Capturing small springs and trickles cleanly

At a spring, groundwater emerges that has already flowed through soil and rock. Much suspended matter has stayed behind on the way, which is why spring water is often clearer than stream water. But as soon as it runs over leaves, mud and soil, it picks up dirt again. The closer to the outlet you collect it, the cleaner the collection.

With weak springs the water often flows as a thin film over a surface or seeps from a rock face. A spout gathers this film into a stream. It works like a roof gutter: the water follows the channel and drips off its end in a stream that can fill a bottle.

Whether the water itself is uncontaminated, however, cannot be seen. Surface water, animals, pastures, huts or paths above can carry in pathogens. And appearance says nothing about natural minerals or chemicals underground.

First look at what lies above the spring: pastures, huts, paths, roads or mining. The more use above, the more important thorough treatment becomes – and with mining or roads, chemical contamination cannot be ruled out either.

Then carefully remove leaves and loose soil right at the outlet and wait until stirred-up mud has settled. Press a clean large leaf, a piece of bark or a tube into the outlet so that the water runs off it. Use only materials you know to be harmless; with plants you are often not sure – a clean tube or a piece of plastic sheet is the better choice then.

Hold the raw-water container under the stream without touching the ground or the spout with the opening. With very weak springs, a small basin lined with clean stones below the outlet can help water collect for scooping. Dismantle it afterwards where this is required.

Spring water is raw water. Even if it bubbles out of the rock and is ice-cold, it can be contaminated by surface water, animals or people above. Disinfect it before drinking – for example by boiling or a suitable filter followed by chemical disinfection.

Take signs such as “not drinking water” at fountains and developed springs seriously. They are usually there because the water is not tested regularly or has been contaminated before. In protected areas, interfering with springs may be prohibited – check the local rules before you change anything.

Also watch your own footing. Springs are often on wet, slippery slopes or rock faces. Safe footing matters more than the last bottle of water.

In the mountains you often find small springs or seeps on rock faces where there is no stream to scoop from. Here a spout saves a lot of time and frustration, because you can fill the bottle directly. In forests, springs often emerge at the foot of slopes, frequently recognisable by damp ground and lush green growth.

If you carry a filter, clear spring water spares the filter element. It clogs more slowly, and you can filter longer before you have to backflush. Still, with hollow-fibre filters: against viruses you need additional chemical disinfection or boiling.

Protecting springs is one of the classic measures of drinking-water hygiene. The less surface water and dirt reach the outlet, the better the starting quality. That is why developed village springs are often walled in and covered.

In the field you can only make the collection clean; you cannot test the water itself. Whether a spring is really uncontaminated can only be determined by laboratory testing. That is why even the most beautiful spring water is treated.