When I was a child in the ...

When I was a child in the 50's and 60's we lived in a rural farm setting where our water supply came via a channel. There was a considerable amount of suspended clay and some minor very fine organic matter. My father used to broad cast (sprinkle) over the surface of our concrete water tank a liberal amount of calcium suphate which had the desired effect of clarifying the water for washing, cleaning and cooking. Our drinking water was boiled and cooled so we always had clear and clean water to drink and very low in calcium due to the boiling.

There is a TEXAS A&M report ;  T.L. Provin and J.L Pitt Professor and Soil Chemist, Program Specialist Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory Department of Soil and Crop Sciences  NO. SCS-2013-02 refer page no.7 which in part says;

"If the cause of turbidity is chemical in nature, gypsum (calcium sulfate), Epson salts (magnesium sulfate), aluminum sulfate (alum), or limestone (calcium carbonate) can be used to clear muddy ponds by removing suspended clay particles. Gypsum is a neutral salt and will not affect the pH of the pond."

My health and that of my siblings is fine even at this time some 60 years later. given that you are after a simple and inexpensive process i hope that the reference and the experience will help.

Kind Regards

Ray Najar