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

[nautical62]

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?

So by that analogy:

When I take on water from a fuel dock away from home when cruising, I don't know the actual source, I don't know how it was actually treated and I don't know anything about the cleanliness of the delivery system, so thats like having unprotected sex with strangers.

But when I take on water myself directly from the source, using my own equipment and filter my drinking water myself, I know the source, how it was transported and treated, so that's like practicing safe sex.

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

To be specific, I have routinely drank water directly from many remote lakes and rivers, including Lake Superior (where I have filled my tank water directly from the Lake). I usually filter drinking water using a high quality manual filter, but not always.

I would NOT drink water from stagnant sources, nor areas close to urban or farm activities. I don't drink Lake Ontario water (where I sail now).

I have never researched this, but I do find it interesting that in some locations (Mexico?) locals are able to drink the water when visitors are not. Could this be yet another example of the rich western societies being too clean? I haven't looked at the research, but this is certainly true around other aspects of our over-clean life.

So, to answer the OPs question. I would say, yes, it is might be possible in specific circumstances. But I wouldn't count on it. Rain collection is a better option for cruising sailors.

No doubt there is fresh clean water in many parts of the world. I have drunk from a fair bit of streams myself when needed.
Springs that percolate through stone or sand offer filtration and are usually very safe and one need not hesitate to drink the water.
But, when there are parasites like crypto or bacteria like geardia, the water can appear beautiful and unspoiled, so you never know what you are going to get. since these things can make you very very sick, don't mess around if you don't have to. The unprotected sex analogy is very good. Sure she is beautiful but....

[Badsanta]

We will do as each feels comfortable with. Do as you wish.

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

[Seaslug Caravan]

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?

However in a sad funny sort of way I'm not sure TREATED water from a KNOWN source is always safe.

We are presently cruising Tassy and a quick google shows that Taswater publishes Public Health alerts and appears to have finally decided to come clean and recomend that one does not consume their reticulated water in Whitemark. Appears as though its contaminated with lead.

Whitemark residents and visiting cruisers filling their tanks, have been ingesting the contaminants for years.

Now that explains a lot.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by nautical62

So by that analogy:

When I take on water from a fuel dock away from home when cruising, I don't know the actual source, I don't know how it was actually treated and I don't know anything about the cleanliness of the delivery system, so thats like having unprotected sex with strangers.

But when I take on water myself directly from the source, using my own equipment and filter my drinking water myself, I know the source, how it was transported and treated, so that's like practicing safe sex.

I truly hope you are not so stupid as to interpret my words to mean that.

You go ahead and drink what you want, you're going to anyway. I'll stick with approved treated water.

[autumnbreeze27]

Story told to me by somebody in La Paz

A boat came down from I believe the PNW, and had issues with his water tanks. When they opened them up to inspect them, they found them over 50% full of mussels. The guy picked up water from a marina that was getting it's water from a stream, and somehow the mussels came from that water. They grew and multiplied in his tanks until he had to cut the tanks out and replace them.

Can't imagine what a PITA that project must have been.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

No doubt there is fresh clean water in many parts of the world. I have drunk from a fair bit of streams myself when needed.
Springs that percolate through stone or sand offer filtration and are usually very safe and one need not hesitate to drink the water.
But, when there are parasites like crypto or bacteria like geardia, the water can appear beautiful and unspoiled, so you never know what you are going to get. since these things can make you very very sick, don't mess around if you don't have to. The unprotected sex analogy is very good. Sure she is beautiful but....

Yes, this is why I said one needs to be smart about drinking untreated water. Any open source carries a risk of contamination. You can mitigate this risk with knowledge, but you can't erase it.

The OP asked if it was possible. The answer is clearly yes, in specific circumstances and with reasonable precautions. But if you deem the risk too high, don't do it.

BTW, as has been said, filling your tank with dock water is also a risky affair. In some places the risk is small, in other locales it is significant. As with all things in life, do your best to assess the risk, and act accordingly.

[Jim Cate]

Well, one test is to determine if you would swim in the source water. Most folks swallow a certain amount of water whilst swimming in it... or at least get it in their mouths, and that's all it takes to ingest a microbe.

About every year or so, we have a thread on CF about drinking rainwater. There are always folks who say that this is deadly, etc. And then someone from a rural Australian background points out that much of rural Oz survives on collected rainwater, and usually without even basic treatment. Similar areas exist in many countries. Perceived risks often have little relationship to actual hazards, and this is a fair example of the syndrome.

You will never convince the "pure water or bust" folks... it's a waste of time arguing IMO, so do what seems best to you at the time. If that means drinking non-purified water, well, lots of us have survived doing so. A few have subsequently had problems, problems that may have origins in the water. Life's a risk...

Jim

[Snowpetrel]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

About every year or so, we have a thread on CF about drinking rainwater. There are always folks who say that this is deadly, etc. And then someone from a rural Australian background points out that much of rural Oz survives on collected rainwater, and usually without even basic treatment. Similar areas exist in many countries. Perceived risks often have little relationship to actual hazards, and this is a fair example of the syndrome.

Ha Jim, a certain marina down here in Tassie uses untreated rainwater collected of the roof and pumped direct to the marina taps. So any yachties topping up their tanks thinking they are getting treated townwater are in for a surprize. Unfortunately I filled my tank with it during bushfire season and ended up with smoke tainted water..

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Snowpetrel

Ha Jim, a certain marina down here in Tassie uses untreated rainwater collected of the roof and pumped direct to the marina taps. So any yachties topping up their tanks thinking they are getting treated townwater are in for a surprize. Unfortunately I filled my tank with it during bushfire season and ended up with smoke tainted water..

Aha! At last an explanation for your weird behavior, Ben! You've been smoked from the inside out.

Wonder which marina that might be???

Jim

[El Pinguino]

Sounds like Kettering, last time I was there water was rationed and the town which I think was bore water was unpotable.

Down on the campo I've been drinking rainwater off the roof for the last 35 years. Had a bird's beak come out of the tap once....

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Sounds like Kettering, last time I was there water was rationed and the town which I think was bore water was unpotable.

Down on the campo I've been drinking rainwater off the roof for the last 35 years. Had a bird's beak come out of the tap once....

DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF, EL PING!

[Snowpetrel]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Aha! At last an explanation for your weird behavior, Ben! You've been smoked from the inside out.

Wonder which marina that might be???

Jim

Nah, I was a bit of an odd ball well before the smokey water incident.. hoping it might have preserved me well enough for an eccentric old age.

BTW Ping has it right (love your new profile pic ping, brings back a few memories of Cabo de Hornos). I think OC marina trucks in town water these days.

[StuM]

Back around the turn of the century, Port Moresby had major water supply problems.

We survived primarily on water tanks which were kept topped up by a mixture of rainwater from the roof and water brought from the Laloki River. The river water was just pumped into tanks built on the back of trucks and delivered to properties without any treatment. There was no noticeable increase in water borne illness.

[PortHoleDiver]

Originally Posted by 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.

Yes, I understand wanting to use your Spectra, but the OP stated using FRESH water from lakes, streams. If used in fresh water it will ruin your filters in a hurry.