Susan, Agreed.

Sort of off the OP topic, but-

I guess my point of view (not directed at you Susan, but to the tread in general), is while we don’t want to be totally irresponsible when it comes to voiding in the outdoors, I think we tend to over estimate our impact on the water supply at least from the individual’s or small group’s impact. Clearly, if you have hundreds of individuals voiding in or near a water source, chances are you will end up with major coliform bacteria contamination (that is why we treat water before drinking). However, animals too void in these areas and likely have a larger impact than we humans. Granted the environment in which you void, will be a major factor in the ability of the environment to absorb the impact, but I think in most areas the impact will end up being minimal.

Look at the number of military campaigns with large numbers of concentrated troops field voiding. I would suspect if these large numbers of troops voiding had a major long-lasting environmental impact, we would still be seeing the negative effects of these actions. I contend the environment is a good self-fixer and while it may not be a popular line of thought in some circles, I believe we humans are also part of the natural ecosystem. I grew up with the principle of being a conservationist not an environmentalist. We were to be conscientious custodians of our resources, which were to be used wisely and with care, but were to be used. My impression (which may be wrong) is that many, if not most environmentalists want a totally hands off approach (in terms of human approach to utilization of natural resources).

Pete