Has anyone ever purified stagnant swamp water? just tryin to get some advice from those who have done this. spent a day in the swamp, and my canteen was empty pretty quick. would like to go for a week, but need a good way to get safe water. thanks

Well you could always use a good filter or straw filter.

Or you can try something like this, but i still recommend using a filter unless you have built up a tolerance to drinking water other than bottled water or tap water. And maybe also bring a test kit just for evaluation purposes.

But this is something simple but it DOES NOT remove all. If you have sun this is a basic idea.


Link To YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=exVEJt-NAHw?autoplay=1


Honestly when i was growing up and out in the swamps we would filter thru fabric and sand and then boil it but hey we were young back then and i do not recommend this unless needed.


ANother one if you look in the video description you will see basic idea how to make one.



Link To YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4YKFtGBluE?autoplay=1


Actually here is a good one also using a Britta filter and some other odds and ends.



Link To YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpuKPG4a_yQ?autoplay=1

Since I live in the swamps, the best way to tackle water problems is either the prior suggestions or bring your own. Unless I'm desperate, knowing where the water has been before it gets down here forces me to bring my own!

I wouldn't really trust using only that Brita setup. Brita filters are really designed to filter out tap water, not swamp water.

"Honestly when i was growing up and out in the swamps we would filter thru fabric and sand and then boil it but hey we were young back then and i do not recommend this unless needed." This however is a solid method and many people still get by using this process!

Basically, when you're drinking water, you need to make sure it does not contain 2 things - bacteria and virus. For bacteria and other organisms you can either use a chemical or mechanical process. Some of these include anything from boiling, to setting the water out in the sun for the UV rays to kill anything (it works). You can also chemically treat for a virus - bleach and even boiling will work. If you merely take the water up to a boil, that should be enough to kill anything. You do not need to boil it for 10 minutes or anything.

If the water tastes foul, you can then run it through carbon to improve the taste. using a sand / carbon filter in either a trash can, or a 5 gallon bucket is a solid filter method. However, this will still leave behind micro-organisms like giardia. Boiling the water will solve that problem, and then since it was already mechanically filtered it should be free of chunks.

Items listed from worst to best

1. You can treat it with chemicals or light to destroy or deactivate the microorganisms.
- Issues with chemicals (Chlorine, iodine, etc) is they do not get everything so you have a reasonable chance of getting something that can make you sick.
- Issues with light (UV or SODIS) is most people do not teat the water long enough leaving untreated microorganisms that will make you sick.
2. You can treat it with heat (boil) to destroy the microorganisms.
- Of course you are only treating the microorganisms so any other things in the water may poison or make you sick.
3. You can filter it (sand, charcoal, ceramic, RO).
- Sand, slow sand, etc are promoted by many but it is very unlikely that you can set one up large enough and have it running long enough to actually work in a temporary situation. Also there is some debate on if they actually filter out some of the really nasty microorganisms.
- Standard charcoal filters like Brita and their cousins fix taste but leave many of the microorganisms so once again your are probably going to get sick.
- Ceramic are possibly the lowest bar I would trust my health to. Some are better than others and personal ones provide less water than camp or home sized ones.
- RO is the standard by which all filters are measured but the energy and size of them makes them less than portable.
4. Steam distillation.
- You end up with just H2O but you lose all the trace minerals.


carl.net

In service, we filtered swamp water through our bandanas (drive on rags), then would use the water purification tablets. It tended to taste like crap, but I was not sick from it, though some were (I think they did not let the purification tablets work long enough before drinking).
There just was no way to carry enough water in hot climates and on the move all day and night so had to do something.

Wulf, absolutely true! Living down here, the microorganisims and the bacteria of the swamp make it a dangerous place. had a friend that jumped into the bayou to rescue someone who had run their car into it. On his wayin the water, he cut his foot and contracted one of those felsh-eating bacterias. So, be careful, if can be drunk but boy you have to really filter the stuff!

consteacher,
I am one of those proud trainees of Ft. Polk during the Vietnam days. I had never been to a swamp before that, though been in many since. I learned to love and hate the swamps, in Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina, in the US and several in let's say far away lands. It is a dangerous place, but if you are careful, intelligent and diligent, it can provide you all you need to live. You just can't relax in them or forget to take precautions.
The micro organisms, besides the flora and fauna will get you if you do not pay attention and take care.
I would say, no matter where someone is anymore, water can not be trusted prior to purification process. Last tests I saw run said all ground water contained contaminates, some worse then others. In a SHTF scenario, you can bet the water will be worse. Most people have no common sense when going to bathroom, washing, etc and help make matters worse.
Cholera is one I worry about, I have seen a cholera outbreak first hand, not pretty and very scary to deal with. What makes it worse, is people tend to contaminate the water when they have it and it keeps on giving.
That's one reason I keep pushing groups to have a medic who has studied this stuff, even if they have to train their own medic to have one. Also why I push for people trying to keep as clean as possible and use field sanitation methods proven to work. It saves lives.

Down here, swamp water isn't purified: It's canned and labelled "Resch's Pilsener", "Hahn Light" or various other brands that are often sold as a form of beer.

Up here, 'Rocky Mountain Spring Water' is sold as Colorado Kool Aide (aka Coors) generously referred to as 'beer'
In general, mountain creek water is perfectly clear and tastes great (assuming there is not a dead carcass upstream) you just need to take precautions against girardia. I'm a suburbanite about 400 paces from a reservoir and feeder creek. Even so, I'm considering the possibility of drilling a well on the QT.

Semper Veritas