Re: [Paddlewise] Disposal of Human Waste

Roger Bacon (yeah the old guy from Shakespeare's time) wrote books, one of
which I saw (very old and I was afraid to handle it much but the man who
owned it allowed me to take it home and read it) and in it he described a
way of obtaining pure water on a seashore.  He claimed that if one moved
above the high tide line yet still in the sand and dug a 3-4 deep hole in
the sand, the water which came into the bottom would be salt free.  I never
tried it and it may or may not have anything to do with this discussion but
it seems to bear on it somehow.
=^..^=
--Mel--
Mel Lammers
SM&A Senior Associate
mslammers_at_earthlink.net
mel.lammers_at_smawins.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Elaine Harmon <eharmon_at_cs.miami.edu>
To: Dave Kruger <dkruger_at_pacifier.com>
Cc: PaddleWise <PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net>
Sent: Sunday, August 29, 1999 12:06 PM
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Disposal of Human Waste


> > Good question.  In the dialog which has ensued over this, I have seen no
> > discussion on what "happens" to human waste if one uses the
long-accepted
> > intertidal flush procedure:  dig 30 cm deep hole in sand/gravel well
below the
> > high tide line, deposit solid waste in it, burn your TP, then cover and
tamp.
> > (Note:  none of this is approved for freshwater use -- different
biology,
> > maybe?)
>
> On land the "accepted" depth is less, because the bacteria needed for
> decomposition are close to the surface. Maybe a foot is better where the
> ground shifts all the time, though.
>
> > Does anybody know of any **studies** of the rate of microbial breakdown
of
> > human waste via this method?
>
> I think you're right to suspect that procedure may have no solid basis. So
> many times somebody-or-other's rule gets spread around and becomes gospel,
> because nobody wants to bother asking questions!
>
> > Like others, I'm not interested in wading/paddling/swimming in someone's
poop
> > (not even my own!).  However, if the stuff decomposes to non-toxic
materials
> > within a couple days, I guess I can live with that.
>
> Nobody wants to have it visibly (or olfactorily) around, but barring very
> unlikely circumstances, it isn't toxic. It can however contain disease
> bacteria not killed by salt water, e.g., marine vibrios such as cholera
> (for which algae blooms are the biggest environmental reservoir,
> incidentally). But people aren't going paddling much if they have an
> active cholera infection, I suspect. Re giardia, I don't know if they can
> survive in sea water -- anyone? If I had to guess I'd say no, but wouldn't
> rely on that guess.
>
> This hasn't been much help; come on you docs out there! e
>
> Elaine Harmon - eilidh_at_dc.seflin.org - eharmon_at_cs.miami.edu
>
>
***************************************************************************
> PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
> Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
> Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
> Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
>
***************************************************************************
>

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************