Think twice before drinking water from a river

“The world’s best water runs down the backs of lizards.”

You may not have read or heard this phrase yet – it’s a joke that illustrates the situation where river water looks crystal clear but can still hide a variety of diseases we can contract when we drink this water without treating it first.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasizes the importance of treatment with a very direct indication: “when outdoors, treat water before drinking it to prevent illness.”

Parasites like Cryptosporidium, Giardia intestinalis (or Giardia duodenalis) and Schistosoma can contaminate any water source, even those with a crystal-clear appearance. The parasites are present in the intestines of infected humans and animals, so infection spreads when someone ingests water that has come into contact with contaminated feces from those humans or animals.

Giardia duodenalis – Image: CDC / United States

Some symptoms tend to be delayed, with infections setting in days after ingesting infected water. Most people don’t suffer long-term effects, and many who suffer from diseases with milder symptoms don’t always make the connection between intestinal imbalance and water ingested days before. But for some people, the infection can be fatal. People with compromised immune systems, such as those undergoing chemotherapy or using immunosuppressive drugs, cannot afford to drink untreated water.

Symptoms of Giardia, also known in the United States as “beaver fever,” include fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and cramps, among others. While the Cryptosporidium parasite adds fever to this list. Schistosomiasis also includes skin rashes and body aches.

With the increasing number of hiking and trekking practitioners, the probability of ingesting contaminated water is even higher, since not everyone knows the principles of minimum impact regarding human waste. And we can’t forget the possibility that the stream is contaminated by wild animals or by livestock located somewhere upstream.

ALWAYS purify river water before drinking

In an ideal scenario, we should carry with us the water we will use during our outdoor activity, thus ensuring its quality and eliminating the risk of contamination. This works well on short trails, but won’t be practical for camping or long trails in remote areas. Fortunately, we can work around this by using filters and chlorine purification tablets, like Clorin, to treat the water we collect along the way.

In addition to filters and chlorine tablets, we can use two other methods to treat water: ultraviolet light and boiling. Below, we’ll see more details about each of these possibilities.

Water filters for outdoor use

There are different types of filters for outdoor use, we’ve even talked about two Katadyn models, the BeeFree Personal Filter Purifier and the Vario filter. Some are more compact and adapt better to bottles or hoses, while others have a higher or lower filtration flow. Ideally, before choosing a filter, research the characteristics of each one to select the one that will serve you best. Pay attention to usage possibilities, technical characteristics, size, weight, filtration flow and filter lifespan.

A differential of filters is the fact that they act on two fronts: eliminating organisms and filtering solid particles in suspension that make water look cloudy or dirty. But remember that a paper pre-filter (like coffee filters) will make the filter’s lifespan longer.

It’s also worth understanding that there are different filters with different efficiencies. But generally speaking, their efficiency against microorganisms is:

Protozoa: 99.99%
Bacteria: 99.9999%
Viruses: do not eliminate

We’ve already talked about some outdoor filter models on our YouTube channel, check out some videos about this equipment:

– Katadyn Vario Filter

– Katadyn Be Free Filter

Water purification tablets

In addition to filters, we have purification tablets, like Clorin 1mg. A tablet with germicidal action indicated to make water safe and potable for human consumption in situations where water quality is questionable. Each tablet makes 500mL to 1L of water potable from any source, such as wells, streams, and springs. This makes Clorin an ideal solution for use in camping, ecotourism, hiking and nautical, military and outdoor sports activities.

An additional advantage of this method is that you can purify collected water without stopping walking. Just add the purification tablet to your bottle or hydration system and return to the trail. In 15 minutes, the freshly collected water can be safely ingested.

Clorin tablet being used to purify water collected from a river

Clorin is a chlorine-based product, but in an organic molecule, Sodium Dichloro-Isocyanurate. Unlike the inorganic chlorine present in bleach and some water decontamination products, Sodium Dichloro-Isocyanurate is recommended by the World Health Organization and the UN for not representing a health risk.

In the video below, you can see the differences between Clorin and other products based on Sodium Hypochlorite:

Note that the function of the Clorin tablet is to eliminate microorganisms, ensuring potability. They don’t act on any other characteristic of the water you collected, that is, if it’s cloudy, using Clorin won’t change this aspect. Therefore, just like when using filters, we recommend pre-filtering with a paper filter for coffee makers.

See below Clorin’s efficiency:

Protozoa: 100%
Bacteria: 100%
Viruses: 100%

Clorin Milton – disinfect bottles and hydration systems

See how Clorin Milton will facilitate the maintenance of your bottles and hydration packs.

Clorin Salad – for vegetable hygienization in your daily life

Ultraviolet light

Ultraviolet light, or UV, is another method we can use for disinfecting water we collect during our hikes and camping trips. Of all the methods we show here, this is by far the most uncommon to be seen in use here in Brazil, mainly because the equipment needed for this type of treatment is not so popular in Brazil and has a higher cost than other purification methods normally used.

Boil if you don’t have another resource available

Another reliable, and simple, option is boiling. Boiling is an effective way to eliminate any microscopic creatures you wouldn’t want to take into your intestine. But on a short day hike, the vast majority of hikers won’t have a pot and stove in their backpack. And besides, boiled water needs to cool before being consumed or stored in plastic bottles and hydration reservoirs, which makes this process a bit more time-consuming. Boiling works well when we’re camping and have time to do all this calmly.

Boiling water is a great solution when you don’t have other resources

Like Clorin, boiling water also doesn’t alter other characteristics of the liquid, such as visual appearance.

Conclusion

As we’ve seen, there are several methods to purify water you collected during a hike or camping trip, and some of them are quite simple. So put excuses aside, there’s no justification for taking an unnecessary risk when you have options to avoid it.

Due to practicality, low cost and efficiency, Clorin is the best choice. For the more concerned, a redundancy of methods can be used, such as using Clorin and a filter. In this case, an advantage is the removal of impurities and suspended solids. One way or another, choose a method according to your type of adventure and enjoy nature!

This post is also available in: Português (Portuguese (Brazil)) Español (Spanish)