Practice Making Drinking Water

For the most part I've been fortunate when it comes to drinking water especially when out in the field. However, there have been a few occasions where I DID NOT have good water to drink so it does happen.

"Dirty" or "Bad" water can contain protozoa, viruses, bacteria or parasites. Symptoms can vary - you can have one or more of the following; diarhea, dysentery, vomitting, nausea, fevers and chills, including aches.

To put it simply - BOIL THE WATER!

If you're not sure of the quality of the water - boil it. If the only water you have available is turbid water (not clear or stuff floating around in it), clear the debris by filtering the water or let the impurities settle first then boil it.

If you have it, you can disinfect the water using chemicals such as iodine and chlorine. Chlorine disinfection with coagulation - flocculation (crappy fluid formed into a mass) is also effective in removing significant numbers of protozoa (creepy little organisms), bacteria, and viruses. You may also want to use a carbon filter to improve the taste otherwise your gag reflex might kick in and you'll have another problem.