What kind of pollution? If mining runoff or agricultural chemicals, you might not be able to achieve safe drinking water. "Regular" dirt isn't a threat, per se, but harbors bacteria and makes water unpalatable, so you still want to get rid of it.
I'm not even sure how to find this information. The area I'm interested in is Davy Crockett National Forest and other places in and around East Texas. This area has a pretty low elevation, mostly below 700 feet. Just thinking through it logically, I would expect agricultural chemicals from farms and ranches upriver,
if anything. The Neches River and small creeks and ponds would be the primary water sources in Davy Crockett.
How well do Brita filters remove the suspended dirt? They will help with taste and odor, but you might want something else, or in addition, to take out the dirt and not clog the Brita filters.
I haven't tested the filters yet, as they only have a one month shelf life once you start to use them (though I wonder if anyone's ever tried backflushing and drying them out for storage, but I digress). I do intend to prefilter them through clothe, like a bandana, but that'll only take out the big stuff.
Are you boiling on a stove or over a campfire? Stove means lots and lots of fuel, while campfires double your work gathering fuel, tending the fire, etc.
Using an alcohol stove was my plan, though I'm not averse to using wood if the rangers say it's okay there.
I try to never dry camp for just this reason, but in desert conditions it's not always possible. And yes, you'll need double water containers for the dirty/clean sides and that means double the weight at 8.3 pounds/gallon.
My rule of thumb is 1 gallon per person/day, more in hot and dry conditions. Plus, this water has to cool off at some point before drinking.
By "dry camp", do you mean a site far from any source, or a do you mean a site without a spigot?
Honestly, I'd rethink the whole thing and devise a system to remove debris through settling or filtering, then chemically treat. As a starting point, here's what the NPS recommends for the Grand Canyon.
I suppose I could hold off on using the Brita filter until the bottles have had a chance to sit in camp and settle for a while, depending on how silty the water is. Then, of course, I'd boil.
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