Turtle kidneys have difficulty processing salt water, so for an animal that lives in a brackish environment potable water is always scarce.

ECONOMIST: Softshell turtles urinate through their mouths

One of the finest is the Terra Nostra estate where locals and day-trippers come to float in the brackish waters of a natural thermal pool.

BBC: The adventure playground of the Azores

The morning haze had burned off, and in the noon light the brackish water appeared deceptively lovely, its surface undisturbed except for a single Jet Ski carving a white wake whose exhausted wavelets lapped at the riprap at the side of the road.

NPR: In 'Challenger Park,' Mom Is an Astronaut

Officials feared the brackish storm water that poured into tunnels could corrode vulnerable signal and switching systems, complicating the task of reopening a bus and rail system that ferries 8.5 million passengers on a typical workday.

WSJ: Superstorm Sandy Cuts Wide Swath of Damage