How long do you boil creek water to make it potable?

[intheflow]

I'm going camping for two weeks in the Rockies. I'll be bringing bottled water to drink, but want to use creek water to wash dishes and myself. How long do I have to boil it to make sure it's giardia-free?

[kenny blankenship]

1. at least two minutes

[cally]

2. Why not use the iodine

drops? or buy a filter. I think it's 20 to 30 minutes of a full boil to make water safe. That's a large amount of fuel and pollution. I have a small filter I use for drinking water and then I use the drops for water for washing dishes. I don't decontaminate water used for bathing.

[kenny blankenship]

4. Most pathogens are destroyed by boiling point

5 minutes of full boil is for a satisfying margin of overkill.

[intheflow]

6. Well...

I said I was camping, but I'll actually be in a primitive cabin (no plumbing or electricity, and it has an outhouse). It does have a woodstove, however, and I know from past experiences at this time of year at that altitude that I'll probably have a good fire going in the stove every night, easily hot enough to boil water for an extended period. So not really a waste of fuel, but a duel use for wood burning.

I'll keep the iodine in mind for backcountry camping I hope to do next summer. :hi:

[LastKnight]

21. if youre up high enough

the boiling point will lower due to the lack of air preassure, and the boiling point may not be representative of the temperature needed to kill whatever is in the water. sure, i doubt that stuff dies exactly at boiling point, in all truth it will probably die well before it, but boiling is agood marker. and id just thougth id mention that your boiling point wont be 212 degrees if youre high enough.

and once you have the water at a full boil it wont get any hotter, boiling is a cooling process, the steam released carries energy with it out of the water. as soon as the energy from the fire enters the water more steam will just be released, boiling is about as hot as you can get it.

[China_cat]

14. Those filters and the drops

don't do anything against giardia. Boiling (20 minutes) is the only way to keep from picking up beaver fever.

[petronius]

22. Actually good filters are highly effective

against giardia and cryptosporidium. Giardia is also highly vulnerable to heat (even a momentary boil is fine). Crypto is more resistant to heat and iodine, but 20 minutes is major overkill. Filters can also work against bacteria like E. Coli., depending on size.

Filters are not effective against viruses (iodine is, I think), but viruses are rarely a concern. All in all, the water quality concern is way overstated, like sharks or killer bees. A little caution in choosing water and a lot of attention to personal hygiene is the key...

[MissB]

3. Depends on the altitude

You'll have to boil it longer if you're at a higher elevation. 3 to 5 minutes at sea level would more than kill it.

Have you considered a filter instead?

[petronius]

5. Actually, the water is not usually the problem

Poor personal hygiene is the real cause of most post-hike illnesses. Always wash your hands with soap (do NOT use soap in natural water sources, for personal or dish washing, and rinse dishes far from lakes/creeks) after elimination and before handling food or utensils. Make certain that your colleagues do likewise. If you want to be ultra-safe, then don't let anyone else prepare or handle your food. I always carry a container of hand sanitizer like Purell which I use after bathroom breaks and a regular intervals otherwise (it also doubles as an emergency fire starter).

I really don't think you have to worry about boiling wash water, unless you are in an area where the water is known to be contaminated. I assume you are car-camping to be carrying all that drinking water, so I imagine you'll be in a well-used area, but even so al little caution about where you get water should keep you safe.

[intheflow]

7. Of course I'd never wash dishes in a creek!

*shudder* And I use a biodegradable dish detergent even in my home.

I also always carry Purell with me, as I'm a little nutty about personal hygiene anyway.

[petronius]

12. Just make sure that your friends are as careful as you are

It may be a myth, but I've always thought that we are used to our own parasites, but other people's bugs make us sick.

Also (and please forgive the hectoring, I'm sure you are well aware of this, but it's a serious peeve of mine and I can't resist saying it), remember that even biodegradable soaps should only be used at a distance (at least 100') from natural water sources.

Two weeks in a cabin sounds awesome - I hope you'll be posting some pictures when you get back!

[intheflow]

20. My camping companion will be my son.

While he's a responsible adult, I still don't think I trust him with the dishes. I have too many memories of his teen years dish-washing ineptitude! LOL!

My camp site is well away from the water. Lugging the water from the creek to the site builds muscle & bone density, thus helping to prevent osteoporosis. Health and safety first, I always say! :)

[usedtobesick]

9. Actually in all of the US now and some of Canada

there is Giardia (bacteria) in the water that causes long term intestinal distress. It can be bad for years if not treated. So all water needs to be boiled or treated. It isn't safe to assume any water from a stream or lake or anything is safe untreated.

[petronius]

15. It's true that Giardia is widespread

but the risk from the water is severely overstated, and illnesses from other (hygiene related) sources are often blamed on the water. In most places, if Giardia or other pathogens are present, the concentrations are too low to do damage. What it comes down to is that most people find it easier to blame the water than admit that they didn't wash all that well after taking a dump...

Personally, I always carry a filter (3 oz in my pack is a small price for a little extra peace of mind). However, careful selection of water sources is probably enough in most places, and good hygiene is critical. It never hurts to be cautious about water or anything else in the backcountry, but I really feel that the Giardia (and crypto., etc.) worry has been blown way out of proportion...

[intheflow]

8. Thanks Everyone!

I figure 10 minutes on the woodburning stove ought to do the trick nicely. :hi:

[Lars39]

11. A few drops of bleach couldn't hurt, either.

:)

[Squatch]

10. Buy one of these:

Miox

Where's the *drool* emoticon when you need it?

[intheflow]

17. For $130

I could afford to bring enough bottled water to wash my dishes and my car! :rofl:

[Squatch]

19. It's worth it. I keep it in my first aid kit.

[chaska]

13. 3000 miles on the AT without treating the water. Never sick.

I used idodine in the very rare cases where I had to drink pond water, but otherwise not.

People worry entirely too much about this stuff.

Treating water for bathing is just plain silly. And for washing dishes it's unnecessary too. You will kill whatever might be in there when you cook. And if you're carry more dishes than just a pot and spoon you're carrying more than neccessary.

Just look for small, fast flowing streams and you'll be fine.

But I've been here many times before and I know you will listen to your fears and not me.

[intheflow]

16. Not fear so much as common sense.

I'm among the unemployed and uninsured. I can't afford to get sick. But good to know your success with not treating water. The creek I'm staying by is very small and fast-running.

[Squatch]

18. Taking a few minutes to treat "small and fast-running"

water will save you hours on the crapper with the most painful abdominal cramps ever.

No water in the back country is safe unless treated, boiled, and/or filtered.

[Rabrrrrrr]

23. Since you're high altitude, and have a cookstove anyway, IDEAL SOLUTION:

I say put a pot of water, and just keep 'er cooking. You're not losing any energy from the wood fire by using some small amount of it to keep the water going, anyway.

Take out water whenever you need it, and put some more in. Keep the thing going, in rotation, so there's always water in it.

And what helps make it so ideal, is that it will help alleviate the dryness of the high altitude and chilly air as well. And the humidity in the air in the cabin will help the cookstove keep the cabin warm as well - moist air is much better at feeling warm than dry air.