Would you drink it?

longbow50

longbow50

Joined
Jul 12, 2002
Messages
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I had placed a bucket in our back yard area and I kept it away from trees, so there wasn't any contamination. Just rain water from the sky. We had a series of 3 storms and the photo is what was in the bucket at the end of the rain. Photo was taken this morning.

If this was the only water available to you, would you drink it? If so, how would you purify it to guarantee that your family wasn't taking in anything that could harm them?

I havn't filtered the water yet. I've got a 40 gallon rubber trash can under a down spout that looks the same, with debris.

P1040491.jpg
 
i'm curious as to what made the water that color,

i've left buckets in the rain before for other experiments and the water collected was crystal clear.
 
micro pur water tablets,measure water out 1 liter at a whack per 1 tablet and yes I would drink it after 1 hour "being this is the only water source" To me it looks like apple juice or urine :confused: ? (which is it ) :D
 
texastonydobbs said:
micro pur water tablets,measure water out 1 liter at a whack per 1 tablet and yes I would drink it after 1 hour "being this is the only water source" To me it looks like apple juice or urine :confused: ? (which is it ) :D
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Maybe somebody didnt quite make it to the house...?:confused::p
I've never seen rain look like that..

as to the question:
filter it, and let it sit there with a tablet a liter like tex said.
then : drink it.

Peter
 
Could be just crap from the air or stuff that splashed off the ground. Maybe a squirrel decided to pee in it. :)
 
I wouldn't drink it as is. That color isn't appealing.
 
Fiddleback said:
I wouldn't drink it as is. That color isn't appealing.
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+1. I totally agree. I doubt chemical treatment tabs will do it. Those are only good for biological stuff. That could be anything from someone playing a prank with a little ice-tea powder to whatever had just blown in from China in the form of industrial air pollution and precipitated out with the rain.

Water purification tabs do nothing for chemical, pharmaceutical, heavy metal, petroleum, or other soluble contaminants. I would distill that water at a minimum, either solar or combustion powered, but I would not trust my luck to a couple of water sterilization tablets. I would rather drink untreated squirrel pee than drink that stuff as is. :)
 
jca21 said:
i'm curious as to what made the water that color,

i've left buckets in the rain before for other experiments and the water collected was crystal clear.
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It could be some form of acid rain reacting with the material of the container. i would be curious to see the color of rain water in collected in stainless container. It could also it it was raining and windy you may get non rain water in it as well.

Purification, how about slow boil and collect steam with things that you probably have around or find any given day or solar still. I've actually tried this but on a more extreme case tried to purify my own urine :D. You can drink your urine straight, which would increase your chances of living. In parts of the desert certain rabbits drink their own pee two times before they actually pee. I assume that by the 3rd time the pee is so concentrated that to drink it would hasten dehydration.
 
Do you liver near any sort of industrial areas? Rain water doesn't look like that where I live.
 
Wow. I drink lake and stream water that colour and it tastes fine, but rain water? Thats scary and unfamiliar.
 
I think I'd try the experiment again with a plastic bucket. Your average creek in the woods looks better than that most of the time.
 
If your rain water looks like that, I would consider moving. That ain't water. Considering you say the rain in your rubber trash can is the same color, contamination from the container is not likely.

By the way, don't drink things out of galvanised buckets. Water, juice, urine, whatever.
 
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