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

[senormechanico]

I think I'll stick to being one of those "clowns" and stick with my Spectra and silent solar panels instead of your Honda 2000 anchorage peace wrecking noisemaker.

[uncle stinkybob]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Collecting water for cooking or drinking is tricky... any human activity or even wildlife 'upstream' puts you at risk of getting Giardia aka 'beaver fever' which is 'not nice'.

We only take shore water where it is coming straight off the ice.

I have had it twice, a good friend of mine has had it once, he nearly died before he got help. It has nothing to do with how clean and clear the water looks, if the parasite is present you are going to be very very sick. Both times I have contracted it was in the P.N.W., drinking from cold clear water mountain streams. Untreated? drink at your own risk!

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Kjbraman

Anyone have any insight for pumping fresh water from creeks or rivers for showers, washing, cooking, deck cleaning etc...?
Looking to avoid water maker expense and don't want to have to go to marinas either.
Any advice greatly appreciated........

A bucket and a rope?

Creek or river water is fine for washing the deck and some river or creek water would be OK for showering (It's easier to just climb down the ladder into the creek to wash), but cooking, etc.? I don't think that's wise.

Any money you save will most likely be spent on medical care.

We often spend the night at marinas and at least where we boat, potable water is free.


BTW: Some people wait until the marina is closed for the night and pull in and dump their garbage and steal water.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by uncle stinkybob

I have had it twice, a good friend of mine has had it once, he nearly died before he got help. It has nothing to do with how clean and clear the water looks, if the parasite is present you are going to be very very sick. Both times I have contracted it was in the P.N.W., drinking from cold clear water mountain streams. Untreated? drink at your own risk!

100% correct. You can't see microbes in the water. Clear and sparkling does not mean clean and safe.

[sy_gilana]

We have been drinking our tank water for 18 years. Mainly we fill with rainwater, but have taken river water often. In fact yesterday we took on 1.5 tons of it from a pipe that runs up a river a half a mile. We chlorinate it while it fills. We have had the squirts about twice, but nothing serious so far. Our bodies have evolved to drink water from rivers and other nice looking sources. Trust your instincts, taste, smell and the look of the water. If it does not kill you it makes you stronger.
Pure water is a luxury promoted by the sellers of it and the kit to make it.
The taste of some of the brown tinted water is amazing, even if some monkeys took a dump in it.

[BambooSailor]

Schistosomiasis: A fresh-water parasite found in the Caribbean, South America, Africa and Asia causes schistosomiasis. Estimates are that 200 million people in at least 74 countries are infected, and the World Health Organization puts the annual death rate at 200,000. Dangerous areas for travelers are Brazil, Puerto Rico and St. Lucia, Egypt and most of sub-Saharan Africa, southern China, the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
The flatworm that causes this disease uses fresh-water snails as the intermediate host. The snails release larvae into the water, and these enter humans through the skin in 30 seconds to 10 minutes. You can catch it just by direct contact, like swimming or washing dishes in contaminated water.

[uncle stinkybob]

Originally Posted by sy_gilana

We have been drinking our tank water for 18 years. Mainly we fill with rainwater, but have taken river water often. In fact yesterday we took on 1.5 tons of it from a pipe that runs up a river a half a mile. We chlorinate it while it fills. We have had the squirts about twice, but nothing serious so far. Our bodies have evolved to drink water from rivers and other nice looking sources. Trust your instincts, taste, smell and the look of the water. If it does not kill you it makes you stronger.
Pure water is a luxury promoted by the sellers of it and the kit to make it.
The taste of some of the brown tinted water is amazing, even if some monkeys took a dump in it.

most uneducated unsafe statement I have ever read on this site.

[nautical62]

On month long backpacking, canoe and kayak trips, I got all my water for all purposes including drinking from the environment around me. The same methods for treating water on such trips don't magically become ineffective just because you are on a sailboat. All the water we use everyday for everything came from the environment after all.

Personally, I think it would be rare one could easily get their cruiser within 100 feet of a good water source. I'd rely more on collecting it in the dingy and having a way to pump it from there into the tank.

[Dave22q]

Easy way is have a self priming 12v on board pump that can lift water 8-10' to your tank inlet. Nothing very large, 5-10 minutes to fill a 50 g tank is no big deal. I would chlorinate each refill and then would use for dish washing, showers, deck wash etc. For cooking and drinking I would check with the local health department as to the degree of chlorination needed. I suspect any threats can be countered by sufficient chlorine. If you hate the resulting taste keep a large pitcher full and the chlorine will largely evaporate in a day. Plan 'B' could be a separate drinking water tank with a dedicated pump, pipes and faucet or simply a bladder or 2-3 Jerri cans on deck.
In my experience water at US marinas is generally not very expensive so you may be solving a non problem.

[Dave22q]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Just because water looks clear and beautiful does not mean it isn't seriously contaminated with bacteria or viruses.

Lots of comments but none say chlorinated water presents any health hazard. Parasites may be an issue in the tropics but until I hear otherwise I will assume chlorinated water is safe for cooking, bathing and drinking.

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by Dave22q

Lots of comments but none say chlorinated water presents any health hazard. Parasites may be an issue in the tropics but until I hear otherwise I will assume chlorinated water is safe for cooking, bathing and drinking.

Chlorine is fine but does not sterilize the water. There are many parasites and bacteria that are not killed by chlorine. If one is serious about using natural ground source fresh water filtration is a must. Why fool around?

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Dave22q

Lots of comments but none say chlorinated water presents any health hazard. Parasites may be an issue in the tropics but until I hear otherwise I will assume chlorinated water is safe for cooking, bathing and drinking.

just off the top of my head here's one. Read up on Cryptosporidium. It is not killed by chlorine.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by sy_gilana

We have been drinking our tank water for 18 years. Mainly we fill with rainwater, but have taken river water often. In fact yesterday we took on 1.5 tons of it from a pipe that runs up a river a half a mile. We chlorinate it while it fills. We have had the squirts about twice, but nothing serious so far. Our bodies have evolved to drink water from rivers and other nice looking sources. Trust your instincts, taste, smell and the look of the water. If it does not kill you it makes you stronger.
Pure water is a luxury promoted by the sellers of it and the kit to make it.
The taste of some of the brown tinted water is amazing, even if some monkeys took a dump in it.

I'm sorry to be so blunt but this recommendation is potentially dangerous. One of the biggest reasons for many health differences between the developed and third world countries is safe, pure water. No marketing nonsense behind it, just fact.

A few of the health impacts from drinking, cooking, washing or swimming in contaminated water include: much higher infant mortality, shorter average life span, parasitic infections, reduced immunity and yes even death.

Chlorine doesn't kill everything. I suggest looking at this list of pathogens in water published by the CDC.

Effectiveness on Pathogens | The Safe Water System | CDC

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Kjbraman

Anyone have any insight for pumping fresh water from creeks or rivers for showers, washing, cooking, deck cleaning etc...?
Looking to avoid water maker expense and don't want to have to go to marinas either.
Any advice greatly appreciated.

Maybe a pump like the one below with 20-30' hose and 6-10' elevation gain?

Wayne 12 Volt Self-Priming Transfer Water Pump — 340 GPH, 3/4in. Port, Model# PC1 | 12 Volt Pumps| Northern Tool + Equipment

Please refer to another thread if this topic already exists. I couldn't find one.

I wouldn't for cooking. Even if up stream is only forest it can be full of fecal coliforms from the wild life.

[Cap Erict3]

Boil and filter suspect water. I did it to the bottled water when I lived in Nigeria.