Water for Emergency Preparedness

Water ranks up there in the Top 3 of important preps. Behind shelter and food.

3 minutes without air – 3 hours without shelter

3 days without water – 3 weeks without food.

The recommendation is one gallon per person per day for drinking and sanitation.

A family of four needs 270 gallons of water, according to Utah State University, for
a three-month supply (90 gallons of water PER PERSON = three-month supply)

You need to store water for drinking and for cleaning.
You also should have a way to filter water that you collect in other way whether from rain barrels (check your states laws) or from a creek or river.

We are on a well. So if we lose power we lose our water. I have prepped drinking water. I have collected water in milk jugs specifically for the toilet. When that runs out then, well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. You shouldn’t drink water that has been stored in milk jugs due to bacteria. No matter how much you try to clean them, they won’t be clean enough.

Well Pump

We also have a hand-pump for the well.
We spent way too much money on it and have since found ways to build one. Lesson learned.

Filter

If you are collecting rain water from your roof or having to haul water from the creek or river you will want a way to filter that water. You can build one with charcoal and sand, which you have prepped. You could also spend a pretty penny on a charcoal filter system called Berkey Filter. If you look around on the internet there are instructions on how to build your own system using the filters. It’s a tad cheaper. The filters themselves run about $100 for 2. They are washable and filter around 6,000 gallons per two filters. They will also filter untreated water.

Berkey Water Filter
The Berkey water filter, is great for everyday and is portable.

Katadyn Water Filter
The tried and true Katadyn water filter is the most
rugged, longest lasting micro-filter available. Chosen by the U.S. Military
and expeditions due to it’s extreme durability and dependability, it has the
capacity to filter 13,000 gallons (or 50,000 liters) of water. Best of all, the
output is about 1 liter per minute.

Lifestraw
Lifestraw is a lightweight drinking straw to sip directly from the water source for quick hydration.
It removes a minimum of 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria and 99.9% of waterborne protozoan
parasites, making it a great choice for your bugout bag.

1. Filter the water using a piece of cloth or coffee filter to remove solid particles.
2. Bring it to a rolling boil for about one full minute.
3. Let it cool at least 30 minutes. Water must be cool or the chlorine treatment described below will be useless.
4. Add 16 drops of liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water, or 8 drops per 2-liter bottle of water. Stir to mix. Sodium hypochlorite of the concentration of 5.25% to 6% should be the only active ingredient in the bleach. There should not be any added soap or fragrances. A major bleach manufacturer has also added Sodium Hydroxide as an active ingredient, which they state does not pose a health risk for water treatment.
5. Let stand 30 minutes.
6. If it smells of chlorine. You can use it. If it does not smell of chlorine, add 16 more drops of chlorine bleach per gallon of water (or 8 drops per 2-liter bottle of water), let stand 30 minutes, and smell it again. If it smells of chlorine, you can use it. If it does not smell of chlorine, discard it and find another source of water.
source

If you get anything from this post, just know water is top 3 MOST IMPORTANT preps.

5 Level of Preparedness
Acronyms
Apps
Bug Out or Bug In
Communications
Cooking
Dictionary
Family Plan
Farm Animals
First Aide
Food
Got Power
Got Shelter?
Kids or No Kids
Op Sec
Practice What You Preach~Power Outage Practice
Resources
Sanitation
Skills to Have
Tools
Urban vs Rural
Water