Water, to drink or not to drink, that is the question!

Boil, Treat, Filter, and Zap! Backcountry Water Treatment Options Plenty of water to drink helps you keep going strong through outdoor adventures any time of the year. Stay hydrated to guard against heat exhaustion and heat stroke on days when the sun is beating down, and against hypothermia whenever temperatures plunge. You can be sure that the water you drink is okay if you've carried it from home. Fill a couple of BSA water bottles before setting out for adventures with your patrol or troop. Did you know that a liter of water weighs more than two pounds, and a gallon just over eight? Enough water to last for longer trips will be too heavy to carry on your back, so be ready to refill your water containers in the field. Tested public water sources can be considered safe. Lake water and water from streams, rivers, and ponds might look clean, but it can be contaminated with microscopic bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Be sure to boil, treat, filter, or zap it so you won't become sick. Here's how: Boil It! Fire up your backpacking stove and bring a pot of water to a rolling boil for at least a minute. That's the surest way to kill anything in it that could cause harm. Although this will not remove chemical pollutants.
Treat It! Water purification tablets are easy to carry and simple to use. Follow the instructions for the number of tablets to drop into a water container and how long to wait before drinking. If the purifying agent leaves an unpleasant taste, add a packet of flavored drink mix after the agent has had time to do its work. Be sure to purge the lid of the container too!
Filter It! Special filters made for campers and backpackers can remove most parasites and bacteria from water. Some filters add more protection by pushing water through a barrier of carbon or chemicals.  Many lightweight filters operate like small hand-powered pumps. Clean them according to instructions. To extend the life of a filter, allow murky water to stand in a pot so that silt can sink to the bottom, then dip the clear water into a second pot and filter it from there.
Zap It! A new tool in the fight for clean drinking water is a battery-powered sanitizer that purifies with ultraviolet light rays. Strain out any silt or debris, then dip the sanitizer end into a bottle of clear water, push a button, and presto! In just a minute or two the sanitizer rays spell death to bacteria, viruses, and most other microscopic bugs.  Easy to carry and simple to use, the ultraviolet sanitizer is a 21st Century solution for the ages-old challenge of having plenty of safe drinking water in the backcountry. For more information on drinking water safety, consult your Scoutmaster or Boy Scouts of America Fieldbook, Fourth Edition or Boy Scout Handbook.