Mt Carrigain well water

I enjoyed a great hike up Mt Carrigain yesterday I noticed at the well there is a bucket with a rope to draw water from the well. For many years this was signed as non potable water, I thought I remembered the issue was arsenic? A group of trail workers-thanks guys great trail maintenance work- were talking about getting water at the well. Do we know who tests this water? What has changed?

It looked sketchy when I was there last summer so I didn't touch it. Felt a little suspect with people camping right above near the summit. That's all I got.

I stopped drinking that water years ago. First it was reported that a dead rabbit was found in there. Then the rumor was that someone relieved themself and dropped a dookie in there. As Rhody already said the down flow from the summit is definitely a relative factor IMO. This subject comes up every once in a while and the responses are all over the board. I'm headed up there in August. Maybe I'll get a water sampling kit.

The last time I used that well was 1972, which was the last time I spent the night on the summit (in the cabin of the firetower).

maineguy said:

The last time I used that well was 1972, which was the last time I spent the night on the summit (in the cabin of the firetower).

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This is one of those posts when you can’t give some one a greenie no more

May have used in 1995 but not on any visits after.

I drank from it some 15 or so years ago... no ill effects that I know about, but I probably wouldn't drink from it again.

For a healthy person if they have choice between dehydration and potentially catching some sort of side effect from contaminated water, the choice is easy, drink the water and take a very slim chance on getting a water borne illness in few days. The potential pathogens are pretty minimal as the water source is basically rainfall and dew condensing on the summit then running down through shallow soil to the well. Sure, there can be occasional contamination from poor sanitation, but a healthy person can usually tolerate it. There are much referenced studies that tests of hiker's water bottles being brought into backcountry areas have a higher level of contamination compared to the water being carried out. Over the years I have encountered many under equipped dehydrated hikers in the whites on a hot day asking where the next water is. I usually tell them where the next water is and do not go into water treatment as I know that the odds of them having dehydration effects during the hike is far higher than a possible side effect from contaminated water a few days later.

Palatability is a different story, talk to any PCT thruhiker about water quality and most will admit that the quality of water they would drink went way down compared to East Coast hiking during the initial desert section. Many water treatments can kill all the nasties in the water if the directions are followed but the resulting water still may taste bad. I have drawn water from sketchy sources in the past and treated them with a chlorine dioxide based product to make them safe, but the water still had a significant taste.
Anyone who used to use polapure no doubt remembered the poor palatability of any water treated with it. It made the water safe but it definitely had a big tradeoff.

Given that a UV pen, life straw or aquamira all weigh very little, its easy insurance. I do have a lot of issues with hydration and its reinforced to me post hike via leg cramps that I should be stopping and drinking more. Electrolyte tabs can help but no substitute for drinking enough over the course of a hike.

Note Crytosporidium which is carried by livestock can multiply rapidly enough to impact a hiker on his/her extended trip in some cases less than 48 hours. Its not really an issue in the backcountry but can be one in areas with livestock.

Staying hydrated is most definitely important. On this particular hike it is more than plausible to stay fully hydrated with the right preparation without relying on the well in question. If you have not done your homework and land up with giardia, then I would just strike it up to yet another one of life's learning experiences in the great outdoors. In other words, be sure to stock up on TP. To address the OP, I would contact The Forest Service for further information to your question.