<html><div style='background-color:'><P>Perhaps all water from fuente on the camino has been treated in a municipal supply system. The larger Spanish towns and cities (and the cities of all other member countries of the EC) must meet rigorous treatment requirements for municipal supplies. Urban water supplies in Spain are quite safe. Some of the fuente (from memory I can enumerate at least a dozen in Navarre and later in Galicia), however, are remote from towns, and the closest villages are ones where those rules would not apply, for they are too small to support treatment facilities. Hiking manuals for remote regions increasingly warn trekkers to boil or otherwise treat water even in what appears to be unsullied virgin wilderness. An absolute rule for trekkers is to never drink untreated water from surface sources or even from wells and artesian supplies, in areas where cattle and sheep are numerous. Over the past couple of !
ye!
ars there have been several deaths and serious illnesses in towns in Ontario and British Columbia from untreated or incorrectly treated municipal water supplies, and quite recently several people died in a midwest US state (I forget which, but I believe it was Ohio) from e-coli in the water. Moreover, at least one of the water-borne diseases, giardia, has a very long incubation period, and its effects may not be felt for a month or more after drinking tainted water. </P>
<P>And the color of the water is not an indicator of much of anything other than mineral content and turbidity. Reddish brown water may occur in peaty areas or areas with lots of iron in the soil even when the water is perfectly safe to drink, while crystal clear water in a rapidly flowing stream (like one I was privileged to hike alongside today in the nearby mountains) may carry a dangerous load of bacteria and protozoa.</P>
<P>Once again, drink from the fuente if you like, but be aware of the risks. My final comment on this subject!</P>
<P>E. O. Pederson</P>
<P>Seattle, WA</P></div><br clear=all><hr>Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at <a href='http://go.msn.com/bql/hmtag_itl_EN.asp'>http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></html>