WATER PURIFICATION

Rain water collected in clean containers or in plants is usually safe for drinking. However, purify water from lakes, ponds, swamps, springs, or streams, especially if the water  near human settlements. The easiest and simplest method of purification is boiling.
When possible, purify all water you got from vegetation or from the ground by using iodine or chlorine
Purify Water by:

• Using water purification tablets.
• Placing 5 drops of 2 % tincture of iodine in a canteen full of clear water. If the canteen is full of cloudy or cold water use 10 drops. Let stand for 30 minutes before drinking.
• Boiling water for 1 minute at sea level, adding 1 minute for each additional 300 yards above sea level, or easier boil water for 10 minutes no matter where you are.

By drinking non-potable water you may contract diseases or swallow organisms that can harm you.
Examples of such diseases or organisms are:

• Dysentery. severe, prolonged diarrhoea with bloody stools, fever, and weakness.
• Cholera and typhoid. You may be susceptible to these diseases regardless of inoculations.
• Flukes. Stagnant, polluted water often contains blood flukes and tapeworms  . If you swallow flukes, they will bore into the blood stream, live as parasites, and cause disease.
• Leeches. If you swallow a leech, it can hook onto the throat passage or inside the nose. It will suck blood, create a wound, and move to another area. Each bleeding wound may become infected.

By now, most of you are aware that I spent many years working in Canada's Arctic. During that time I witnessed numerous disease outbreaks, ("beaver fever" was very common) caused by inexperienced, ignorant, people who used unfiltered, non-purified,  water for drinking,or to mix juices or other beverages. To this day, most of the water in northern communities comes from rivers, streams sloughs, or dugouts and most of it is untreated---why would anyone ever do that? Think people.

Using Household Bleach to Purify Water.
Viruses are typically not an issue in water sources unless you are travelling into tropical regions. Most viruses found in Canada ad the rest of North america are bacteriophage. They are dangerous to bacteria such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia and other single cell protozoa....which are the critters you're trying to get rid of. If a charcoal  filter is properly packed, it should trap the stuff you're primarily concerned about. In other areas, you will filter and then BOIL the water. The filter will take care of the murkiness, taste, etch and the boiling will do the rest.

OR

Almost all laundry bleaches have 5.5% Sodium Hydrochloride, which is a suitable purification chemical for water Bleach in a suitable small container with an eyedropper dispensed makes an almost essential addition to any camping/survival kit. Do not use powdered, scented, or other non-pure bleaches.

Prior to the addition of bleach, remove all suspended material by filtration (through cheese cloth, other cotton, of an improvised earth or sand filter for instance) or by simply allowing the sediment to settle to the bottom.

Add 8 drops of bleach per gallon of water or 2 drops per quart.If the water was filtered, then shake it up for even dispersal of all the bleach, and wait 15 minutes. If it has sediment at the bottom, don't shake it up; instead allow the treated water to sit for 30 minutes.

Properly treated water should have a very light chlorine odour (like most city water). If you can't smell chlorine, repeat the dosage and allow the water to stand another 15 minutes.

For cloudy, green, or really nasty water you can start with 16 drops of bleach per gallon of water. As detailed above, smell the water. If there is a faint odour of chlorine, the water is drinkable. If not then repeat the treatment.