[Fiji Hill]

Just make sure your “raw water” isn’t infested with giardia, a water-borne protozoon that is widespread in California and can be found in many mountain streams that appear to be pristine.

[Pecos]

One of the systems discussed condenses water from the atmosphere. No streams. No giardia. A similar system is being used in the high deserts of South America to provide the people there with their only dependable source of drinking water. Pretty clever engineering.

[mabarker1]

Giardia and Cryptosporidium are everywhere in Surface Water and some Wells.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I ran out of water on a ten day bacpacking trip through the Sierras about 35 years ago and drank from a clear pool. This was in the days before filters were invented and you had to depend on tablets to purify the water. I didn't know about Giardia Lamblia until that trip and, to this day, I'd have rather not made his acquaintance. It's like a professional boxer using your stomach as a punching bag -- 24 hours a day!

[Yaelle]

I got giardia drinking mountain well water in rural CA while pregnant. The doctors at Cedars couldn’t get rid of it but the baby was fine. After he was born, my immune system was no longer in hostess mode and fought off the parasite itself within a week.