There are many of us who enjoy escaping the pressures of suburban life and enjoy nature. With adventure on the horizon, we prepare ourselves for the set number of days where modern conveniences are unheard of. Even the essentials of ensuring there is enough water is important. But you are a not equipped to carry an over abundance of gear, so packing the bare essentials is often the plan. But sometimes, disaster can occur and you find yourself out of water, and the human body cannot survive long without it. Water found in the wild is typically contaminated with microorganisms, pathogens, and potentially harmful chemicals. Simply finding water isn’t enough, but you have to treat the water to ensure the water is drinkable. Today, we at AAA Water Team would like to relate some helpful tips to make water drinkable.

How to Purify Water in the Wild

1. Boiling: Most have been taught that boiling water for five minutes can remove the microorganisms from the water. If you have the means to contain the water as well as ignite a fire, the water must be at a rolling boil, when it starts to bubble, for 5 minutes. It is advisable to allow the water to cool for an additional 5 minutes to prevent harmful burns. If the water has excessive dirt, boiling will not remove the dirt and additional methods might be needed to clear the dirt from the water.
2. Stone Boiling: This is essentially the same principal, but locating a rock with adequate contour to hold water, acting as a makeshift pot is used in the process. Also, if the container you have for your water is not a reliable source for boiling purposes, stone boiling can be helpful. First add some rocks to the container of water that are not heated; it will prevent the heated rocks from damaging the container. Place rocks in a fire and after they are heated drop them in the container for 15 minutes, while other rocks are heating. Rotate the heated rocks until the water comes to a boil and is treated for 5 minutes.
3. Purification Drops. It never hurts to be prepared for such an event or if a natural disaster occurs leaving with the need to treat your own water from home. Purification drops are available in most drug stores, they are easy to carry, and very handy to have in an emergency. Potassium permanganate as well as either iodine or chlorine are the main ingredients. The drops or tablets are designed to be used in 20 liters of water, but always consult the directions and follow the steps. Drop in the drop or tablet and shake well for 10 seconds. Allow the treatment to purify your water for 20 minutes before drinking.
4. Chlorine Drops. Chlorine isn’t necessarily with you on your adventure hikes, but handy if tragedy at home leaves you needing to purify your water from home. For water that is murky, 4 drops of chlorine should do the trick, clear water needs to drops. After adding the chlorine, place the lid on the container, shake well and turn the container upside down, allow two inches of water to drain, removing the lead and threads of container to be removed. Wipe down the exterior of the container after you have re-tightened the lid to sanitize the container and allow it to set for 30 minutes before drinking.
5. Iodine Drops. If iodine is the chemical treatment you have, 5 drops with clear water, 10 if the water is cloudy should be adequate. Shake the container well to allow efficient mixing and place the container in a dark area for an hour. Iodine is light sensitive, the dark factor is important before ingesting the hour long treated water.
6. Filtering. With modern technological advances, water filtration bottles should be in every adventurer’s backpack. Typically, the water filtration bottles that are equipped with filtration devices only require 15 minutes to treat the water to allow them drinkable.

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There are other methods that you can apply to purifying the water you find in the wild. These are just a fraction of the ways to make water drinkable in the event of an emergency. To make you homes water fresh, purified and tasting great, contact AAA Water Team and let our experts help you!