This is a common question for those who live in areas with abundant snowfall. On the surface, melting snow for water seems like an obvious and easy solution. However, there are a few key reasons why simply melting snow is not enough to produce clean, safe drinking water.
Snow Contains Contaminants
Snow absorbs contaminants from the atmosphere as it falls. This includes:
- Air pollution like car exhaust, smoke, and industrial emissions
- Dirt, dust, and particulate matter
- Bacteria, viruses, and organic matter
- Chemicals from pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers
All of these contaminants become concentrated in the snow as it accumulates on the ground. When the snow melts, those contaminants are released into the water. This makes untreated melted snow unsafe to drink.
Boiling Snow Is Not Enough
Some people think boiling snow will make it safe to drink by killing germs and microbes. However, boiling only kills biological contaminants like bacteria and viruses. It does not remove chemical, physical, or radioactive contaminants.
Boiling also concentrates any dissolved contaminants as some of the water evaporates away. So even after boiling, snow water may still contain dangerous levels of pollutants that can make you sick.
You Need Proper Filtration
To remove contaminants from melted snow, you need a proper filtration system. Here are some filtration methods that can produce clean drinking water from snow:
- Boiling plus charcoal filtration – Boil snow water, then run it through an activated charcoal filter to remove chemicals and impurities.
- Distillation – Boil snow into steam then collect and cool the steam to get pure distilled water.
- Reverse osmosis – Push snow water through a semipermeable membrane to remove dissolved contaminants.
- UV purification – Use UV light to kill pathogens after filtering out particulates.
- Mechanical filters – Use pumps and filters with tiny pores to physically block contaminants.
Without using one of these methods, melted snow will likely contain dangerous levels of contaminants and microbes that can cause illness. Some key waterborne illnesses you can get from untreated snow water include:
| Illness | Cause | Symptoms |
|---|---|---|
| Giardiasis | Giardia parasite | Diarrhea, cramps, bloating |
| Cryptosporidiosis | Cryptosporidium parasite | Watery diarrhea, fever, nausea |
| Hepatitis A | Hepatitis A virus | Fever, fatigue, dark urine |
| Chemical poisoning | Heavy metals, pesticides, toxins | Headaches, confusion, breathing trouble |
Proper Storage Is Also Essential
Even if you filter and disinfect snow water, safe storage is also crucial. Contaminants can easily get back into melted snow water if it is not properly stored. Here are some guidelines for safe storage:
- Store in food-grade plastic, glass, or stainless steel containers – no lead or chemical-leaching materials.
- Clean storage containers thoroughly before each use.
- Ensure containers have tight lids/caps to prevent leaks and contamination.
- Don’t store water for more than 6 months before replacing or re-treating.
- Keep storage containers in cool, dark place away from chemicals and potential toxins.
- Never store water in containers that previously held non-food products.
Following these guidelines and using proper filtration means you can safely collect and drink snow water. But skipping key steps means you risk getting sick from the contaminants snow collects as it falls through polluted air and settles on the contaminated ground.
Melting Snow for Water Requires Time and Fuel
Melting snow into water also requires a significant amount of energy and time. Here are some figures to give a sense of the resources required:
- It takes approximately 8 hours to melt enough snow to supply 2 gallons of water using just body heat.
- Building a large fire can melt up to 10 gallons of snow per hour.
- Using an efficient snow melter powered by gasoline or propane can produce 30-50 gallons per hour.
- In many cases, melting snow requires more fuel than boiling an equivalent amount of water from a liquid source.
So in survival situations, melting snow for all your water needs may not be practical without proper equipment and an ample fuel supply. It is often easier to find liquid water sources like streams, ponds, and natural springs when possible.
You Need Proper Equipment
To efficiently collect, melt, filter, and store snow, you need the right gear and equipment. Some important supplies for obtaining drinking water from snow include:
- Shovels and containers for snow collection
- Stove, heat source, or snow melter to melt the snow
- Water filtration device or materials to remove contaminants
- Food-grade storage tanks or bottles to store the filtered water
- Sleds, buckets, or hauling equipment for transporting snow
Without proper equipment, melting snow for drinking water can be extremely labor intensive and yield low quantities of usable water. Having the right gear makes the process much more efficient and productive.
Melting Snow Takes Time and Diligence
Putting in the time and diligent effort is key to getting clean water from snow. Avoid taking shortcuts that compromise the quality and safety of your drinking water. Keep these guidelines in mind:
- Collect snow far away from roads, human activity, and potential contaminants.
- Use clean collection containers and storage tanks only used for food purposes.
- Filter in multiple stages using mechanical filters, charcoal, and if possible, boiling, UV, or reverse osmosis.
- Never drink melted snow that smells odd or has any unusual appearance.
- Monitor stored water for any new sediments or odors before drinking.
- Replace stored water every 6 months and clean storage tanks thoroughly.
Rushing the process and skipping key purification steps can allow toxins and pathogens to contaminate your water supply. Take your time and put safety first when melting snow for drinking water.
Snow’s Advantages As a Water Source
Despite the challenges involved, snow can provide high quality drinking water when processed properly. Here are some of snow’s advantages as a water source when tapped responsibly:
- Abundant supply – Snow represents a stored, frozen reservoir of water that can be tapped when needed.
- Water purified through freeze distillation – The freezing process rejects impurities as ice crystals form.
- Mineral-free – Snow water lacks dissolved solids found in ground and surface water.
- Environmentally clean – Snow collects moisture directly from clouds so avoids ground contaminants.
- Fun to collect – Digging for and melting snow provides purposeful activity.
Snow can be a lifesaver in winter survival situations in higher latitudes. But proper treatment remains essential to render snow safe for drinking and prevent illness. So while you can melt snow for water, take steps to collect, melt, treat, and store it safely.
Conclusion
Melting snow into drinking water is not as simple as collecting flakes and heating them up. To avoid sickness, you need to filter out contaminants, boil the water, use proper storage methods, and diligently avoid shortcuts. With ample fuel, equipment, time, and care taken, snow can be transformed into a safe, abundant water source. But never drink melted snow that you have not taken steps to purify and disinfect.
By locating pristine collection zones, thoroughly melting the snow, running it through mechanical and charcoal filters, boiling, and storing in cleaned containers, you can obtain clean drinking water from snow. While more involved than collecting liquid water, melting snow is an invaluable skill in icy climates and winter survival situations when liquid water is frozen and scarce.