Water Away From Home: Travel, Camping, and Swimming
At home, drinking water quality is up to the municipal water supplier or the homeowner. When you leave home for travel, camping, hiking, swimming, or other outdoor recreation, different drinking water issues may arise. Information on Bottled Water is covered on a separate page. More detail about water-borne pathogens is on the Pathogens section of the Water Testing page.
Drinking Water Issues and Treatment Options
Portable Water Filters and Purifiers
Swimming and other Outdoor Recreation
Drinking Water Issues and Treatment Options
Cryptosporidium: A Waterborne Pathogen (CCE Water Treatment Notes #16, 2004)
Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water (U.S. EPA)
Drinking Water in an Emergency (CCE Delaware County)
Drinking Water Away from Home (Health Canada)
Drinking Water In The Great Canadian Outdoors (Health Canada)
Boil Water Advisories and Boil Water Orders (Health Canada)
Travelers' Health - Risks from Food and Water (U.S. CDC)
Travelers' Health - Treatment of Water to Make it Safe for Drinking (U.S. CDC)
Travelers' Health - Prevention of Travelers' Diarrhea (U.S. CDC)
Preventing Diarrheal Disease in Developing Countries: Proven Household Water Treatment Options (CDC, 2008, on chlorination, solar disinfection, ceramic filtration, and a PUR product)
Preventing travellers' diarrhoea: How to make drinking-water safe (World Health Organization, 2005)
Emergency treatment of drinking water at point-of-use (WHO, 2005)
Portable Water Filters and Purifiers
Note - some of the links here are to commercial websites, so please take that into account. Links are provided to give an overview of products currently available, and not as an endorsement of any particular products, or rejection of any products not listed.
How to Enjoy Pure Drinking Water (REI, commercial site)
Understanding Water Treatment (REI, commercial site)
How Purifiers Differ From Filters (REI, commercial site)
How to Choose a Water Filter or Purifier, Part 1 (REI, commercial site)
How to Choose a Water Filter or Purifier, Part 2 (REI, commercial site)
A Discussion on Backcountry Water Quality (REI, commercial site)
LifeStraw (link to product site provided for information; we have not evaluated) - innovative personal water filter manufactured by Vestergaard Frandsen - designed for developing countries; removes biological pathogens, not chemical contaminants - reviewed and featured by Design For The Other 90% and the Wall Street Journal
iStraw (link to product site) - similar product
Ceramic Water Filter - featured by Design For The Other 90%
Preventing Diarrheal Disease in Developing Countries: Proven Household Water Treatment Options (CDC, 2008, on chlorination, solar disinfection, ceramic filtration, and a PUR product)
More detail from CDC on Household Water Treatment Options
Swimming and other Outdoor Recreation
Contact information for county health departments in New York State
Take Steps for a Healthy Swimming Season (NYS Dept. of Health, 2007)
EPA BEACON Beach Closing Advisories
Outdoor Swimming (CCE Water Bulletin, 2005)
Cryptosporidium: A Waterborne Pathogen (CCE Water Treatment Notes #16, 2004)
Recreational Water Illnesses (U.S. CDC)
Crypto Fact Sheet for Swimmers (U.S. CDC)
Cryptosporidiosis Outbreaks Associated with Recreational Water Use -- Five States, 2006 (U.S. CDC, 2007)
Giardia Fact Sheet for Swimmers (U.S. CDC)
Blue-Green Algae (New York State Department of Health)
Pathogen Exposure through Recreational Water (USGS)
Recreational Water Quality (Health Canada)
Drinking Water In The Great Canadian Outdoors (Health Canada)
The presence of E. coli bacteria does not always indicate a sewage pollution source. Some E. coli are able to live in lakes year round. One study of this was recently published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology (link to abstract, full text and .pdf also available).
Air Travel
Water Quality on Airplanes (CCE Water Bulletin, 2005)
Airline Water Supplies (EPA, updated April 2008 with proposed regulations)
Summary of EPA meeting on the topic, 2007
More data obtained from EPA from FOIA request by a news station (ABC News 7, San Franciso, 2008, see link at bottom to their reporting of EPA data)
Wastewater
The Influence of RV Chemicals in Marina or Campground Septic Tanks (CCE Water Bulletin, 2005) - also see the Septic Systems page
Frequently Asked Questions
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