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Before drinking from a stream, check your map to see where that stream comes from.

Does it flow through a settlement or even worse past something industrial? Does it come from a lake? Could be polluted with anything, including things you might not be able to get rid of by filtering or cooking. If you have a choice, avoid! _{(if this is a survival situation and your only other choice is severe dehydration: Almost anything you could get from contaminated water is survivable if you get proper medical care in the next couple days. So drinking questionable water might still increase your survival chance over drinking no water at all)}

Does it flow past meadows? If those are used for farm animals, then the water might be contaminated with E. coli bacteria from animal feces. Boiling the water for 30 minutes will kill those. There are also tablets you can buy which promise to kill bacteria in drinking water.

Is the spring close and does the stream go mostly through forest or other forms of terrain not used by humans? Probably safe to drink. There is of course always a remaining risk of pollution through wild animals or inconsiderate humans, which increases proportional with the length of the stream. Use your own judgment.

Before drinking from a stream, check your map to see where that stream comes from.

Does it flow through a settlement or even worse past something industrial? Does it come from a lake? Could be polluted with anything, including things you might not be able to get rid of by filtering or cooking. If you have a choice, avoid! _{(if this is a survival situation: Most of the consequences you could feasibly expect from drinking contaminated water should be survivable if you can expect to get proper medical care in the next couple days. So if you are just about to die from dehydration, then the only water which could possibly make your situation worse would be salt-water)}

Does it flow past meadows? If those are used for farm animals, then the water might be contaminated with E. coli bacteria from animal feces. Boiling the water for 30 minutes will kill those. There are also tablets you can buy which promise to kill bacteria in drinking water.

Is the spring close and does the stream go mostly through forest or other forms of terrain not used by humans? Probably safe to drink. There is of course always a remaining risk of pollution through wild animals or inconsiderate humans, which increases proportional with the length of the stream. Use your own judgment.

Before drinking from a stream, check your map to see where that stream comes from.

Does it flow through a settlement or even worse past something industrial? Does it come from a lake? Could be polluted with anything, including things you might not be able to get rid of by filtering or cooking. If you have a choice, avoid!

Does it flow past meadows? If those are used for farm animals, then the water might be contaminated with E. coli bacteria from animal feces. Boiling the water for 30 minutes will kill those. There are also tablets you can buy which promise to kill bacteria in drinking water.

Is the spring close and does the stream go mostly through forest or other forms of terrain not used by humans? Probably safe to drink. There is of course always a remaining risk of pollution through wild animals or inconsiderate humans, which increases proportional with the length of the stream. Use your own judgment.

Before drinking from a stream, check your map to see where that stream comes from.

Does it flow through a settlement or even worse past something industrial? Does it come from a lake? Could be polluted with anything, including things you might not be able to get rid of by filtering or cooking. If you have a choice, avoid! _{(if this is a survival situation and your only other choice is severe dehydration: Almost anything you could get from contaminated water is survivable if you get proper medical care in the next couple days. So drinking questionable water might still increase your survival chance over drinking no water at all)}

Does it flow past meadows? If those are used for farm animals, then the water might be contaminated with E. coli bacteria from animal feces. Boiling the water for 30 minutes will kill those. There are also tablets you can buy which promise to kill bacteria in drinking water.

Is the spring close and does the stream go mostly through forest or other forms of terrain not used by humans? Probably safe to drink. There is of course always a remaining risk of pollution through wild animals or inconsiderate humans, which increases proportional with the length of the stream. Use your own judgment.

Before drinking from a stream, check your map to see where that stream comes from.

Does it flow through a settlement or even worse past something industrial? Does it come from a lake? Could be polluted with anything, including things you might not be able to get rid of by filtering or cooking. If you have a choice, avoid!

Does it flow through/past meadows? If those are used for farm animals, then the water might be contaminated with E. coli bacteria from animal feces. Boiling the water for 30 minutes will kill those. There are also tablets you can buy which promise to kill bacteria in drinking water.

Is the spring close and does the stream go mostly through forest or other forms of terrain not used by humans? Probably safe to drink. There is of course always a remaining risk of pollution through wild animals or inconsiderate humans, which increases proportional with the length of the stream. Use your own judgment.

Before drinking from a stream, check your map to see where that stream comes from.

Does it flow through a settlement or even worse past something industrial? Does it come from a lake? Could be polluted with anything, including things you might not be able to get rid of by filtering or cooking. If you have a choice, avoid!

Does it flow past meadows? If those are used for farm animals, then the water might be contaminated with E. coli bacteria from animal feces. Boiling the water for 30 minutes will kill those. There are also tablets you can buy which promise to kill bacteria in drinking water.

Is the spring close and does the stream go mostly through forest or other forms of terrain not used by humans? Probably safe to drink. There is of course always a remaining risk of pollution through wild animals or inconsiderate humans, which increases proportional with the length of the stream. Use your own judgment.