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 POTABLE DRINKING water has been in the news on a daily basis this past year. Countries are poised to fight bloody wars over water rights as upstream consumers deplete entire rivers before this life-giving resource crosses their neighbor’s border. Only 1% of the world’s water is readily available as potable water and we are already using up one half of that! More than 1 billion people in the world go without a reliable source of potable water on a daily basis.I was contemplating this dilemma as we members of Boy Scout Troop 20 paddled across billions of gallons of fresh water in the Adirondacks, located in upper New York state. Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink! On Day 1 of our five-day, 60-mile, wilderness-canoeing trip, fresh potable water was not a concern because we could pack what was needed for cooking and remaining hydrated. However, you begin to realize how precious this commodity that we take for granted really becomes as civilization fades away. Our first day found us traversing a slow-moving stream between two lakes. As we floated gently through the wilderness, we came upon a very large beaver hut. Beaver, deer, muskrat and other animal wastes contaminate the apparently pristine waters. Beaver Fever is the nickname for Giardiasis, an intestinal illness triggered by ingesting the microscopic parasite Giardia Lamblia in untreated water. Symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, rapid weight loss and feeling exhausted.
People in institutional settings and day care centers as well as individuals who travel in foreign countries or consume improperly treated surface water can contract Giardiasis, Hepatitis A, Salmonella and Campylobacter, which are also commonly found in ponds, lakes, streams and open springs. Brown with tannins from trees and detritus from the forests, the water looked like weak tea when we refilled our plastic drinking bottles. Reverse osmosis would be an ideal solution, but impractical if not impossible, which left us with three choices: - Boiling water for up to five minutes — unsafe to perform in a canoe;
- Tetraglycine hydroperiodide (iodine-based) tablets, which leave a strong
- One of the newer style ceramic/carbon filtration hand pumps designed to effectively
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This illness lasts for one to three weeks and, in severe cases, can become chronic and life threatening.
