It will be my first time portaging in the interior of AP in August. Planning on camping at Pen Lake with my husband. (very excited!)

How is the lake water quality for drinking? I plan on boiling water used for drinking / eating. Should I also be adding clorine, or water tabs?

Thanks!

Hi Leandra, as for the water quality, it is pretty good in Algonquin but some precautions still must be taken. Boiling is probably the best way to get rid of parasites, germs and micro organisms. I would boil for at least 2 to 3 minutes.

Water from the middle of the lake is cleaner than shoreline waters. A water filter/purifier is also a good option as you do not need to wait for your water to cool down before drinking it.

I've used the MSR MiniWorks water filter for a number of years now and its great. Pumps fast and the water doesn't have the weird taste like it does after boiling. We usually just pump some water while we're out fishing.

You can find the Miniworks at pretty much any outfitting store.
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302696689&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442372421

An even cheaper solution is to drop one of these pills into a liter of water for 15-30 minutes and you're drinking water is safe and tastes as good or better than city water.

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442371757&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302696751&bmUID=1247372995721

Boiling is fine, bring it to a rolling boil.

Boiled water doesn't taste as good, all the dissolved gasses are forced out and it tastes flat. Shake up the bottles after boiling.

Boiling isn't always practical in the middle of the day, requiring you to pack at least as much water you need for the day's travel.

Pristine is easy, cheap & lightweight. I keep mine in my PFD.
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302696751&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441776661

Mechanical filters are more expensive and each has its own +/-. Gravity units are the awesomest.

I would say drink right from the lake and don't bother with a filter or boiling, but that is me. I haven't used a filter or boiled in 10 years and had no problems, whether it is in APP or somewhere else.

But if you would rather err on the side of caution then boil at the very least.

Cheers

As Ben Franklin said:
In wine there is wisdom,
in beer there is freedom,
in water there is bacteria.

I say to be on the safe side

"Filter or boil the water" or carry
in more wine/beer in plastic

(-:
Of course
water also could be carried in,
great mix for Crown Royal ,
if ice is not available
(-:

or
bring lots of immodium/PeptoBismal
and extras rolls of toilet paper

Raton Laveur
aka

*Rac n*

I find boiled water tastes blah! If there is funky stuff in the water, such as in swamp water, I would use a water filter.

I like the Katadyn Vario water filter.
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442621145&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302696689&bmUID=1247543229883

If the water is clear of obvious junk, as is the case in most of Algonquin mid-lake, then I use an ultraviolet purifer, the SteriPEN Journey.
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442629526&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302696751&bmUID=1247543542417

I've seen people pack-in water. Darndest thing evar.

Depending on how far you're camping down Pen, there's a cold spring right off the portage between Rock and Pen. If you bring an empty jug then you might only have to paddle back to fill it a couple of times depending on how long your stay is.

As someone indicated in the "Water Filtration" thread, this subject gets hashed over repeatedly here. I think this tread from April (around the 20th) covered it pretty thoroughly:
http://www.network54.com/Forum/352882/thread/1239246749/last-1240232017/Drink+Alngonquin
In the end it comes down to your risk tolerance.

As for the reported "blah" taste of boiled water, letting it cool and then aerating it (done most easily by shaking it vigorously in a partially filled container) will go a long way toward improving the taste. Similarly, to improve the taste of water treated with iodine, add vitamin C (like by adding Tang mix). To improve the taste of water treated with a few drops of chlorine bleach: let it stand over night uncapped (the bleach taste will dissipate into the air).

I may be wrong, but I think I recall Barry having a summary on this subject on his website.

jay

(I drink it straight from the lake or using a Pur Hiker filter depending on the circumstances- Iodine tablets in the survival kit as an emergency backup)

We tried boiling first time we went to the park. Wasted way too much time heating..cooling...repeat.
Then we tried Iodine pills with neutralizers. Cheap and effective and water in 33mins.
Then went high tech and bought a water filter. Not bad but again a bit slow for 5 or more people.
More different pills...didnt read instructions that u gotta put the water container in the dark for 3+ hrs when buying them. Again too slow.
This year...drink out of the middle of the lake...tastes AWESOME, and were still alive:)
Still carry Iodine pills in case the weather is too rough to make it out to the middle of the lake.

most of the remote lakes I drink it straight, never had an issue. Some lakes I'll bring a brita filter along.