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Ive been kicking this around for some time now. I live in The Dalles but have a little vacation place on the Columbia River. In an emergency I can source water from one of many small creeks around The Dalles but being on the Columbia I could only get water from it. As a kid I drank straight from many streams around the country and I could probably do it now if I were carful. But the Colombia would be my last choice.
I was looking at the Berkey filter system last night on YouTube. Most like it and some use it to drink lake water. Others claim it won't filter viruses. What would it take to make it potable?
 
I would not leave it to the speculation of others unless you are dying of thirst.
$65 to 100 bucks and you can get water sample tested to see if it is potable. I would ask if they test for Radioactive materials and PCB's though.
Considering Wilsonville was, did, or is, getting their water from the Willamette and the space station totally recycles all liquids, :confused:scientific evidence may still leave you wanting.
 
I would agree with @thorborg. Get a test done and always have a filtration system. Even a lifestraw is helpful and i always have one of these when hunting and hiking. Als, @Joe13 's idea of a storage system is good. Oregon gets lots of rain and as long as the tank stays sterile you are good. You would want to have it go through something to filter any dirt out though. It also could be helpful to drain the tank every year or two to sterilize it again and make sure the water doesn't sit for too long.
 
Drinking rain water, Hmm. I remember reading a Weekly Reader in the 1950"s that Acid Rain was killing forest in the North East Americas. But then I found solace in a report that moving stream water over 65 feet of a graveled bed would purify water potable. Over the next 25 years I carried the same water purification tablets (unopened) as I traversed every Skyline and Pacific Crest blazed Trail I could Identify from Mid Washington to the southern Oregon Boarder and drank freely of creeks and streams without fear or incident.
Some say ignorance is bliss. I don't necessarily disagree.
 
Rainwater is certainly doable, use if you can!... family in Michigan collected rainwater in cisterns or barrels and used it mainly as "greywater" and personal cleansing cuz our well-water was kind of "hard". Mom used it on her many houseplants, too. We collected it as roof-runoff.
In Colorado it is basically illegal:eek: to collect run-off as all the water is "owned" by someone downstream (usually big cities). Where we are it doesnt rain/snow enuff:D to haggle about it anyway...
 
Giardia would be a concern for me. Some say it's overblown as far as the risk factor, but I would still be worried.
A LifeStraw is a good idea to have on your person when hiking/hunting.
 
Just get an elephant. I saw Bear Gryls squeeze the water out of an elephant turd directly into his mouth.. and he hasn't gotten speared through the heart by a stingray yet so.. seems legit.
 
treating rain water would be more cost efficient
but to answer your question sure & I live on the Columbia and thought about this, build a pot still..... distilled water will also internally cleanse your body .......
Distilled water has had its impurities and minerals removed. It's typically used in laboratories, hospitals, cars, aquariums and brewing beer, as well as for drinking like regular water
its really only a negative issue to your health if you are not eating foods to provide the minerals and salts we require, one other issue over long term consumption is it will raise your bodies acidity level in time but that too is easily remedied simply with food choices

knowing this I feel overall its safer than your municipal water you buy
 
Last Edited:
treating rain water would be more cost efficient
but to answer your question sure & I live on the Columbia and thought about this, build a pot still..... distilled water will also internally cleanse your body .......
Distilled water has had its impurities and minerals removed. It's typically used in laboratories, hospitals, cars, aquariums and brewing beer, as well as for drinking like regular water
its really only a negative issue to your health if you are not eating foods to provide the minerals and salts we require, one other issue over long term consumption is it will raise your bodies acidity level in time but that too is easily remedied simply with food choices

knowing this I feel overall its safer than your municipal water you buy
This. It is my understanding that distilling water will even take the radiation out. If it can do that I'm sure it could take just about any other nasty out.
 
I remember reading they were going to draw down the lake behind The Dalles dam to reveal Celilo falls some years ago to celebrate something. It was decided not to do so because of stirring up all the sediment which is very radioactive.

That or they didn't really want to find Jimmy Hoffa.
 

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