History Main / CoolClearWater

* Played straight to an extreme in ''VideoGame/ArkSurvivalEvolved'': water in ponds and streams is drinkable. Water in caves full of spiders is drinkable. Water in the ''ocean'' is drinkable, and does not need desalination. Water in '''a murky bog full of diseased leeches''' is drinkable, and will not give you swamp fever. Water in the fatally-irradiated caves of Aberration is... you get the picture. The ocean case is lampshaded by Helena's notes on the Island, and is one of her clues that [[spoiler: the Island is an artificial environment]].

* Likewise, ''Series/{{Survivorman}}'' averts this and frequently mentions this trope when in places like Montana or other areas with clear, apparently clean streams. Though sometimes he still ends up drinking muddy water with no filtration besides his bandana. [[RealityEnsues Reality ensued]] on a regular basis: Les often wound up in the hospital being treated for illnesses or parasites he contracted while filming an episode where he did this.

Except, of course, for the myriad waterborne parasites and diseases that sicken and kill thousands in the real world. Animals have immunity to all sorts of microscopic nasties that humans removed from the wild don't (and they still get sick fairly often). There's a reason water purification kits are standard issue for hikers, campers and survival kits worldwide. Not to mention the billions of dollars governments pour into building and maintaining municipal water facilities and sewage treatment plants.

Also, in some deserts, any water that is beautifully clear and fresh looking (i.e., nothing lives in it) may be caused by natural arsenic deposits that turn up in some rocky areas. Drinking water that looks green and mossy and full of gunk may result in dysentery at worst, but drinking perfectly clear death water might just end your hike for good. In the Mountain West of the US or other areas where there is mining activity, cyanide and cyanide-based chemicals can have the same effect, as can pesticide runoff in heavily farmed/agricultural areas. In ''[[UsefulNotes/NuclearWeapons other]]'' [[ANuclearError deserts]], water that is perfectly clear with nothing in it and ''isn't running'' may well be irradiated. Different means, same ends. Or perhaps different ends...

See also IAteWhat. For tropes related to this trope's symbolism, see HealItWithWater and WaterIsWomanly.

* In ''VideoGame/SunsetOverdrive'', You give Dirk “Bora-Bora water” a luxury water brand that includes among others dissolved solids, Pathogens, Reversed reverse osmodified goats milk, MSG, MGS, “MMSGSSM”, and A shot of whisky “for flavor”

* An aversion, along with a GettingCrapPastTheRadar version of the page quote, find their way into ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife''. The gang goes on a camping trip and Filburt refuses to drink from the stream water because "fish are dating in it."

* In ''VisualNovel/LongLiveTheQueen'', there is background lore detailing this trope if the main character chooses to invest in the Lore stat. It reads as follows: "A Lumen once tried to lift the curse from an enchanted spring whose water was poisonous and glowed green. After dispelling the magic, she tasted the water and fell dead - the green flow was a not a curse, but a spell placed by a Lumen long before to warn everyone away from the spring's natural poison."

* Alluded to in ''VideoGame/GoldenSun2001''; as he's leaving home Garet's siblings remind him not to drink from stagnant ponds, to which he replies indignantly that he knows that already. Subverted in that the only sources for water your characters actually drink (the oases in the Lamakan Desert are apparently just for frolicking in) are the Fountain of Hermes in the first game and the Lemurian fountain in the second, both of which explicitly have healing properties and are purified by Alchemy.

** Fully subverted earlier in Moria: Gandalf says that while there are water streams in Moria, some of them clean, this water is not safe for drinking, so they have to conserve water supply.

* Partially subverted in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', when Frodo and Sam are entering Mordor. Sam comments that they will not find water to drink since orcs probably drink poison as water. Frodo responds that as foul as orcs are, they surely cannot live on poison, so he fills their water packs with the brownish water the orcs drink. Although it does taste foul and sicken them a little, it also helps them on their way.

This trope is often found in historical fiction, where characters will be shown drinking and bathing in fresh water without a worry or concern. This is especially true of the PrincessClassic, [[BathingBeauty whose natural beauty is made only more radiant by the amount of time she spends bathing]]. Time travelers might also take the opportunity to sneer at [[TheDungAges the filthy beasts]] they meet who are simply too stupid to keep themselves clean and too debauched to drink cool, clear water instead of alcohol. All nonsense, of course; people in the old days might not have known about germ theory, but they were well aware that drinking water straight from the stream could cause illness. The reason many people of historical times preferred alcohol or tea to pure water was that producing alcohol and boiling water for tea were some of the earliest forms of water purification.

This trope is often found in historical fiction, where characters will be shown drinking and bathing in fresh water without a worry or concern. This is especially true of the PrincessClassic, [[BathingBeauty whose natural beauty is made only more radiant by the amount of time she spends bathing]]. Time travelers might also take the opportunity to sneer at [[TheDungAges the filthy beasts]] they meet who are simply too stupid to keep themselves clean and too debauched to drink cool, clear water instead of alcohol. All nonsense, of course: people in the old days didn't know that the diseases associated with drinking or bathing in plain water (cholera, dysentery, typhoid, polio, etc.) were caused by waterborne pathogens, but they did know that both activities were risky, and boiling that much water was simply too damn expensive for many. The reason many people of historical times preferred alcohol or tea to pure water was that producing alcohol and boiling water for tea were some of the earliest forms ''of'' water purification. Some writers take the trope to eleven and give their [[ErmineCapeEffect special royal]] characters hot and cold running water and ''showers''. In Norman castles. We'd like to claim that this is more common in fan fiction, but sadly it's a common mistake in professionally published fiction.[[note]]To be fair, plumbing is OlderThanTheyThink as it dates back to UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire. A bath with running water wouldn't be too odd in a wealthy household, but ''hot'' water requires servants to boil it the old-fashioned way first, and modern-appearing showers are right out.[[/note]]

Also, in some deserts, any water that is beautifully clear and fresh looking (i.e., nothing lives there) may be caused by natural arsenic deposits that turn up in some rocky areas. Drinking water that looks green and mossy and full of gunk may result in being on the business end of an attack of dysentery, but drinking perfectly clear death water might just end your hike for good. In the mountain West of the US or other areas where there is mining activity, cyanide and cyanide-based chemicals can have the same effect, as can pesticide runoff in heavily farmed/agricultural areas. In ''[[UsefulNotes/NuclearWeapons other]]'' [[ANuclearError deserts]], water that is perfectly clear with nothing in it and ''isn't running'' may well be irradiated. Different means, same ends. Or perhaps different ends...

This trope is often found in historical fiction, where characters will be shown drinking and bathing in fresh water without a worry or concern. This is especially true of the PrincessClassic, [[BathingBeauty whose natural beauty is made only more radiant by the amount of time she spends bathing]]. Time travelers might also take the opportunity to sneer at [[TheDungAges the filthy beasts]] they meet who are simply too stupid to keep themselves clean and too debauched to drink cool, clear water instead of alcohol. All nonsense, of course: people in the old days didn't know that the diseases associated with drinking or bathing in plain water (cholera, dysentery, typhoid, polio, etc.) were caused by waterborne pathogens, but they did know that both activities were risky, and boiling that much water was simply too damn expensive for many. (And the reason many people of historical times preferred alcohol or tea to pure water was that alcohol and/or the process of making beer or wine or boiling for tea were some of the earliest forms ''of'' water purification. Similarly, ''moss'' was one of the earliest water filters - so mossy water was often safer than clear.) Some writers take the trope to eleven and give their [[ErmineCapeEffect special royal]] characters hot and cold running water and ''showers''. In Norman castles. We'd like to claim that this is more common in fan fiction, but sadly it's a common mistake in professionally published fiction.[[note]]To be fair, plumbing is OlderThanTheyThink as it dates back to UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire. A bath with running water wouldn't be too odd in a wealthy household, but ''hot'' water requires servants to boil it the old-fashioned way first, and modern-appearing showers are right out.[[/note]]

Except, of course, for the myriad waterborne parasites and diseases that sicken and kill thousands in the real world. Animals have immunity to all sorts of microscopic nasties that humans removed from the wild don't (and they get sick fairly often anyway). There's a reason water purification kits are standard issue for hikers, campers and survival kits worldwide. Not to mention the billions of dollars governments pour into building and maintaining municipal water facilities and sewage treatment plants.

See also IAteWhat, HealItWithWater, and WaterIsWomanly.

Also see IAteWhat.

* The trope is subverted in the Marvel war comic ''The 'Nam'' where the lead character on his first patrol in the bush of Vietnam is about to drink from a river and his experienced comrade stops and shows what he has to do to properly treat the water to make it fit for drinking.

* A commercial for Brita water filters used this trope completely straight. We see a wonderful mountain stream in the woods, while the voice-over says "If we lived here, we wouldn't have to worry about water quality..." Cut to a bustling freeway, and the narrator continues, "Unfortunately, most of us live here." Yes, because water running straight through underground pipes from state-of-the-art water treatment facilities to your apartment is [[SarcasmMode SO susceptible to air pollution.]]

Except, of course, for the myriad waterborne parasites and diseases that sicken and kill thousands in the real world. Animals have immunity to all sorts of microscopic nasties that humans removed from the wild don't (and they get sick fairly often anyhow). There's a reason water purification kits are standard issue for hikers, campers and survival kits worldwide. Not to mention the billions of dollars governments pour into building and maintaining municipal water facilities and sewage treatment plants.

* Alluded to in ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheBrokenSeal''; as he's leaving home Garet's siblings remind him not to drink from stagnant ponds, to which he replies indignantly that he knows that already. Subverted in that the only sources for water your characters actually drink (the oases in the Lamakan Desert are apparently just for frolicking in) are the Fountain of Hermes in the first game and the Lemurian fountain in the second, both of which explicitly have healing properties and are purified by Alchemy.

* In ''Series/EscapeAtDannemora escaped prisoner Sweat tries to warn his fellow escapee Matt from drinking from a mountain stream to no avail: Matt later suffers crippling diarrhea.

Except, of course, for the myriad waterborne parasites and diseases that sicken and kill thousands in the real world. Animals have resistances that humans long removed from the wild don't (and they get sick fairly often anyhow). There's a reason water purification kits are standard issue for hikers, campers and survival kits worldwide. Not to mention the billions of dollars governments pour into building and maintaining municipal water facilities and sewage treatment plants.

In Fictionland, water that's unsafe to drink [[RuleOfPerception will]] [[GrimyWater look unsafe to drink]]. It will be brackish. It will smell bad. There will be dead fish floating on top. Maybe a cigarette butt or used condom if it's in a populated area. So if that mountain stream is crystal clear and Disney/{{Bambi}} and his pals are all drinking happily from it, then no problem.