SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/boil-creek-water

Your only water at camp comes from a creek. How long should you boil it before drinking?

Bring creek water to a rolling boil for 1 minute, or 3 minutes above 6,500 feet.

  1. Just until the first small bubbles show up
  2. At a rolling boil for 1 minute ✔
  3. At a rolling boil for a full 10 minutes

Why: Once the water is at a big, rolling boil, 1 minute is enough to kill the germs that make you sick. High in the mountains, above 6,500 feet, boil it for 3 minutes. Let it cool before you drink it.

Huh, didn't know that: Let it cool before you drink it.

The dad joke
Why did the boiling water disappear? I don't know. It's a mist-ery.
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Sources

  1. CDC: Boil Water Advisory (PSA toolkit) https://www.cdc.gov/natural-disasters/psa-toolkit/boil-water-advisory.html
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That's stuff everyone should know.