Company Information:

Manufacturer	McNett Corporation
Website	http://www.mcnett.com

Product Information:

Name	Aquamira Water Treatment
Type	Part A and Part B liquids in two eye dropper style bottles with a mixing cap
Chemical	2% aqueous stabilized chlorine dioxide solution
Weight	3 oz (85 g) (as weighed by author)
Volume	One fluid ounce (30 ml) in each bottle
Shelf Life	Four years
Retail Price	$11.00-13.00 (USA)

Personal Information:

Name	Michael Wheiler
Location	Idaho Falls, Idaho
Gender	Male
Age	47 years old
Weight	175 lbs (79 kg)
Height	5'10" (178 cm)
E-mail Address	jmwlaw at ida dot net

FIELD REPORT:

Overview:

According to a lengthy article in the December 2003 issue of Backpacker magazine, "All the evidence says the risks of drinking untreated backcountry water are small, but not nonexistent.  At a particular stream or creek, there's no way anyone can guarantee that a drink won't make you sick."  What's In The Water, by Peter Jaret, pages 45-66 (quote from pages 62-64).  According to Mr. Jaret's article, and in my own experience, some of our ilk have concluded that it is worth the risk to drink the cool nectar untreated directly from the source; I am not among them.  To the extent possible, I will always choose to treat my backcountry water.  Although there are a number of ways to treat potentially contaminated water (boiling, chemicals, UV light, electrical, filtering), for me as a backpacker, the options generally involve questions of weight, taste/smell, and convenience.  While chemicals have always provided a simple answer to the weight issue, I have never been thrilled with the taste/smell and convenience of  most chemical treatment products.  In my opinion, Aquamira has solved both the weight issue and the taste/smell issue.  However, it still takes a minimum of twenty minutes to properly treat water with Aquamira.  As such,  prospective users will need to compare the advantages of less weight and "tastes great" to the inconvenience of a twenty minute delay before the cool, clear water can actually be used to quench his or her trail parched throat.

Field Experience:

On December 4, 2003, I received a package from McNett which held an undamaged 3 1/2" x 2 5/8" (9 x 6.5 cm) clear plastic display box containing two eyedropper style plastic bottles of  Aquamira Water Treatment Part A and Part B solutions.  Also included in the package from McNett was a multi-page full color brochure and two pamphlets containing information about all of McNett's products.  The Aquamira product appeared to be what I saw on the company website and matched the information contained in the written materials supplied by McNett.

Based upon information from the manufacturer, Part A is 2% agueous (stabilized) solution of chlorine dioxide.  Based upon the reading I have done in preparation for doing this test series, chlorine dioxide alone is not very stable.  Apparently the agueous solution has made the chlorine dioxide more stable for use by individual consumers such as backpackers.  Additionally, I found that chlorine dioxide has been used by municipalities for years to treat water and is considered to be one of the safest and most effective methods of treating water.  Part B is 5% food grade phosphoric acid.  I was unable to find many details regarding the role of the phosphoric acid other than it is the "activator."  According the the manufacturer, each bottle contains 1 ounce (30 ml) of solution.  I weighed the bottles separately on a digital postal scale at work.  Each bottle weighed in at 1.5 ounces (42.5 g).  As packaged in the clear plastic container the bottles weighed 3.4 ounces (96 g).  McNett states that the Aquamira kit contains enough solution to treat "up to 30 gallons" (114 L) of water.  Larger size kits can be purchased by contacting the manufacturer.

Both bottles have labels with the following warning:  "CAUTION:  harmful if swallowed.  Avoid direct contact with skin, eyes or clothing."  This information was a bit disconcerting given the fact that I was about to put a little of both bottles into some water and drink it.  However, McNett claims that "chlorine dioxide is an extremely effective and safe water treatment." Aquamira is E.P.A.-registered (No. 70060-7-71766).  McNett also asserts that after the drops have been opened, "if properly stored," the product will remain effective until the expiration date.  The expiration date on the drops I received is October 2006.  Per the manufacturer specifications, the drops have a four year shelf life.  McNett recommends keeping the lids securely tightened and storing the bottles away from heat and sunlight.  Additionally, for long storage periods, McNett recommends storing Aquamira in the refrigerator.  However, steps should be taken to avoid freezing Aquamira.  Consistent with the caution contained in the instructions, the disposal instructions are also a bit worrisome:  "Securely wrap original container in several layers of newspaper and dispose in trash."

According to McNett, "Aquamira's unique formula works quickly and efficiently by releasing oxygen in a highly active form to kill odor-causing bacteria--without unpleasant taste or odor!"  I wasn't able to locate any claims by McNett as to the types of organisms Aquamira would kill.  However, according to our own Roger Caffin in his well written FAQ-Drinking Water Safety which can be found on his website (http://www.bushwalking.org.au/), when the chlorine dioxide "breaks down it creates ionised oxygen atoms.  These are very energetic and will attack many things, in particular the sulphur atoms in basic organic matter.  Cell walls are disrupted and bugs die.  That's all bugs, even crypto, which iodine handles poorly."  Roger goes on to explain that this product does not create active chlorine like you would find in bleach.  Rather, it ends up as a "harmless chloride ion the same as you would get from salt."  Roger reported that other Aquamira users had experienced very little chlorine taste or smell and that the effectiveness, based upon the information he read, was "good enough to really 'purify' water to EPA requirements."

Directions for use are found on both the side of the Part A bottle and the written information sheet located in the plastic display box.  The directions can be read by looking through the back of the clear plastic display box or the sheet can be removed from the box for easier reading.  With the exception of one item, the directions were easy to read and follow.  Step 1:  clean and disinfect the water storage container and lid.  Step 2:  place 7 drops of the Part A solution and 7 drops of the Part B solution into the mixing cap.  There was no information as to where to find the mixing cap.  The Part A lid looked different than the Part B lid.  See photograph below.  I unscrewed the lids on both bottles.  After a few moments of looking at the two lids, I discovered that the mixing cap is stored over the Part A lid and simply pulls off uncovering a lid identical to the Part B lid.  While this was not a huge inconvenience, the instructions could be a little more helpful with regard to locating the mixing cap.  Step 3:  let mixture react for 5 minutes.  It will actually turn a yellow color.  See photograph below.  Step 4:  fill a container with one quart (1 liter) water and add the contents of the mixing cap.  Step 5:  shake or stir the water/chemical mixture and let it stand for 15 more minutes before drinking.  Note:  if the water is very cold or turpid, it needs to stand for 30 minutes before drinking.



I first attempted to test the Aquamira Water Treatment during an outing in mid-December.  The Boy Scouts and I snowshoed into Harriman State Park.  I was aware that Silver Lake had a small stream that fed into the Henry's Fork of the Snake River.  However, when we arrived at the outlet, we discovered that both the lake and stream were frozen and snow covered.  I was not prepared to break a hole in the ice.  As such, my testing had to wait for another day.

On January 20, 2004, I drove out to the South Fork of the Snake River near Kelly Canyon Ski Resort.  It was 26° F (-3 C).  The Snake was frozen near the banks but from what I could see in the open water, it was not very deep.  I inched my way out onto the ice to the open water where I was able to obtain two samples.  I filled the first 32 oz (900 ml) Nalgene bottle by placing a bandanna over the opening as a prefilter and lowering the bottle into the icy cold, moving water.  It appeared that I was standing over a portion of the river which contained a gravel bed and I could see no plant life near where I was obtaining my water sample.  I filled a second 32 oz (900 ml) Nalgene bottle by using my Sweetwater filter.  I tied the bandanna around the prefiltered bottle of water to identify it for testing.  After obtaining both samples and making my way back to the safety of the river bank, I removed my gloves and prepared the Aquamira mixture.  After letting the mixture sit in the cap which I held in my hand for 5 minutes, I poured it into the prefiltered bottle and shook it up.  I placed both bottles into my daypack and hiked back up to my pickup truck.  The drive home took me about 30 minutes.  When I arrived at home, I opened the bottle containing the Aquamira treated water.  I caught a very faint chlorine smell.  Both my wife and daughter independently confirmed the smell.  However, neither my wife nor I could taste any difference between the two samples.  My daughter, Traci, reported an after-taste that she couldn't really describe.  I could see no color difference in either sample and neither sample contained floaties (a non-technical term for visible objects floating in the water).

On January 23, 2004, the Boy Scouts and I snowshoed into a spot near the Buffalo River where we had previously built snow shelters where we planned to stay for the night.  I was able to obtain a sample of water by clearing off the snow and breaking through the ice covered river.  I followed the same procedure as on my first outing by using a bandanna as a prefilter for one Nalgene bottle and by using my Sweetwater filter to fill the second bottle.  It was 24° F (-4 C) when I took the samples.  Although the water was clear and moving, there were ice crystals in both samples.  Additionally, there was a great deal of plant life near where I took the samples.  With the light of my head lamp, I premixed the two Parts in the mixing cap and placed it on the snow near the bank of the river.  Once again, I had to remove my gloves to mix the two Parts.  I really believe that gloves could be used during the purification process but it was cold and my gloves were heavy, cumbersome Gortex ski gloves (they keep my hands warm).  I felt more comfortable mixing the products without the gloves on.  I then watched the puffy wisps of snow clouds drift across the black, starless sky as I waited the obligatory five minutes to add the Aquamira to the water sample.  After treating one sample with Aquamira, I placed both bottles (the bandanna was tied to the Aquamira treated bottle) in my pack and hiked back up to my snow shelter.  Due to the fact that the water was very cold, I left it in my pack until I returned home later in the afternoon the following day.  I then poured some of each bottle into two separate clear drinking glass.  I could see no differences in color.  I saw no floaties.  This time, I could not smell any difference between the two samples nor could I taste any difference.  Both samples still contained some ice crystals.

Personal Opinions and Summary:

Quite frankly, I was surprisingly impressed.  The Aquamira kit weighs in at about 3 oz (85 g).  According to the available literature, it is safe and effective at killing all bugs and eliminating odor.  Though I wasn't able to test any stagnant water, McNett claims that Aquamira will make even stagnant water taste better.  In my personal experience, Aquamira treated water has no chemical taste--I couldn't taste any difference between the Aquamira treated water and the Sweetwater filtered water.  Nor could I see any difference.  In the taste and smell category, Aquamira has a huge advantage, in my humble opinion, over iodine tablets and chlorine.  On the other hand, as with all chemical water treatments, I do not like the wait.  I guess I've come to enjoy the immediate availability of filtered water.  Water filtered from a high mountain stream is still enticingly cold and after a few miles over a hot, dusty trail, my tired, thirsty body doesn't want to wait twenty (or more) minutes to savor the taste of genuine, pure Rocky Mountain spring water.  However, given the many advantages of the Aquamira Water Treatment kit, I plan to carry the kit with me in the future as a backup to my Sweetwater.  After experiencing the Aquamira difference, I won't carry any other chemical water treatment product.

Additional Personal Biographical Information: