Camping water: check before you drink or swim

Lakes, rivers and springs can carry germs and algae toxins, even when they look clear. Use the official advisory maps, treat what you drink, and avoid any bloom. We link to official sources and never show our own “safe” status.

California Washington Oregon

Ask before you drink

Found a stream, lake or spring and not sure what to do? Ask our AI water expert. Answers come from our AI water expert, built on our team's research and guides. It can't see your water and can't tell you if it is safe.

AI-generated; for health decisions, follow official advisories and your local health department.

Campgrounds near lakes and rivers

Well-known public campgrounds, each with its official park page and the state's official advisory source. Check the official map before swimming or collecting water. We don't show advisory status, because it changes.

California

D. L. Bliss State ParkLake TahoeOfficial park page Check current advisories
Emerald Bay State ParkLake TahoeOfficial park page Check current advisories
Folsom Lake State Recreation AreaFolsom Lake / American RiverOfficial park page Check current advisories
Clear Lake State ParkClear LakeOfficial park page Check current advisories
Lake Oroville State Recreation AreaLake OrovilleOfficial park page Check current advisories

Washington

Lake Chelan State ParkLake ChelanOfficial park page Check current advisories
Lake Wenatchee State ParkLake WenatcheeOfficial park page Check current advisories
Steamboat Rock State ParkBanks LakeOfficial park page Check current advisories
Potholes State ParkPotholes ReservoirOfficial park page Check current advisories
Riverside State ParkSpokane RiverOfficial park page Check current advisories

Oregon

Detroit Lake State Recreation AreaDetroit LakeOfficial park page Check current advisories
Wallowa Lake State ParkWallowa Lake / Wallowa RiverOfficial park page Check current advisories
Prineville Reservoir State ParkPrineville Reservoir / Crooked RiverOfficial park page Check current advisories

Water from a lake, river or stream? What to do

Avoid it first if you see a bloom. Green, blue-green or brown scum, “pea soup” or spilled-paint water means stay out and don't drink, cook with or filter it, and keep pets out. Minnesota Dept. of Health says backcountry treatment devices can't remove algae toxins, and that boiling won't remove them and can even raise toxin levels. Find another source.
Filter. If the water is cloudy, let it settle and then filter it. Filtering removes many germs but not dissolved chemicals or toxins.
Boil or disinfect. CDC says boiling is the best way to kill germs: a rolling boil for 1 minute, or 3 minutes above 6,500 feet. The next best option is to filter and then disinfect. Follow the product label. See also EPA's emergency disinfection steps. Boiling and disinfecting don't make water with chemicals or toxins drinkable.
Test when you can. A home kit or a certified lab can check things like bacteria and nitrate, which is useful for a cabin well or a spring you use often. Test strips can't detect algae toxins, so a “clean” strip result doesn't mean a bloom is harmless.

No advisory doesn't mean no bloom. Oregon's health authority warns: “A waterbody with no recreational health advisory does not mean that a bloom is not present” (OHA). Check the official map before swimming or collecting water. When in doubt, stay out. More on blooms: EPA harmful algal blooms.

Portable test kit picks

Tap ScoreMail-in lab test kits: you collect a sample and a lab analyses it. Good for a cabin well or a spring you rely on.See Tap Score kits
Test Assured (WaterTestingKits.com)Home test strips and kits for quick checks.See Test Assured kits

Other common kits, such as Safe Home, Varify, Health Metric, First Alert, Hach, LaMotte and AquaChek, are sold widely in stores and online.

Remember that test strips can't detect algae toxins. A water filter is a treatment tool, not a test, and doesn't remove dissolved toxins.

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Also covered: Ohio: BeachGuard beach advisories (Ohio Dept. of Health) · Utah: Recreational water quality map (Utah DEQ) · New York: Harmful algal bloom notifications (NYS DEC) (Links checked Oct 29, 2026)