Is collected rainwater safe to drink?

Question

In Galway Ireland it was announced that the tap water is contaminated with Cryptosporidium, a parasite from human and animal faces. It will take the council up to six months to build a new filter system. Boiling the tap water will kill the parasite but the thought of drinking water containing human faces even though it is boiled is not an option for me. I need to know is rainwater safe to drink? Collected in a clean plastic container, but open to the environment.

Answer 1

Bacteria is ubiquitous and can be found everywhere. Its when they get where they aren't supposed to be is when they cause disease (like your water parasite). However, rain water is also beseiged with pollutants. Granted, its okay to use to wash your clothes, cleaning or washing your hair. However, to be safe, its best to boil your drinking water for 10 minutes. You second bet is to buy bottled water. My folks have a remote place without indoor plumbing and have always used this method. Better safe than sorry.

Answer 2

Crypto is definitely a nasty contaminant that can cause a variety of health problems. There are lots of bacteria, viruses and parasites from animal feces that can get into water, such as e.coli. It rains, the water washes off of farms that have feces everywhere, and the water collects somewhere (like a river or lake) that is used for drinking water.

There are certainly parts of the world that use rain harvesting to augment their water supplies, using a system not terribly different from what you are describing. There can be contaminants in the water. The water can be acidic, for example, and contain pollutants associated with industrial fallout. The big risk is that the container itself gets contaminated. Every time you touch it, you're introducing bacteria that can multiply. Also, if you're leaving it outside, the container often will be open and exposed to other contaminants, such as insects, bird droppings, etc.

So, yes, you can collect rainwater. But I'd suggest filtering or boiling that as well and washing the vessel often.

Good luck!

Answer 3

The only reason I could think of where you can't drink rain water is if you
have no mouth.

OK, enough joking. In some third world nations, they drain rooftop rain
gutters into barrels to collect water for drinking. Rain water might be a
little bit acid compared to water out of the ground or from rivers, which
are somewhat neutralized from contact with minerals, so you'd be missing
some of those minerals.

If you live in a really polluted city, it might be a good idea not to drink
rain when it just starts, as it's washing out all the particulate material
in the air (car exhaust, diesel fumes, dust, etc). Other than that, I
can't think of why you shouldn't be drinking it.

Answer 4

sure, there are homes in our area where the rain water is collected off of the roofs and drank! Personally, I would rather it be collected in a clean plastic bucket put out just as the rain starts and taken in as soon as it stops.

Answer 5

No, it is not. It is a reservoir for many bacteria and environmental toxins. Safer to drink the boiled water. Or even better, buy bottled water.

Answer 6

Sheesh!