River Water

[rikithemonk]

I have read this whole thread with interest and agree with Ridgerunner wholeheartedly. A few weeks or months ago, I started a thread asking if anyone had ever allowed their ducks to swim in their sewage lagoon. For those in parts of the country where these are not common, here in the midwest, a common solution to rural household waste is to dig a "lagoon" to which all water from the house is pumped. This solution is usually utilized where the soil is clay and a septic tank is not appropriate.

The first people who responded to my thread had the gut reaction "ewwww....no way", but as we talked it all through, we came around to realizing its not so gross after all. One of the participants realized that close to her house is a large network of similar lagoons that service towns rather than just a household. They have become a haven for all kinds of birdlife, and the city has even created walking paths to allow visitors to walk and view the ducks and other waterfowl in their "natural" environment.

All of that brings me around to suggesting to the OP that the best way to tell if the water is safe is to look and see if other life is flourishing in it. In my own lagoon, the frog life is incredible. Walk down to it and they all go hopping into the water and the combined effect is a huge splash. Frogs wouldn't live on it if it were toxic. I did ultimately decide not to put my ducks on the lagoon but not because I feared for their safety. Rather, I feared that the clay banks of the lagoon would not hold up to the traffic of the ducky claws going up and down it. If I find a way to solve that problem, it will definitely be something I consider.

Your post reminds me of the way London was during the great Cholera epidemic. I read an interesting book about the era called "the ghost map". It covers Doctor John Snow and the general conditions at that time. Apparently it was common to have raw sewage lakes in back yards and basements. Personally it sounds like a recipe for disease. What happened in London was that a baby caught Cholera and the diaper washing water was dumped into the cess pool behind the house. The water from the cess pool had been seeping into the well water for a while with no noticeable taste or problems. Once the Cholera bacteria was introduced, it wiped out everyone using the surrounding well pumps.

You tube has the TEDD TALK about it. search for
Steven Johnson: A guided tour of the Ghost Map

Its an interesting video

Riki

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

this is great - the frog test. How inexpensive. Place a frog in the water, provide a rock for sunning, allow some bugs for food,see how long it lives...frog in the barrel...as long as its there, your water is safe to drink....no filters to change.

 

[rikithemonk]

this is great - the frog test. How inexpensive. Place a frog in the water, provide a rock for sunning, allow some bugs for food,see how long it lives...frog in the barrel...as long as its there, your water is safe to drink....no filters to change.

People have believed for hundreds of years that newts in a well mean that the water's fresh and drinkable, and in all that time never asked themselves whether the newts got out to go to the lavatory.

-- (Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man)

 

[HEChicken]

I recall that thread

But that sewer pond is only your houses' waste, correct? You don't have to worry about what other people put down their toilet.

Oh yes that's true, but my point was really only that if frogs are living on it, it can't be toxic. When we moved to the country, we had a whole learning curve regarding the lagoon because prior to that we had almost always been on a city sewer system. I actually found it quite fascinating to learn how the lagoons work. You can walk right up to it and there is no odor, as one would expect there to be considering the contents.

People have believed for hundreds of years that newts in a well mean that the water's fresh and drinkable, and in all that time never asked themselves whether the newts got out to go to the lavatory.

-- (Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man)

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Hahahahaha a little newt pee never hurt anyone!

 

[nellynelly]

Thank you all for the opinions/discussion, very helpful. i got to the intake yesterday (with the aid of a machete), and it is pumping out of a well adjacent (~2 m) to the river. so not as bad as i originally thought, yes, during storms the "well" will be submerged, but under normal flow it should help filter.

we do see wild bird wadding in the stockpond, so there is something living in there.

thanks again.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Yea! A happy ending!