SHTF Water

[Perianne]

Of all the necessities of life, water ranks at or near the top.

What are ya gonna do if the water supply shuts off? Perhaps if you have a good source of fuel you can boil everything. I don't, though. I have some backup propane tanks that would last a while. I could maybe get water from the creek near my house, haul it back, boil it, and cook with it, or drink it. But creek water, or river water, while maybe safe to drink after boiling, will still taste like creek or river water. Bad. And if undesirables are out roaming the streets, it would not be safe for me to go out in pursuit of water.

My thought is to make a system to catch rainwater. And while water that drains from the roof would not be clean enough to drink, I can use a filter like this, good for about 400 gallons of pure drinking water. Add in a carbon filter and it should be good to go. I also have a water straw that is good for another few hundred gallons.

Your thoughts?

[Perianne]

Of course the best way to have water during SHTF is to have bottled water already stored. A gallon of water at Wal-Mart is less than one dollar. During normal times, an adult needs about two quarts per day of water and/or other liquids. Storing enough water beforehand might be a problem if SHTF continues for weeks or longer.

Water obtained from other sources (like water drained from the roof, melted snow, etc.) is likely clean enough for personal sanitation. A storage of baby wipes would also help with cleanliness, reducing the amount of precious water used.

Adequate hydration might be a problem if we got out of our normal routines. Water flavors (Crystal Light, coffee, tea, etc.) will help with consuming more fluids.

[LongTermGuy]

"Water can be the most immediate need in a survival <nobr style="color: rgb(44, 43, 43); font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">situation</nobr> and once you have found it, knowing different methods of water purification will be critical. Here is an excellent article on different methods of disinfecting water during an emergency situation and in the wilderness. You can read the <nobr style="color: rgb(44, 43, 43); font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">article</nobr> below, make sure to check out the contaminant chart and <nobr style="color: rgb(44, 43, 43); font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">compare</nobr> it with your water filter’s micron rating."

`Survival Water Purification
Methods of disinfecting water during an emergency situation`

Whether you are on a backpacking trip or find yourself in an unplanned emergency situation our first goal is to locate water. Depending on the location this may prove more difficult than ensuring it's potability. Make sure you are familiar with water sources in the area you plan to travel. Looking at topographical maps is always a good idea. Depending on the <nobr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">dates</nobr> of the map this could help you find water while backpacking. As with other areas of emergency preparedness, make sure to have a backup plan. Water sources can change with time and seasonal changes. Another important aspect of finding water is the lay of the land. Learning the elevational changes of the area and thinking which way the water would travel during a rain can be another way to locate a water source. For the scope of this article, we will assume that a source has been located.
You do not want to wait until you are thirsty to begin gathering water, as the urge to drink directly from the contaminated source can become unbearable. Due to the negative effects of drinking water contaminated with Giardia and other bacteria/viruses, this is a bad idea. Becoming sick from drinking bad water, will further dehydrate you, worsening your situation.
Having some knowledge of the type of contaminants we could deal with is important. When choosing a ceramic filter it is a good idea to get information on the filter's micron rating:
Some contaminants and their size in microns:

<center style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: x-large;">

Contaminant	Size
Giardia lamblia	8 to 12 microns
Cryptosporidium parvum	4 to 6 microns
Bacteria (salmonella - E.coli	0.2 to 4 microns
Viruses	0.004 to 0.1 microns

</center>
CDC Water Treatment Methods for the Backcountry and Travel





http://www.practicalsurvivor.com/waterfiltration

[NightTrain]

Your base of operations should have a clean source of safe water, IMO. We've got a small creek that we get water from at the cabin, which is where I'll be when shit gets weird.


Giardia, AKA Beaver Fever, is really bad stuff. My Dad caught that once and we all thought he was going to die... and he probably would have if he'd have been solo. It reduced a Mountain Man to a weak helpless kitten in short order for a week. The uncontrollable fever, vomiting and diarrhea is very dangerous.

Filters and such are great to have around, but if you don't have that, then get a jug of water. Let it sit and the sediments will settle after a few hours, then transfer the clear(er) water to another container (just dump out the murky stuff left at the bottom)... do that a couple of times, using a shirt or something to help filter, and then boil it. Once you've boiled it, it'll be safe. Might not taste the best, but safe.

[Perianne]

Your base of operations should have a clean source of safe water, IMO. We've got a small creek that we get water from at the cabin, which is where I'll be when shit gets weird.

The closest water source is about 1/2 mile away as the crow flies. It is a creek.

Filters and such are great to have around, but if you don't have that, then get a jug of water. Let it sit and the sediments will settle after a few hours, then transfer the clear(er) water to another container (just dump out the murky stuff left at the bottom)... do that a couple of times, using a shirt or something to help filter, and then boil it. Once you've boiled it, it'll be safe. Might not taste the best, but safe.

Boiling would kill any bacteria and viruses and remove some chemicals. I cannot imagine what creek water would taste like. Yuch.

As far as filtering, I have an idea probably better than a shirt: coffee filters. I have bought up a lot of them. They would remove the big stuff.

Also, adding bleach or pool shock stuff to water kills the bacteria and viruses. I found this page on pool shock stuff.

[LongTermGuy]

The closest water source is about 1/2 mile away as the crow flies. It is a creek.



Boiling would kill any bacteria and viruses and remove some chemicals. I cannot imagine what creek water would taste like. Yuch.

As far as filtering, I have an idea probably better than a shirt: coffee filters. I have bought up a lot of them. They would remove the big stuff.

Also, adding bleach or pool shock stuff to water kills the bacteria and viruses. I found this page on pool shock stuff.

***************************

~ "I cannot imagine what creek water would taste like. Yuch." ~


Water is water ...when one needs it... they need it....make sure it is clean and drinkable...

Boiling is always good....and the things you mentioned above...

*Best plan is to think ahead...suppose SHTF happened tomorrow....all the stores ransacked and empty or burned down.....THINK ABOUT IT.....

Have some water saved.....maybe at least a couple months worth....have your water filters and water pills and other systems handy...in case you have to hit the road and leave all your heavy water supplies behind...

[NightTrain]

The closest water source is about 1/2 mile away as the crow flies. It is a creek.

You have to consider who & what are upstream. If I were down south in a situation like that, I would dig a hole beside that creek and let the earth filter the water for me. I'd still boil it, but the earth does a great job in cleaning up water.

Boiling would kill any bacteria and viruses and remove some chemicals. I cannot imagine what creek water would taste like. Yuch.

Well, the creek that we get water from at the cabin is a spring fed stream, and there is no one living anywhere near it from the start to finish, and there are no ponds or lakes involved - it's just a small creek all the way. That's the sweetest tasting water I've ever tried.

As far as filtering, I have an idea probably better than a shirt: coffee filters. I have bought up a lot of them. They would remove the big stuff.

The problem with using a super-tight mesh like a coffee filter is that it's going to take a long time to filter 5 gallons. A cheesecloth is a little faster, but still very slow. I've found that using a t-shirt is small enough mesh to catch all the debris and still allow decent waterflow into the jug.

I rigged up a small waterfall to put my water jugs underneath, and I ensure that no kids or dogs go walking upstream while the filling is in progress - that way there's no sediment and the water is clean. I push the t-shirt down into the jug about 6" and stick the jug under the waterfall and it fills up in about 1 minute or less.

If I suspected pollution or people / animal activity upstream, I'd treat it differently, though. I'd probably dig a hole like I mentioned above.

Also, adding bleach or pool shock stuff to water kills the bacteria and viruses. I found this page on pool shock stuff.

I guess that the only time I'd use bleach in my drinking water is if I was on the move and didn't have time to boil it... I don't like chlorine in city water and have an aversion to ingesting that stuff. I know it's perfectly safe in reasonable quantities, but I'd rather not if I have a choice.

[Bilgerat]

http://prepperology.net/14-rainwater...sting-systems/