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Filtering the Colorado
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- This topic has 35 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 10 months ago by Ian Rae.
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Feb 17, 2018 at 7:12 am #3518837
Arthur – we did just get some rain actually. But the LCR is still running at just 15 CFS so you’re probably ok. If you’re not, you may run into the funny situation where there’s not enough sediment to effectively flocculate, but enough to potentially bind with chemical treatments. In that case a coffee filter might be the best option. Or just treat with a sawyer or other filter that can be backflushed in the field.
The directions on my “Water Wizard for River Runners” actually suggest stirring up extra sediment in this case. But I’ve never actually tried it.
Feb 17, 2018 at 10:43 am #3518844I use the 2L soft collapsible platypus bottles in the Grand Canyon, for several reasons.
They add robust water capacity for very little weight & size penalty – 1.5oz damp. If I have a large water haul or need to cache water at some stage, I may set off with 6 or 7 in my pack rolled up. When your water supply is critical, it’s better to have it split between several containers than all in one giant bladder. I do replace them every couple of years because I’m sure UV eventually degrades them, but I have never had one break.
They are also ideal for settling out sediment. They are easier to stand vertically against a rock than a large floppy bucket. And they have a tall narrow profile, giving good separation of sediment as it sinks to the bottom, and allowing you to lift them up and decant off a large percentage of the cleared water quite easily without disturbing the sediment at the bottom. Again, when settling out sediment, multiple small containers are easier to handle than large buckets.
Alum works extremely well. It can be carried in powder form, it’s highly soluble. Only a tiny pinch is needed for 2L of water. The one important part of the process is that for rapid and effective flocculation, you need to mix well before settling. Again, the 2L platypus is superior to a large bucket, because you can simply shake the platypus vigorously for a few seconds after adding the alum, which is much more effective than stirring an open bucket.
Alum is completely safe and highly effective, I have no idea what the motivation would be to use anything else.
My approach to purification is almost identical to Nick in his 2016 post. I can settle out sediment in 30-60 minutes with alum, after which I use Aquatabs, so I don’t have to mess with a filter at all. Like him, I usually also carry a Sawyer with backflush syringe, for occasional use with water that’s not too bad that I want to get quickly. But the Sawyer is really more a backup, it will clog up fast.
Feb 17, 2018 at 1:35 pm #3518862Nick
yea! I know, 1/2 inch at our house this week, 3/4 inch since August 23. More up there at the canyon.
Thanks Ralph, I will try the multiple platypus method.
Mar 20, 2018 at 6:08 am #3525793Hi I am still alive and well
going back to Colorado River via royal arch route Grand Canyon in less than two weeks
looking for as much of bass legacy as I can find
trying to go light, bought new gear
caldera cone, sawyer squeeze, first time with alcohol stove, first time withsawyer
have to carry rappel gear and 2 days water at times so I am trying to go light
have a “breathable water resistant” bivvy cover for my sleeping bag but no real shelter. Can I do something with a piece of tyvek to make an emergency tarp or better ideas?
rain might well happen on this trip
Mar 21, 2018 at 2:44 pm #3526098Has anyone used the settling technique on the Green River? We’re heading down there at the end of April for an 11 day trip with our two boys. We’ll be in canoes, and the outfitter’s suggestion is to haul water, which we could do, but that’s a lot of water!
I have heard that the Green has more sediment than the Grand, but it’s all pretty new to me coming from the crystal clear waters of the North Cascades.
Mar 21, 2018 at 4:38 pm #3526106Alum for the win. I used it on the Little Missouri River, which is more opaque than a cinder block wall. The water in the bucket is mid-flocculation. You can see the clear water on top, and the obvious distinction from the coagulating sludge about an inch from the surface. I eventually got 5 usable liters out of that; all the sludge settled into the bottom few inches of the bucket. Works brilliantly.
Mar 21, 2018 at 6:59 pm #3526151Right now, some of the creeks here in western Colorado where I live look like flowing chocolate milk so I’ve been doing some filtering experiments. I’m finding the alum and settling technique works really well. With a 2L platy, I add a pinch of alum, shake for two minutes, then let sit and within 30 to 45 minutes I’ve got water I can filter. If I let it sit for a few hours, the water on top becomes crystal clear. Best of luck on your trip.
May 30, 2020 at 7:14 pm #3650165Apologies for bumping this thread, but a question for those (e.g. Ralph) who are (1) using bladders such as Platypus, and (2) using a Sawyer-like filter and/or chemical purification (i.e. not a pump filter). How do you decant the water out of the Platypus without disturbing the sediment after flocculation? It’s obviously easy with a pump, but those are heavy and I see the suggestion is to use chemicals or a squeeze filter.
In my mind, I imagine it working like: (1) add dirty water to series of bladders, flocculate, (2) decant clean water to another bladder without disturbing sediment (how?), (3) squeeze the water through a filter and/or purify. It is the step 2 I am wondering what people do. I could imagine one could try to siphon the water if not using a pump, but I saw no mention of siphoning in this thread.
The other trade-off I imagine is that you end up with leftover contaminated sludgy bladders that are only good for flocculation. So e.g. carry 2+ bladders for flocculation, another 2 for the clean purified water you will hike with. After purifying, you end up with the first 2 bladders containing sludge – you could rinse those out to get rid of most of the mud, but I still have difficulty imagining filling those up as a clean water storage container due to the remaining contamination. (Unless one is not concerned with that?)
It all makes me wonder if one is ultimately better off with something like a lightweight folding bucket…
May 31, 2020 at 9:09 am #3650205Once the sediment has clumped together and settled out, it’s easy enough to lift a platypus without disturbing it, and pour off the clean water into another container. The tall/thin aspect ratio of the 2L platypus makes this easier, you can recover 80% of the volume.
You can lean a platypus upright against a rock or tree for the settlement process, I think it’s more difficult to keep a folding bucket stable.
You do need additional containers for the clean water. But I’m not sure what you meaning about “contamination”. The containers in which you settled out the sediment are no more contaminated than your water source. After decanting off the clean water, you rinse out the sediment & refill from the water source and start again.
May 31, 2020 at 2:43 pm #3650260Ah, thanks for clarifying, Ralph. I wasn’t sure if you could actually lift and pour off the bladder without overly disturbing the sediment. (never tried it).
I guess what I meant by “contamination” is that the containers used for settling can’t be safely used for storing purified water. So if you have a bunch of empty containers and you want to purify/filter in minimal time (as opposed to doing it one at a time), I think you’d have to bring 2x the capacity: one set contains silty water that is settling, and the other set contains filtered water. And at that point, I was thinking a 10 liter bucket starts to sound attractive, especially if more than one person (weighs less than 5 of the 2 liter Evernew bladders). But it does have the trade-off of poor stability vs a platypus-type bladder.
May 31, 2020 at 2:56 pm #3650263I have used the Nalgene Canteens (4liter size) for trips like this. They’re larger than most of the Platypus bladders, and stand up on their own when full. I don’t recall what they weigh, but I suspect it is less than two 2L Platypus bladders.
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