What can be done about bad CG water? Follow-up...

I would not bother with the stage 1 or 2 filters (say 50 micron and 25 micron) and just use a larger 5 micron filter. The filter material is only about $8, so will last say 2,000 gallons? That is more than a season of camping, and should work fine.

Look for a replaceable cartrige filter holder that can accept 5 micron filters. It will filter out anything that you have shown, and probably if the campground wells has high iron, then it will take out a certain percentage of that iron, but not all of it. It will turn the filter reddish, and need to be replaced after visiting that campground.

My other suggestion is bring along enough water, and don't hook up. Or only hook up but leave the water off and use your pump for dishes and such, then the campground water for showers. Still this will fill the hot water tank with iron filled water, and I would suggest draining the hot water tank now.

To drain the tank, remove the plastic outlet on the bottom, and open a hot water valve inside to let in more air. If the stuff is really dirty, I would suggest connecting to shore water at home, and flush the system for a while.

Fred.

myredracer wrote:
I don't mean whether or not to add filtration.... I just installed a 4-stage filter setup.
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Is there a state or local water agency that a person can contact?

Umm as the title of this thread is "What can be done about bad CG water?"
and the first sentence clarifies what you NOT asking,
and the last sentence seems to reiterate what you are actually asking,
all I can ask is really? Why? I mean for what end purpose? Maybe I'm misunderstanding and you are just curious.
Mark

I have a good filter for my icemaker and faucet. I do not drink campground water or water from my fresh water tank unless its just been sterilized, even then rarely.

I carry water to cook with. Different water tends to upset my digestive system and DD's so we are careful. But I use it for laundry, bathing, and doing laundry.

Tvov wrote:
Probably just some "stuff" that temporarily got into the water system. If you contact whoever is in charge of water for that area, they'll probably do some testing (and most likely find everything fine) and possibly some line flushing.

A plumber I know simply will not drink any water directly from any faucet. As he said, he just sees too much "stuff" in plumbing systems. He uses a filter system he setup himself at home.

Yes if everyone saw what went on in restaurants you would never eat out.

Been drinking water out of faucets and eating out for 52 years and still here.

Pogoil.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahaahahahahha, look at my signature panel on the left side of the screen.

Strainer to separate debris

Ion exchange to remove Fe compounds

1st stage filter for algae, moss, single cell life

2nd stage filter for microbes, virus

Reverse Osmosis to remove toxic compounds, like Pb and mercury (mining areas),

O3 (ozone) to sterilize water and keep it sterile in a tank or vessel

I'm not sure what the OP is asking. You've heard the old saying that if it smells/tastes/acts/looks like whatever-it probably is. If he/she wants to know if that gunk looks disgusting and potentially dangerous-I don't think anyone would argue that. Notifying the water authorities of every CG that the OP has been to, should prove to be frustrating at best. The obvious answer is, if you have seen bad water at various CGs, carry your own.

downtheroad wrote:
From your picture it looks to me like the water district is flushing or has just finished 'flushing' their system.

Any suggestion as to what it might be? There is similar looking material on the screen from last weekend too. One suggestion was it could be iron bacteria which perhaps could make sense in an old CG with iron pipes and the water stagnates in the piping?

I think I'll call the Water District and see what they say.

From your picture it looks to me like the water district is flushing or has just finished 'flushing' their system.

We have a collection of one gallon Ozarka bottles that we fill and take with us for coffee and cooking. We have not seen or smelled anything objectionable in the CG water where we cam, but DW just doesn't like the plastic taste from the pipes. For short trips, take water from home, it's cheap.

myredracer wrote:
I don't mean whether or not to add filtration.... I just installed a 4-stage filter setup.

The CG in Wa. state that we usually camp at seems to have some rather unpleasant stuff in the water. After camping for only 4 nights this year, there is some stuff on the filter screen on our water inlet. It looks like some slimy bio-material substance and not a mineral or sediment buildup.

I think the CG is on a public distribution system but am not sure. I will find out the next time we're there. I've been drinking their water straight out of the faucet until now.... Makes me sick in the stomach just looking at the photo. Uck.

The second photo is the filter screen at the end of the last season but I didn't notice it until several months later when it had dried out. I had originally thought it was from a CG on the west coast of Wa. that was probably on a private well but now it seems it is from our membership resort CG.

we always start a trip with a full tank of water from home. if the water is good where we set up (and it almost always is...almost always) then we hook up. if not we use the tank and replenish it at the next good water stop.