Excerpt from Churchofjesuschrist.org
Church of Jesus Christ - Water preparedness.
There is a lot of information to be found at this Church Emergency Preparedness site.site
Food storage isn’t just about food; it’s about having enough water on hand during an emergency as well. A human can’t live for more than three days without drinking water, so make sure that you have at least a 1–2 week supply in your food storage for each person in your home.
Experts recommend a gallon per person per day, so for two weeks that would be 14 gallons per person. This is a minimum. You will need more for infants, elderly people, and sick people and if you live in a hot or humid environment. Also, many of the preparedness groups are say 1 1/2 - 2 gallons per day is a minimum. This doesn’t include water for cooking and showers or baths, so plan on a few extra gallons per person for that as well. Just think about how much water we use everyday!
The easiest way to get started on your water supply is to fill clean, empty food safe plastic bottles you find around your home with safe drinking water. Make sure that the bottles have never held any chemicals in them. Clean them out with mild soap and hot water first just to be sure they are safe to store.
If you do not have clean, drinkable tap water near your home, boiling water for one full minute will sanitize it so that it is safe to drink. Make sure the water cools before you drink or store it. Pour it back and forth between two containers; this will not only cool the water but will also add oxygen to it so that it tastes better.
Next, seal the bottles with lids and store the water in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. If you are limited on storage space, stash a case of water bottles under a bed.
If you add to your supply a little at a time, it will grow to fill your needs.
When water is stored this way, it can last for several years.
For more tips and information on storing clean, safe drinking water for an emergency, check out food storage blogger Valerie Albrechtsen’s helpful PDF here.
Water filtration has always been a standard method to achieve clean and safe drinking water. There are numerous types of filters available on the market. Brands such as Aquamira, Lifestraw, Sawyer and Berkey are just a few of those names. Katadyne is another brand that is widely used and considered one of the best, but what is important is to have some sort of method to filter water in the time of need.
The type of filter largely depends upon how it is to be used. Lifestraw for example (and others like it) are designed to act like a straw that you put into the questionable water and sip it like you might use a straw. Berkey makes a fine gravity fed countertop filter and others have their specialty lines. Katadyne is often used by hikers but is widely know as a premire filtering system.
The iportant things to understand is the type of water to be filtered, what the possible contaminants are and whether or not a specific filter will eliminate those contaminants. Most of the contaminants we think of in an emergency include the biological contaminants but not limited to those specifically. Below is a list of various contaminants as set forth by the US EPA.
1. Chemical Contaminants
PFAS ("Forever Chemicals"): Industrial and consumer product chemicals linked to cancer and immune system suppression.
Nitrates: From agricultural fertilizers, manure, and runoff; dangerous for infants (can cause blue baby syndrome) and linked to reproductive harm.
Heavy Metals: Arsenic, lead, copper, and hexavalent chromium (chromium-6) from natural mineral deposits, industrial pollution, or aging plumbing.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Solvents, degreasers, and fuel components like TCE and benzene from industrial or underground sources.
2. Biological Contaminants (Microbes)
Bacteria and Viruses: Pathogens like E. coli, coliform bacteria, norovirus, and Giardia from human or animal waste and surface water intrusion.
3. Disinfection Byproducts
Trihalomethanes and Chlorinated Byproducts: Formed when chlorine or chloramines used to disinfect water react with natural organic matter.
4. Radiological Contaminants
Uranium and Radium: Radioactive elements that occur naturally from underground rock deposits or mining activity.
You can check local tap water details or find testing resources via this link to - Environmental Working Group Tap Water Database.
On Dec, 17, 2024 the small island country of Vanuatu was hit with a 7.3 earthquake. It caused significant damage. Some very good friends living there related to us that initially they were without water, but once they were able to re-establish the water supply, it came out muddy. I mention this for 2 reasons.
1 - one of the first infrastructures that must be addressed in any disaster is the supply of water. Without it, not only thirst goes unquenched, but sanitation and other health challenges occur without it.
2 - Filtration! It is imperative that everyone has some sort of filtration device to get through times like this when they happen. Muddy, polluted water is very often the case after a disaster or interruption of the water supply system. - Get a filter! They are not terribly expensive and can be found everywhere.
Aside from filtration, it is often necessary to purify water. Here are some good numbers to use when purifying water using bleach - Please note that there are 2 different % of Sodium Hypochlorite in the bleach solutions.
Also - use only straight bleach, no additives, scents or anything else. Important to read the label
Keep in mind that SODIUM Hypochlorite decreases its strength with time. Use only fresh plain unscented bleach with no addatives - I posted a link below to our friends, The Provident Preppers, regarding the use of Calcium Hypochlorite which apparently has a longer shelf life than its Sodium counterpart.
Water – Bleach Ratio For Purifying Drinking Water
(5-6% Sodium Hypochlorite)
numbers are ’rounded’
1 Quart water, 2 drops bleach
1 Gallon water, 8 drops bleach
5 Gallons water, 1/2 teaspoon bleach
10 Gallons water, 1 teaspoon bleach
50 Gallons water, 5 teaspoons bleach
Water – Bleach Ratio For Purifying Drinking Water
(8.25% Sodium Hypochlorite)
numbers are ’rounded’
1 Quart water, 1 drop bleach
1 Gallon water, 5 drops bleach
5 Gallons water, 3/8 teaspoon bleach (or three 1/8th teaspoons)
10 Gallons water, 3/4 teaspoon bleach
50 Gallons water, 3.5 teaspoons bleach
An alternative method of purification is to use Calcium Hypochlorite - You can learn more from this video made by our friends, the Provident Preppers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf2j0oqucK4
Water (shelf storage) Purchase Price Oz per container # Containers Total Oz $ per Oz
Open Water (Alum. Cans) $ 167.88 12 144 1728 $0.0972
Sam's Purified (Plastic) $ 4.28 16.9 40 676 $0.0063
Glass Mason Jars (Quart) $ 16.00 32 12 384 $0.0417
This was just a quick analysis I did to see what may be a good way to have some smaller containers of drinking water on the shelf. I used 3 methods of obtaining drinking water that we have used - The $16 Mason Jars are for dozen new jars. This cost can be greatly reduced. - Rounding out the numbers - The aluminum cans are about 10 cents/oz, The plastic bottles from Sam's Club are about 0.6 cents/oz and the glass Mason/Ball jars are about 4 cents/oz
Pros and Cons
Plastic Pro - Plastic is cheapest Plastic Con - subject to leaching into the water not for long term or heat.
Aluminum Cans Pro - great long term storage and durable Aluminum Cans Con - more expensive
Glass Jar Pro - Great long term storage, jars serve a dual use and can be used for canning and other storage
Glass Jar Con - Subject to breakage if not properly stored.
Bottom line here is - If you have clean jars with a secure lid - fill it up and put it aside!
Here is another great YouTube video that discusses water storage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCrDs3rf9EM
I received some information from a member of our church about something called an Atmospheric Water Generator.
This sounded very interesting and high tech so I looked into these. While I don't have any specific recommendations about particular units, they are a fascinating device that will literally separate the water (via humidity) from the air, filter it and generate drinkable water.
They are definitely worth investigating further. Initially, they seem a bit pricey but in the event of no water - they may be just the ticket! Please let me know if you have used these before.