[Tagging] Water source types

Kevin Kenny kevin.b.kenny+osm at gmail.com
Wed Jan 10 02:42:09 UTC 2018


While we're on the topic, one thing that's puzzled me how to tag:

On the hiking trails in my part of the world, the volunteers have
constructed a number of piped springs.  A typical one looks like
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ke9tv/6936811420

They may be built by making a stone or concrete box around
a natural spring or seep, with a pipe to channel the water out,
or they may be, in fact, shallow wells dug in a steep slope delivering
what is essentially surface water from farther upslope.
At least one of them is sort of fanciful, with the water pipe
run into the faucet of a discarded bathtub. You
can see the box that impounds the water, just uphill from
the tub. https://www.flickr.com/photos/ke9tv/17852534206
(This is what passes for a sense of humour among
trail maintainers.)

They are placed for the convenience of hikers. Nevertheless,
the state doesn't test the water, and many if not most hikers
will filter or otherwise treat water from these sources.
(There are a handful that I don't bother to filter because
I know that they are fed from artesian sources. But I
will NOT drink most surface water around here untreated.
Beaver fever is No Fun.)

In other words, they're there to provide drinking water, but
the water as delivered is not guaranteed to be potable.
Surely it's a bit of a contradiction, but that's what's in the
field.

Suggestions?
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