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In Switzerland we asked while mountain biking if it was safe to fill up from one of these spring water things we saw everywhere: they would dump into a large lo
by wallace_f 9y ago
In Switzerland we asked while mountain biking if it was safe to fill up from one of these spring water things we saw everywhere: they would dump into a large log cut out into a sort of sink. They looked at us, puzzled "what do you mean, it's spring water," and they filled their bottles.
Backpacking everywhere in Switzerland people drank directly from these, and from streams And waterfalls, without filtration. And the Swiss are looking for any excuse to have something to spend their money on.
- brohoolio 9y agoI suspect that there is a difference in risk between various specific spots in Switzerland and American at large. I’d never drink untreated water in Michigan. Michigan was a giant swamp. Near the top of a summit in Switzerland with no livestock nearby? Sure.
- jmiserez 9y agoIt’s unfiltered fresh spring water yes, but these are still human-built fountains with a known source where the water quality is measured in regular intervals. It’s not a random stream in the woods. Switzerand is much smaller, so we have people checking on these regularly. I always drink from these fountains, they’re all safe except the very few that have a “not potable” sign. I wouldn’t drink from a random stream of water in the woods.
- wallace_f 9y agoI see. Well, anyways we also filled up from streams and waterfalls, as did other locals among us. I also filled up from streams and waterfalls in many other parts of the world--I'm am avid backpacker and I have done thois hundreds of times. I've never been sick. However, I this was always water coming down from mountain summits. I wouldn't fill up from a stream running through the middle of a cattle ranch.