[pct-l] Giaridia and treatment

[Eric Lee (GAMES)]

Tom Bache wrote:
>
I bought a Steripen (great product) for those few sketchy situations.  This
treats  by stirring the water in your bottle with a rod including a UV light
source.  Seems to me that water that spends time in bright sunlight is
getting much the same treatment.
>

You're correct.  Counterintuitively, water retrieved from the surface of a lake tends to have fewer microorganisms than water from those clear rushing streams, according to an article published by the PCTA (http://www.pcta.org/help/join/magazines/SierraWater.asp).  I still *feel* much more at ease drinking from a cold running stream than from a lake but I drink unfiltered from both all the time in the Pacific Northwest and I've never had a problem.  I do treat the water if I'm downstream from significant human presence like a campground, or any livestock presence.

Eric