2. FEMA Guidelines
3. Our Personal Thoughts on Water Storage
4. Water Purification Handouts
1. Church Guidelines on Storing Drinking Water:
https://www.lds.org/topics/food-storage/drinking-water-guidelines?lang=engking-water-guidelines?lang=eng
Water Storage
Commercially bottled water in PETE (or PET) plastic containers may be purchased. Follow the container’s “best if used by” dates as a rotation guideline. Avoid plastic containers that are not PETE plastic. If you choose to package water yourself, consider the following guidelines:Containers
Use only food-grade containers. Smaller containers made of PETE plastic or heavier plastic buckets or drums work well. Clean, sanitize, and thoroughly rinse all containers prior to use. A sanitizing solution can be prepared by adding 5 ml (1 teaspoon) of liquid household chlorine bleach (5 to 6% sodium hypochlorite) to 1 liter (one quart) of water. Only household bleach without thickeners, scents, or additives should be used.
Do not use plastic milk jugs, because they do not seal well and tend to become brittle over time. Do not use containers previously used to store non-food products.
Water Pretreatment
Water from a chlorinated municipal water supply does not need further treatment when stored in clean, food-grade containers. Non-chlorinated water should be treated with bleach. Add 8 drops of liquid household chlorine bleach (5 to 6% sodium hypochlorite) for every 4 liters (one gallon) of water. Only household bleach without thickeners, scents, or additives should be used.Storage
Containers should be emptied and refilled regularly. Store water only where potential leakage would not damage your home or apartment. Protect stored water from light and heat. Some containers may also require protection from freezing. The taste of stored water can be improved by pouring it back and forth between two containers before use.Water Purification
If your water supply is not known to be safe or has become polluted, it should be purified before use. Water purification is generally a two-step process.Step 1: Clarify
Cloudy or dirty water must first be made clear. It should be passed through filter paper, fine cloth, or some other filter. It should be allowed to settle, and then the clear water on top can be carefully drawn. Filtered or clear settled water should always be disinfected before use.Step 2: Disinfect
Boiling MethodBringing water to a rolling boil for 3 to 5 minutes will kill most water-borne microorganisms. However, prolonged boiling of small quantities of water may concentrate toxic contaminants if present.
Bleach Method
Adding 8 drops of fresh liquid household chlorine bleach (5 to 6% sodium hypochlorite) to every 4 liters (one gallon) of water will kill most microorganisms. Only household bleach without thickeners, scents, or additives should be used. The use of bleach does not address toxic contamination.
Commercial Water Filters
Commercial water filters can effectively filter and purify water contaminated with microorganisms, toxic chemicals, and heavy metals. Their effectiveness depends on design, condition, and proper use.2. FEMA Guidelines:
http://www.prepareandsurvive.info/documents/WaterPurificationandStorage.pdfHow Much Water do I Need?
You should have at least a three-day supply of water and you should store at least one gallon of water per person per day. A normally active person needs at least one-half gallon of water daily just for drinking.Additionally, in determining adequate quantities, take the following into account:
- Individual needs vary, depending on age, physical condition, activity, diet, and climate.
- Children, nursing mothers, and ill people need more water.
- Very hot temperatures can double the amount of water needed.
- A medical emergency might require additional water.
How Should I Store Water?
To prepare the safest and most reliable emergency supply of water, it is recommended you purchase commercially bottled water. Keep bottled water in its original container and do not open it until you need to use it. Observe the expiration or “use by” date.If You are Preparing Your Own Containers of Water
It is recommended you purchase food-grade water storage containers from surplus or camping supplies stores to use for water storage. Before filling with water, thoroughly clean the containers with dishwashing soap and water, and rinse completely so there is no residual soap. Follow directions below on filling the container with water.If you choose to use your own storage containers, choose two-liter plastic soft drink bottles – not plastic jugs or cardboard containers that have had milk or fruit juice in them. Milk protein and fruit sugars cannot be adequately removed from these containers and provide an environment for bacterial growth when water is stored in them. Cardboard containers also leak easily and are not designed for long-term storage of liquids. Also, do not use glass containers, because they can break and are heavy.
If storing water in plastic soda bottles, follow these steps:
Thoroughly clean the bottles with dishwashing soap and water, and rinse completely so there is no residual soap. Sanitize the bottles by adding a solution of 1 teaspoon of non-scented liquid household chlorine bleach to a quart of water. Swish the sanitizing solution in the bottle so that it touches all surfaces. After sanitizing the bottle, thoroughly rinse out the sanitizing solution with clean water.
Filling Water Containers
Fill the bottle to the top with regular tap water. If the tap water has been commercially treated from a water utility with chlorine, you do not need to add anything else to the water to keep it clean. If the water you are using comes from a well or water source that is not treated with chlorine, add two drops of non-scented liquid household chlorine bleach to the water.Tightly close the container using the original cap. Be careful not to contaminate the cap by touching the inside of it with your finger. Place a date on the outside of the container so that you know when you filled it. Store in a cool, dark place. Replace the water every six months if not using commercially bottled water.3. Our Personal Thoughts on Storing Water:
Many people buy new or used 55-gallon blue water barrels. You can often find these for sale on craigslist.org. You will just need to be careful of the previous contents these barrels held. They have often held syrups or extracts, so something like vanilla extract wouldn't be too bad as an aftertaste in your water, but other extracts like coffee should be avoided. Never use bottles that have held inedible liquids. To clean these barrels, fill them to the top with tap water, put in a good amount of bleach (NOT SOAP as FEMA suggests), and let it sit for a week. Dump them out, and fill them up again with tap water. Never use irrigation water to clean barrels or use as stored water.Be sure to place your water barrels out of sunlight as much as possible (the sun breaks down the plastic, and allows things to grow in your water). Store them on wood 2x4's that allow air flow all around the barrels (this allows for even freezing during the winter - an important factor in barrels not breaking). Keep smaller bottles of drinking water inside your house for winter drinking needs as well as for convenience in moving during an evacuation.
We don't believe that rotating water every 6 months is necessary if you have the right equipment to treat your water at the time you plan to use it. Technology has come a long way in being able to purify water. You can buy a water purifier to purify lake water, river water, standing water, even urine! So non-rotated water can be purified as well. You really only need water that has been purified if you are going to consume it. Don't forget about all your grey water needs as well, (water that does not need to be purified to use). You will need grey water to flush toilets, wash laundry, bathing, etc. There are many purifying options. We recommend a certified water purifier for long-term and short-term situations:
Long-term: A large gravity fed certified water purifier (i.e. Big Berkey Water Filter) to provide for your family in long-term and large-quantity situations. Expensive, but invaluable should the need arise.
Short-term: A small purifying water bottle, 1 per person for situations that may require a 72-hour kit. These are particularly useful if you intend to include MRE's or freeze-dried meals in your 72-hour kits which require water to prepare the meal. These are relatively inexpensive and easy to carry.
All Purifying Methods:
You can purify water by these methods and we include their pros and cons:- ROLLING BOIL for 1 minute. Optimal for killing microorganisms, but doesn't remove any particulates or debris and won't improve the taste.
- FILTERING/PURIFYING - Filtering (like with a coffee filter) removes debris, but does not remove minerals, heavy metals or salts. Purifiers, by EPA definition, reduces all pathogens to safe levels. These are the "cream of the water filter crop." There are 3 types: point-of-entry, point-of-use, and portable. The ones we recommend above are considered portable water purifiers.
- CHEMICAL DISINFECTION- Iodine and chlorine, can taste horrible.
- DISTILLATION - Boiling water and collecting the water vapor, this method and reverse osmosis are the only methods to do a great job of removing chemical contaminants, but they are slow and often use electricity to operate. If you think the distillation method is easy then you've never tried it. Don't count on it until you know it will work for you.
- REVERSE OSMOSIS - If this were practical this would be our method of choice, but it requires high water pressure and wastes a lot of water - gets 1 gallon from 8 - 18 gallons of incoming water.
- ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT - Quick, easy, and quite effective against all types of pathogens, but doesn't remove impurities or improve taste. Only use this method on visibly clear water. A nice choice when needing to purify small amounts of water, especially when away from home - needs small amounts of electricity.
Tips
* You MUST have enough water for sanitation. The worst bacteria-related illnesses are a result of fecal-oral contamination. Keeping yourself and your environment clean is extremely important in times of crisis. Water-related illnesses rank as one of our planet's deadliest killers. (Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family, Second Edition.)* Another tip on storing water - we will need water to clean dishes, clothes, etc. Instead of throwing away the empty detergent bottles, fill them with water and store them for these uses! The left over soap in the bottles will help when you need it!
* A tip on toilets - did you know the average toilet uses 2-3 gallons of water for each flush? That's hard to maintain in times of a water shortage! Having a camping toilet is HIGHLY recommended for several reasons. First, water is NOT necessary to flush the toilet - using a stick to push it down is enough. Second, these toilets contain the smell rather well and could be kept in the garage during an emergency. Also, the chemicals to contain the smell are fairly inexpensive. Third, it stores a lot of waste and does not need to be emptied often (unlike a plastic bucket). And finally, portable camping toilets often have wheels to make them more portable for the person emptying them. Remember, you save a LOT of water with this method! You can find these for sale on craigslist. We have personal experience with these and they are great for camping so we know that in times of need they will be great to use.
4. Water Purification Handouts
Water Purification Methods.pdfEmergency Family Planning Workbook - Water Section.pdf
Our Water Presentation.docx
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