Purifying water in the desert can be a unique challenge. Often, it’s hard to even find any water to begin with, and when you finally do, it’s opaque with silt or full of swaying algae or tiny worms. Much of it is frankly unappealing. In this article, I will discuss pathogens, purification methods, challenges unique to desert environments, and solutions. Most of what I cover saying pertains to the dirty, filthy, sandy, silty, muddy water sources that transect the Colorado Plateau, including Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument, Bear’s Ears National Monument, Canyonlands National Park, The San Rafael Swell, and Grand Canyon National Park. Although the lessons learned can also apply to the Sonoran Desert, the Mojave Desert, and the Great Basin Desert, as well.

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