Developing a Home Emergency Water Program
Stock an emergency water reserve and make sure you have a filtration solution. If your existing water supply is interrupted, you must have time to switch to your contingency water supply. This means you need drinking water stored on your property in sufficient quantities and in appropriate containers.
How to stock an emergency water reserve
Figure you need one gallon per person per day just to stay alive, more if you’re active. If possible store more than this for personal hygiene, which is important for morale and comfort. Don’t overlook the importance of these in survival situations.
Store the water in appropriate containers. Pure water is sterile, and if stored properly will last for centuries. Educate yourself. Some plastics will eventually leach possibly toxic substances into your water, so test it — and taste it — occasionally. Rotate the supply. Light accelerates this process, so keep it in the dark. Clear glass makes an excellent container. Clay and stone are good too, as long as they are not contaminated with heavy metals. Again, do your research.
Don’t overlook the common storage areas around the house like the water heater and spa or swimming pool. A good filtration system will handle any problem with taste or safety.
I use excellent, portable units that double in application as you can run your stored water through them and have safe water that way or utilize any available outdoor sources. You can find the entire line at www.BestWaterProducts.com
Long Term water supplies
If your main supply runs on an electric pump, consider it vulnerable. The best contingency supply is a spring. Next is a shallow well that doesn’t depend on electric pump. Flowing surface water (a creek or river) is better than standing water (a pond or lake) but both of these sources will need to be filtered.
Know the pattern of your water supply. Water supplies fluctuate seasonally. If necessary, build a cistern below your spring, or build a dam in the creek to get your through the dry season. With good planning even a trickle of water can yield all you need for the year.
Above all, understand that all of this development must be done ahead of time. And if the big crunch never comes, you can still benefit by just going ahead and switching to your independent supply. You don’t really know what’s in that public utility water.
- Develop a contingency water supply. Get started right away because it could take weeks or months to develop.
- Test your contingency plan. It is critical to troubleshoot your system ahead of time and work out the kinks when your life doesn’t depend on it. Rehearse. Make it a family project — fun for the whole family.
How to stock an emergency water reserve
Figure you need one gallon per person per day just to stay alive, more if you’re active. If possible store more than this for personal hygiene, which is important for morale and comfort. Don’t overlook the importance of these in survival situations.
Store the water in appropriate containers. Pure water is sterile, and if stored properly will last for centuries. Educate yourself. Some plastics will eventually leach possibly toxic substances into your water, so test it — and taste it — occasionally. Rotate the supply. Light accelerates this process, so keep it in the dark. Clear glass makes an excellent container. Clay and stone are good too, as long as they are not contaminated with heavy metals. Again, do your research.
Don’t overlook the common storage areas around the house like the water heater and spa or swimming pool. A good filtration system will handle any problem with taste or safety.
I use excellent, portable units that double in application as you can run your stored water through them and have safe water that way or utilize any available outdoor sources. You can find the entire line at www.BestWaterProducts.com
Long Term water supplies
If your main supply runs on an electric pump, consider it vulnerable. The best contingency supply is a spring. Next is a shallow well that doesn’t depend on electric pump. Flowing surface water (a creek or river) is better than standing water (a pond or lake) but both of these sources will need to be filtered.
Know the pattern of your water supply. Water supplies fluctuate seasonally. If necessary, build a cistern below your spring, or build a dam in the creek to get your through the dry season. With good planning even a trickle of water can yield all you need for the year.
Above all, understand that all of this development must be done ahead of time. And if the big crunch never comes, you can still benefit by just going ahead and switching to your independent supply. You don’t really know what’s in that public utility water.
