What better way to get started on your journey for preparedness than to address the most basic human need. Clean water. Humans need water and can’t live without it for very long (3-4 days). It is one of the first things that the government will try to bring in a disaster, but our mission is to get you ready to sustain yourself. The CDC recommends that you store 1 gallon of water per person and to try to store a 2 week supply if possible. For a family of 4, this is 56 gallons of water. There are two primary situations that you will find yourself in. At home needing an alternate source water, or on the move. At home, this is primarily a function of storing your water in advance and being able to draw upon it when needed. On the move, water is heavy and its difficult to transport and so filtration and treatment becomes a better option.
Storage
Storing water can be as simple as storing cases of bottled water at home. Its important that you remember that water will store best when not exposed to freezing or high temperatures (>80). It should also not be stored directly on concrete as it can actually absorb smells and chemicals from the concrete ! Light is also your enemy, clear containers are generally not recommended. As the quantities of water you want to store become larger, stacks of bottled water become inefficient and you need to consider larger tanks. Storage containters such as such as 55 gallon drums are popular and should handle the family of 4 for 2 weeks. Keep in mind that barrels need to be food grade and UV-resistant, and its preferable that other liquids have never been stored in them. We recommend getting new barrels made with either #1, #2, or #4 plastics that are BPA free . Drums do come in other sizes and depending on your situation and space available, smaller ones may make more sense. Don’t forget you won’t be able to move a 55 gal drum filled with water as it will weigh over 450 lbs ! You will need to have a way to get the water out. Be sure to include pumps or siphons in your preparation. It is also necessary to treat the water for long term storage. There are several methods that are satisfactory. I’ve listed those below.
Filtration and Treatment
It is important to filter contaminants out of water if you are using an water from an unknown source or from natural outdoor bodies of water such as lakes or rivers. Moving water such as a spring is always better than stagnant water from a pond. Generally stagnant water should be filtered and boiled. A quality water filter should be a part of any preparedness kit and can help prevent illness or disease from contaminated water. Water can be contaminated by many sources including industrial discharge, lawn chemicals, animals, runoff, and even sewage. Most portable water filters are able to filter out most contaminants and bacteria, but perhaps not some viruses. A filter may be best used in conjunction with water treatments for best results. Some examples of treatments are
- Boiling water. This doesn’t remove chemical or fuel containation, but if you pre-filter the water and then boil for one minute (at elevations above 6,500 feet, boil for three minutes), then the water should be safe to drink.
- Treating with unscented chlorine bleach. Typical bleach concentrations of 5-6% sodium hypochlorite would call for 4 drops of bleach per quart of water or 16 drops (1/8 teaspoon) per gallon of water, stir and let stand for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight bleach odor. If it doesn’t, then repeat the dosage and let stand another 15 minutes. If it still does not smell of bleach, discard it and find another source of water.
- Distillation. This isn’t so much a treatment but collecting the steam and letting it condense is another way to obtain clean water. If your source water is salt water, distillation will allow you to capture water free of salt and also can help with other toxins or chemicals that boiling or treating doesn’t remove.
- Ultraviolet Light (UV Light) can be used as a pathogen reduction method against some microorganisms. In most situations this technology isn’t available in the types of situation that requires treatment on the move or in areas without power, etc.
Don’t forget that once you have filtered or treated water to make it potable, you need to store it in a clean sanitary storage container. So be sure to include portable size water containers such as canteens, camelbacks, or even metal containers to store your water in.