Posted by Laurence Monkhouse on August 28, 2003 at 18:29:09 from 217.137.109.73 user Laurence_.
In Reply to: milk in tea, and drinking lake water posted by Ed Kiser on August 28, 2003 at 16:39:56:
I think that Lake District water is fairly harmless. Plenty goes to urban water supplies, with quite minimal treatment until quite recently
I have often enough drunk the water from the becks on the fells without apparent effect, even though there doubtless were dead sheep within the catchment area. I certainly think you would be unlucky to catch anything from the more isolated lakes such as Ennerdale and Wastwater. I would hesitate to drink directly from Windermere or Coniston with big settlements on their banks, but when swimming in either I don't worry too much if I get some in my mouth.
I don't even worry about putting Windermere water in my steam launch boiler - and that IS important!