Drinking water source for island stay

[Kamper]

Reverse osmosis has brine as a waste product. Too much dumped in one spot is not good for the environment. Dumping it a little at a time, especially after diluting it, may not be a problem.

The most common tablets are "Portable Aqua." I may have the chemical's name wrong but I believe the bottle says 'hydrochloride.' It's the same as chloralhydrate - 'knockout drops,' so be careful about using it with a cocktail. You should not use these for more than a few days. I forget what the side-effects are but they are listed on the bottle. Probably include diarahea.

There are various filters available at stores like EMS/Eastern Mountain Sports (a NH based company) of from the web from companies like Campmor, Sierra Supply and the Mormon supply companies in Utah.

There is a spigot in the cemetery on Paugus Bay. There is a public right of way from the lake to the street which allows access to the grocery store. I'm under the impression the tap is provided by the city of Laconia. Any update or correction would be appreciated.

Good luck!

[Crusty]

When we set up the cottage, we ran a line into the lake out to a 12 - 15 foot depth. We set the intake 2 - 3 feet off the bottom, away from boat traffic. Water goes through a coarse filter (replaced monthly), a fine filter (replaced couple times a season) and a UV sterilizer before going into the tank. Lake water is very high quality --most of the time. The UV sterilizer ensure no bugs get through regardless. That said, just like at home, we drink distilled water and use lake water for everything else.

One thing for which lake water is unrivaled is in the brewing of beer. My Winnipesaukee Whoopie Juice is the stuff of legend, as is Loon Lager (less than .05% loon droppings, by weight). The brewing process guarantees the elimination of all flora and fauna and after a few, you don't even think about water quality.