{"id":935,"date":"2013-12-28T08:24:44","date_gmt":"2013-12-28T13:24:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madstone.net\/bugout\/?p=98"},"modified":"2013-12-28T08:24:44","modified_gmt":"2013-12-28T13:24:44","slug":"water-storage-for-the-suburbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madstone.net\/?p=935","title":{"rendered":"Water storage for the suburbs"},"content":{"rendered":"

From:\u00a0http:\/\/arewecrazyorwhat.net\/water-storage-for-a-suburbanite\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Water storage is one of the least talked about subjects in the preparedness community \u2013 sure it\u2019s mentioned from time to time (\u201cBe sure and have a water storage\u201d or \u201crotate your water storage\u201d) but as far as step by step instructions or detailed examples, it\u2019s not a subject written about often.<\/p>\n

Maybe this is because it\u2019s so boring. I mean really how can you jazz up \u201cplain ol\u2019 water\u201d? Or maybe it\u2019s because it\u2019s rather complex depending on your circumstances: your climate, your storage space, your proximity to a natural water source.<\/p>\n

In the end it is one of the most important preps in your storage and it should be high on your list of priorities.<\/p>\n

There are many reasons that water might become contaminated or completely stop flowing from your faucet. I talk about them in detail in this podcast:\u00a0Water Storage 101.<\/a><\/p>\n

If you live on a farm, a homestead or even just some acreage chances are you have your own water source, or at least know where there is a water source even if it is not on your land. However, if you live in the suburbs you may not know much about where your water comes from let alone how to get more water (if you can get more) if it stops flowing from the faucet.<\/p>\n

If there is a major disaster that lasts for any length of time, people will try and make their way out of the city to find food and water elsewhere; in many parts of the country major cities are only populated during the work week as many people choose to live and raise their families in the suburbs. A lot of these families will no doubt try and shelter in place.<\/p>\n

They might have a bit of land, a large storage area and have built up a community that makes this a realistic choice, of course it all depends on the crisis situation, but let\u2019s just assume it is possible to survive in the suburbs. What should your water storage look like?<\/p>\n

Of course it is going to be different for every family depending on those things I just mentioned, but here are 10 things that might help you answer that question and help with building and maintain your water storage:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Store water in different containers:<\/strong>\u00a0Store water in different sized containers to provide options. Consider having at least 4 different sources for clean water. 55 gallon drums are great but are not easily transported. In addition to your large storage drums use smaller, 5 gallon containers to store water. They are easily transported and can be carried to a water source. Also keep some cases of bottled water on hand. They are even easier to transport and can fit into a bug-out bag. Finally, if you want a little extra insurance have a rain collection system in place.<\/li>\n
  2. Know the location of \u00a0your water source:<\/strong>\u00a0This is helpful to know because some cities rely on aquifers (or other sources where water has to be pumped in) to supply residents with water. In a \u00a0grid down situation you cannot drive\/bike\/walk to some location and fill up your containers. If your city\u2019s water source is a lake this might be a possibility. In any case locate the nearest water source where you can fill up your containers, even if it is 100 miles away. Then you can store water accordingly.<\/li>\n
  3. Know the location of the closest above ground water source:<\/strong>\u00a0This goes along with number 2. However, even if your city\u2019s water source is \u201cabove ground\u201d and you can actually go and fill up your water containers at the source, this might not be the closest water source. So look around your neighborhood and locate the nearest water source. Is there a lake or a pond closer than your city\u2019s water source? Maybe a neighbor has a well. Locate all potential water sources and store water accordingly.<\/li>\n
  4. Store water to use for things other than drinking:<\/strong>\u00a0Depending on the crisis and how long it lasts you might have to use some water for things other than drinking: flushing the toilet, washing dishes, washing clothes, cleaning up after babies\/children, or just plain cleaning up messes. Store enough water to sustain your family\u2019s activities. You don\u2019t have to be quite as diligent because the water does not have to be safe to drink. Old bleach containers work well for this kind of storage. Although I would not store water indefinitely in these containers I would not worry about rotating it as much as I would drinking water.<\/li>\n
  5. Don\u2019t forget pets:<\/strong>\u00a0Your pets will need fresh drinking water in a crisis \u2013 make sure you take this into consideration when calculating the amount of water needed for your family.<\/li>\n
  6. Don\u2019t count on your neighbor\u2019s pool for drinking water:<\/strong>\u00a0Here is something I hear often, \u201cOh, I\u2019ll just use my pool water or my neighbor\u2019s pool water for my water supply.\u201d Pool water is not safe to drink. It is treated water and the chemicals in the water do not dissipate. They actually build up over time and they cannot be filtered or boiled out. Lisa Bedford talks about this in her book and on her blog,\u00a0The Survival Mom<\/a>. The only option for using pool water is to distill the water with a water distillation system, which requires knowledge and practice.<\/li>\n
  7. Calculate the amount of water you\u2019ll need to prepare food storage:<\/strong>\u00a0All those pre-packaged freeze dried meals require water. Not having water to mix with your freeze dried food makes your food storage useless because you cannot (or should not) eat the food.\u00a0If your food storage is heavily packed with freeze dried food you need to take that into consideration when storing water. You really need to consider water in all types of food preparation, however, canned food, MREs, and even some dehydrated food can be eaten without additional water added so it is not as critical.<\/li>\n
  8. Have a plan for water rotation:<\/strong>\u00a0Even though water that comes out of the faucet is treated it does not mean that it will be drinkable forever. The chlorine in drinking water dissipates over time and then bacteria can grow, and there are other things in treated water that can be problematic: other chemicals, allege, metals, etc. Rotating your water storage at least once a year is ideal.<\/li>\n
  9. Have a plan for water purification:<\/strong>\u00a0You will need to have some kind of water filter or purification system (having both a stationary and portable filter\/purifier is ideal) in case you have to get water from a source where the water has not been treated.<\/li>\n
  10. Have a plan if you have to bug-out:<\/strong>\u00a0Water is heavy to carry. If you have to bug-out especially on foot have a route that gives you access to natural water sources. Also make sure you have portable containers and filters to make the trip successfully.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    From:\u00a0http:\/\/arewecrazyorwhat.net\/water-storage-for-a-suburbanite\/ Water storage is one of the least talked about subjects in the preparedness community \u2013 sure it\u2019s mentioned from time to time (\u201cBe sure and have a water storage\u201d or \u201crotate your water storage\u201d) but as far as step by step instructions or detailed examples, it\u2019s not a subject written about often. Maybe this … Continue reading “Water storage for the suburbs”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-h2o"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgY3e-f5","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":123,"url":"https:\/\/madstone.net\/?p=123","url_meta":{"origin":935,"position":0},"title":"Company offers 10GB of Net storage, for free","author":"Jorah","date":"January 18, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"http:\/\/news.com.com\/Company+offers+10GB+of+Net+storage%2C+for+free\/2100-1038_3-5537230.htmlA company called Streamload is offering consumers a free 10 gigabyte online storage locker for multimedia files, potentially raising the stakes for larger companies such as Yahoo and America Online. 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