Drank water from a waterfall - guess who’s now sick

[Mynewparasitefriend]

Me. It’s me obviously

Was hiking with enough water - got around half way through and realised my backpack was dripping.

Stopped and opened it and most of my water had leaked out. I was miles from anywhere and in stupid heat. Decided to finish my hike and then take a detour on the way back to a village. By the time I got 3/4 of the way round I was so thirsty and hot and still miles out from the village.

Came across the waterfall and I know (I know) not to drink from outside water but in my defence it was really fast flowing and completely clear.

Probably drank 400-500 mls

5 hrs later and my stomach is like a washing machine. Exactly how sick am I going to be?

OP I'm glad you made it through after running the gauntlet of dead sheep in the water sewage and e coli
Id never ever drink from a river but I would stupidly think a clear waterfall somewhere like Devon woukd be reasonably safe

Ahhh....
Thanks.

Water quality this year is particularly poor because it’s been so dry. The chemical and biological pollutants in our watercourses are more concentrated than usual, and are not getting washed through the system as fast as they should.

Sources of pollutants in the system - agricultural run off (fertilizers, livestock urine & faeces), uncontrolled/unregulated sewage discharges, and any manner of industrial or commercial incidents. An increase in fires from LiOn batteries in stockpiled electronic goods at waste transfer stations doesn’t help (fire water is contaminated). The Environment Agency who police a lot of this just don’t have the enforcement staff to investigate a lot of the time. The water companies have not invested effectively in upgrading largely Victorian infrastructure.

The craziness of the knock on effects of privatising the water industry is one of my specialist rants. I am all for the proposed reforms announced 2 or 3 weeks ago.

Anyway, i’m glad you are feeling better @Mynewparasitefriend. I also drank from a waterfall on Tuesday, although mine was in the highlands and i used a water bottle with a built in filter.

That‘s a really good point. No issues with mine but I will look carefully before using it with hot water in winter.

”Rubber” hot water bottles are now actually silicon.

I'm sure the sugar and caffeine would provide a pep up, but coke really doesn't kill anything.

You should be ok with running water. You might have eaten something that made you feel ill - possibly food in your back-pack got to warm?

Most people mistake the source of upset stomachs to be the last thing they ate / drank. In reality it will often take 24 hours at least for the bacteria to multiply in their stomach / gut to the point of making the sick.

I remember a bunch of friends getting food poisoning from a restaurant once. Symptoms hit Weds morning, we were all out for a meal Sat evening

I think your DS has been lucky! I do a watersport in our rivers and just tiny splashes on the lips/ nose have led to serious D&V a few times. Occupational hazard unfortunately but very grim. If you ever go down a river after a flood, the number of wet wipes and tampons stuck in trees will give a VERY clear idea of what's getting dumped in our rivers. And that's without factoring in dead animals, Weil's disease etc. Hope your DS' good luck continues!

Not convinced. I ate pate at a restaurant and I was throwing up within the hour. Since I only ate every three days back then, it could not have been anything else…and only those who had pate were ill.. Ditto off chicken ..hit the stomach and was on the way back out a few minutes later. We went to a dinner where everyone was sick next morning. Except me. I was the only one who did not partake of a part of the meal. I think it can hit sooner than 24 hrs

Glad you're ok @Mynewparasitefriend

I dont know if anyone replied about why water quality is awful, so here's a highlevel summary...

Water companies are privatised and regulated by Ofwat.
Every 5 years they agree a spend profile which includes investment in infrastructure.
None have ever used all of the investment allowed.

We have insufficient reservoirs.

We have insufficient treatment facilities.
They discharge raw sewage more frequently than was ever the case when they were publicly owned.

They pay £m to share holders. Thames water is on the brink of bankruptcy since the current owners took so much out £ of the company.

Kier Starmer has undertaken a review of all government depts and specific sectors. The report on water has just been published. Ofwat is to be abolished - its done a poor job because we now have a disfunctioning water system. In its place all water regulation is coming together under a new body - nature, environment and financial - so that we and the environment dont suffer because companies need to make profit.

I work with a biotechnology company. The NHS and many fast food businesses use our technology because its a cleansing and decontamination powerhouse. We are now talking to water companies because it can clean water and has no impact on health and the environment, so hopefully over time we can rid ourselves of poolution and pollution in our waters...

Well-meaning people ITT, but no one should buy any older water filter bottle; they don't protect you from everything and most aren't tested. A water purifier bottle is safer. This one is the best on the market, used by overlanders abroad. Explanation on what to look for: https://iconlifesaver.com/blogs/news/how-to-choose-a-portable-water-filter-or-purifier

It needs to be canned or bottled not a mixer coke

Some bacteria produce enterotoxins (staph is one I think) and so the immediate reaction can be a reaction to them, not the bacteria itself.

Dunno, but I’ve never had to wait 24 hours to react. Nothing like it. I know very quickly if I’ve eaten something off 🤮