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[Danaus29]

Get the test. Then you would know for sure. Without the potability test all we can do is give generalizaions. If the test comes back ok, then you are safe. If not, you can't drink the water.

[brewswain]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed.
A water test will be done on the SPRING water.
The water that fills the creek after rain is like a photograph.
It only shows what is there at that moment.
The next rain might wash down a dead animal.

[sugarbush]

Originally Posted by onthespot

I think organic in this case would mean carbon based, which H20 has no carbon in it, making it an inorganic compound, chemically speaking

Actually organic compound from a chemical standpoint is carbon/hydrogen based.

H20 does lack the carbon in and of itself, but if we are talking unfiltered creek water there is plenty of carbon based dirt, twigs and grime in it

We really can't advise on this topic because it is situation specific. We can't see the source and what is up stream to make a call. I would not bath with creek water on a regular basis even if there was no other option.

[plowjockey]

Reading this thread remined me of something I had read a while back.

Apparently diarrhea was a very common and regular ailment, amongst our ancestors, through the settlers, mostly up until modern techniques of drilled wells and sealed water systems

Maybe that water was not as clean as it looked, after all.

[soulsurvivor]

Growing up, we had a sulphur spring well that we used for drinking and everything. I loved that water. I still can't drink tap water without almost gagging. It tastes horrible and I have to add enough lemon to it before I can get it down. But I'm still not going to drink out of a creek or stream, and I'm pretty darn picky about the fresh fish I eat too. I have to know where they came from before I'll eat them.

[naturewoman]

Originally Posted by brewswain

Thanks to everyone who has contributed.
A water test will be done on the SPRING water.
The water that fills the creek after rain is like a photograph.
It only shows what is there at that moment.
The next rain might wash down a dead animal.

I've been using creek and river water for eleven years and it's never made me sick. Now the creek water is pretty safe, as there aren't many man-made pollutants getting into it. But the river water probably contains pollutants from the orchards, as well as a lot of silt from glacial melt in the summer, and who knows what else. They feed river water into my creek in summer to stock the irrigation canal. Sometimes that water is so dirty (from glacial melt and landslides) that it looks like mud. I don't use it then...but once it clears up to just a little cloudy, I use it for bathing, laundry, dishes (yep..even rinse them with it) and flushing the toilet (as well as all outdoor needs). I do not drink or cook or brush my teeth with it. I'll rinse a dish with it, but I dry it off before using it. When I absolutely have to use it for drinking or cooking, I boil and filter it first. But most of the time I have enough spring water to use for potable needs.

I've never gotten sick from my creek water. But you do need to know where your creek water is coming from, and how many pollutants might be getting into it. I would most definitely not drink or cook with it. Otherwise, you might be just fine. Or maybe I just have a killer immune system because I've been using it for so long.