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Hi All,
I've come across a couple 'springs' marked on Jeff's Map during past travels, and will be passing a few more on my next trip. Each time I've encountered one I've hesitated to drink from it not certain how to treat the water.
Forgive my ignorance, but Is the water from these springs considered safe to drink as-is, or should it be treated similar to water from the lakes?
Thanks,
Shaggy
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I can't confirm 100% that its safe to drink as is but I have done so many, many times and I've never had an issue. Boy is it ever good on a hot day!
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Generally a spring is ground water that has just come up through the rock/soil for the first time. As such, it is typically safe to drink since it hasn't had exposure to they typical pollutants that mar water (i.e. human/animal fecal waste, decomposing flesh, etc.). However, the springs with a man-made box always make me look carefully for evidence of animal habitation within the box (such as a rodent nest or droppings). While these boxes don't make a great home (damp and chilly) they could conceivably be used as such.
I too have enjoyed the cool, fresh water from springs as well as from small streams but I just observe what is upstream to see if there is any evidence of something that would have leached into the soil to contaminate the water. I also drink interior lake water straight in some conditions so my bar of "purity" is likely lower than the average person. I also have a cast iron stomach.
If you are going to drink water from a stream that a portage crosses I would recommend walking fiver or ten meters upstream to collect it...there could have been a hiker ahead of you that made the poor choice to relieve himself into that waterway thinking it is like a urinal.
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I'm not as daring as PaPaddler in terms of interior lakes and streams but generally if water is flowing right out of the ground then yes, I will drink it without treatment. Even if there is a surface water body somewhere "upstream" in the groundwater life cycle, the ground itself is a stronger filter than whatever's in my backpack.
Of course you gotta go by what you see on the ground, not on the map. The "spring" noted on Jeff's Map near the Tattler Lake cabin is basically a wooden box-style well, with water sitting still at pretty much ground level, in a wet bottomland area. I have no interest in drinking that without treatment.
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The spring at big crow is also a box style ground level spring. I haven't been there in at least a decade but it was falling apart then so it's probably worse now unless someone has fixed it up. I wouldn't drink from a box style spring without checking the area thoroughly or treating the water.
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we drank the water along the rock lake/pen lake portage (coming out of a pipe just off the trail without any issues later, but like the others i would treat water from an old well.
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tentsterforever wrote:
we drank the water along the rock lake/pen lake portage (coming out of a pipe just off the trail without any issues later, but like the others i would treat water from an old well.
I'm a little dubious of that one as I've never walked far enough up hill to figure out where the water is actually coming from.
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we drank the water along the rock lake/pen lake portage (coming out of a pipe just off the trail without any issues later, but like the others i would treat water from an old well.
I'm a little dubious of that one as I've never walked far enough up hill to figure out where the water is actually coming from.
There is a bit of an overgrown trail that you can walk about 30 or so feet up the 'stream' and there is a boardwalk with old shingles on it for traction up where the water comes out of the ground, there is also another small pipe up there. Whenever I take water from this spring I go up there instead of getting it beside the portage.
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...
There is a bit of an overgrown trail that you can walk about 30 or so feet up the 'stream' and there is a boardwalk with old shingles on it for traction up where the water comes out of the ground, there is also another small pipe up there. Whenever I take water from this spring I go up there instead of getting it beside the portage.
Yeah, but if you keep going, there is still water flowing from further up. At least in the April/May ...
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Story time...
The only spring I ever checked out was the one on the Rock/Penn portage (as mentioned above). I followed it up the path to the source where it came out of the rocks and I was sure glad I did because it turns out that was where some idiot had decided to do their business. There was literally a pile of crap right next to where the water came out with toilet paper all around and in the water. There was also what looked like a tampon wrapper in the water.
Needless to say I did not end up drinking any water and was very glad I traced it back to it's source rather than drinking from the pipe where it crosses the path.
Now normally I would say it's safe to drink spring water. But that doesn't mean it can't be contaiminated by the actions of an idiot such as that one.
Last edited by BivouacBradley (7/11/2017 3:24 pm)
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I have drank spring water for over 50 years and I have never had any side effects and am not stupid or more stupider!!!
As far as I am concerned, spring water is 100% better untreated!!!
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Thanks everyone,
It sounds like drinking from the 'flowing' (ABS/PVC pipe from the ground type) springs is a pretty low risk activity. I'll be sure to seek them out again during our late summer trip!
Thanks again,
Shaggy
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one thing to watch if there is a pipe which might sound odd .. if you see that the water coming out intermittently or you hear a hiss like there is a leak check the pipe before drinking ... I found a mouse trapped in between a connection between two pvc pieces one time ...
yeah .. gross ...
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