Giardia.PDF

Very interesting article. I had a friend that I did wilderness canoe trips with who often dipped a cup of water from the river and drank it. He only did this on wilderness rivers, but often a long ways from their headwaters. He probably did this thousands of times in his lifetime and to my knowledge he has never gotten sick from it.

Since I can carry a 3 ounce filter that doesn't change the taste of the water I am still inclined to filter most of my water that is dipped from rivers and streams.

I may actually start being more cavalier about drinking untreated water from sources that seem relatively pristine. So on a hike like the JMT I might consider not even taking a filter. On bike tours I typically do not take a filter unless the location is especially conducive to saving weight by carrying less and treating or filtering. On my tour in the Sierras I would not have wanted to drink some of the water that we dipped without filtering other places I wouldn't have worried.

The water debate is similar to the helmet debate, and certainly the seat belt debate. Or even the argument you get from non-cyclists about how dangerous cycling is. It's funny there's a debate about risks from drinking water among those who bicycle in traffic! We all choose our risk levels, and decide what we want to be afraid of, and it's really hard to convince us otherwise.

Over the last decade of extensive backcountry travel, including over 10,000 miles of long trail hiking in the US, Europe, and South America, my attitude toward drinking water changed completely. I started out with the filters, went through several of them, and got really tired of the expense and difficulty of maintaining them on multi-month trips. I switched to chemicals, and got tired of the taste and long-term exposure to chemicals. I gradually learned to choose the cleanest sources for drinking and all has been well for years. On my recent hike through the South San Juan and Weminuche Wildernesses (Chama to Silverton), it was easy enough to choose snowmelt streams coming right off the Divide, above the lakes and beavers. The occasional fleck of marmot or ptarmigan turd was a risk I happily took. I still carry the chemicals for sources I consider to be suspect, and even that continues to evolve as I get less fearful of backcountry water. But, as recommended in the Steckel article, I do wash my hands carefully and frequently--that's a risk I choose not to take. On a bike tour, when I see rainwater cascading off a roadside rock high in the Cascades, I'm not going to pass that up or stop and treat it.

I doubt you looked at the Stekel article.
Or have considered the pathology of giardiasis or its etiology.

You do not have to agree with me, nor do I have to agree with you.
I wish simply to share information that is readily available - -
And have people make their own choices based of their best interests.

No aspect of life is risk free - least of all getting into your automobile.
I might think I can reduce my risk to zero of being seriously injured or killed in an automobile accident
by refusing to drive or ride in a car, but then cyclists and pedestrians are often victims, too.
If I am prudent, then I will wear a seatbelt, limit my driving on holidays esp New Year's Eve, etc.

Similarly, most people who are aware of their own bodies and surroundings
Can drink high country water with safety - - provided they are prudent.
I choose to be one of those people.

To lose the pleasure of delicious fresh water is to lose something essential to the human spirit.

Yes I did look at the Stekel article. Read the last paragraph, particularly the part where he says "Finally, avoid water passing through heavily human or animal impacted areas." As a westerner, I would think it obvious that most private land and most federal forestry lands fall into that category. Grazing up to and above timberline is common throughout the state of Colorado and Wyoming as well as most other western states. Cattle are particularly careful about where they let loose and can foul water with all kinds of bacteria you probably don't want to ingest. That is why I asked where you draw the line.

I might drink water flowing from rock, although most of the time that kind of spring doesn't have enough flow and probably has a healthy algal growth in it. On the other hand, the source of that water flowing from rock could just as likely be mine drainage here in Colorado which has as nasty stuff in it as animals can put in it.

You also have to consider that bicycle tourist...remember them...probably aren't traveling the the Weminunche Wilderness area. They are likely to be traveling down where the cows drink and dump in the water. Feel free to drink from an unfiltered source. Free free to enjoy "the pleasure of delicious fresh water". I too enjoy it...I just filter it before imbibing.

The notion that bottled spring water receives no treatment to sterilize it is false and the idea that you can drink safely from any untested surface water source can cut your trip short very unexpectedly. Suggest you research bottled water a little more - it has to pass government health standards and is tested far more extensively than municipal drinking water.

You might also find some of the information here interesting:
http://www.katadyn.com/usen/water-knowledge/

The requirements for water testing and system inspections for municipal systems is much more stringent than for water bottlers. Both are regulated but municipal systems are regulated much better.