Anecdotally, I've had gallons of water from lakes in Northern MN while camping, and it was delicious. On the other hand, also anecdotal, one of my ancestors in

Anecdotally, I've had gallons of water from lakes in Northern MN while camping, and it was delicious. On the other hand, also anecdotal, one of my ancestors in Germany is said to have died from infection after drinking from a pond in Germany. More recently, a family friend became seriously ill after drinking from a mountain stream -- they think it may have been due to a dead animal upstream from the location. The rule-of-thumb I was told is to take water from the middle of the lake, and not near or downstream from any streams that might feed into it. I wonder if this article is perhaps understating the risk, or maybe giving people ideas that could lead them to engage in potentially life-threatening behavior, particularly if they are not experienced in back country survival. Yes it is often OK to drink from fresh water sources, but it is not a myth that people get very sick and/or die from it.