Water Water Everywhere …

Water Water Everywhere ….

As rains go it was not a long one, only two and a half inches. It did, however, come all at once, in less than an hour and on ground that was already wet from previous rains. The ravines quickly filled and the "creeks flashed".

Upstream from our farm, a new bridge was under construction. A couple of small temporary culverts had been put in place to allow access to civilization for residents who live at the end of this road.

The water came so fast it washed out the culverts and with it our water main. It only took three days for the county to re-open the temporary road. The water was a different story. Once the creek level dropped and the crew gained access to the broken line, it was determined a smaller temporary line could be run. This took only a week to install. The permanent repair would probably be in place in less than two months. To us that meant no water for a week and reduced water for and undetermined period.

Some of our neighbors had water stored, but only a gallon or two. Some were quoted as saying "I always intended to fill some 5 gallon storage jugs". The washed-out bridge prevented their driving to get water so they were forced to collect water in buckets from the creek. Aren’t they lucky they had a creek and someone to ferry them potable water across the creek? Our farm is blessed with a spring which feeds into 2,600 gallons of storage tanks and pumped into a pressurized system. We do not consider it potable. Our 40 gallons of potable water is stored in 5 gallon containers. We planned ahead. It was therefore only a nuisance.

Living without regular water service can be done. Here are some tricks we learned living without water service.

Sterilizing or sanitizing:

· Filter or sanitize water as necessary. Note: Filtering does not sterilize.

· Boil all non-potable water before drinking.

· Begin boiling not potable water before your stored supply is exhausted.

· Allow boiled water to cool, covered, on stovetop before pouring it into a large container such as a water cooler. Sanitize the cooler with sterilized water and sodium hypochlorite (bleach) solution.*

· Water can be chemically treated (sanitized) to purify water of most organisms. (1 tsp. 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (bleach)* per gallon of water, agitate, allow to stand for 20 min.)

Washing hands and dishes with clean, un-sterilized water is ok. But…

· Rinse hands with sterilized water.

· Washing dishes can be done with clean non-sterilized water provided, the dishes are dunked in boiling water afterward (use tongs or a dunk bag).

· Rinsing the soap from dishes with non-sterilized water is fine, provided the dishes are dunked into boiling or near boiling water afterwards.

· Dunking water should be boiled and left hot. Dunking water can be reused for multiple meals (simply reheat).

Hygiene is still important.

Brushing teeth:

· Brush teeth with sterilized water.

· Fill a cup (coffee cup) with sterilized cool water.

· Brush teeth.

· After rinsing mouth, clean brush with the last of the sterilized water from cup.

Bathing:

· Bathing can be performed easily by using a gallon jug of water, a large pot, soap, and washcloth.

· Get in the tub or shower stall. Put a pint of water in the pot. Lather and wash using the pint of water in the pot.

· Rinse by slowly pouring the rest of the gallon over you.

· Rinse by: Dumping the pot with the pint of soapy water.

· Pour another clean pint of water in the pot and rinse using the washcloth.

· Repeat until complete.

Cooking can be performed using non-sterilized water IF you sterilize the water by boiling during cooking.

Flushing the toilet is done on an "as need basis". When water is at a premium you may find urine will sit in a toilet just fine. Just close the lid. Avoid over use of paper or place paper in a separate receptacle. When it is necessary to flush; the method I have found that uses the least water is to slowly pour water directly into the bowl (not the tank) from a bucket. Keep the bucket of non-potable water in the bathroom for this purpose. At some point during the pour the bowl will "flush". Stop pouring when this happens..

Pets need clean water too. Remember to water pets and livestock.

Other tips:

Large Pots allow for easier boiling of water and dish dunking. Because I am a wine and beer maker, I have several 6 gallon or larger steel pots. During the water shortage they proved to be quite valuable. Canning pots work as well.

We have several 5 gallon glass containers (carboys) used for fermenting wine. These are good water storage vessels (when not full of wine). Similar containers are used by water cooler suppliers. Plastic water jugs can be purchased from the hardware store. Consider purchasing non-outgassing plastic water containers from your local or mail order health food store.

For ease of use we placed a bottling bucket on the counter. It is a 5 gal. Bucket with a spigot. A large sanitized* water cooler will work as well. Fill this container with sterilized water and use to dispense the water.

When the water system does come back on line, do not trust the tap to be immediately potable. Allow it to flush.

We all need water. Clean, chemical-free, organism-free water. Regular hydration is essential to life and health. Drinking polluted, contaminated or infected water can cause dehydration more quickly than not drinking water at all. We need water. Healthy humans can go days, even a couple of weeks, without food. We need water. Humans can go months with out television, well days at least. We need water. Why is it we have pantries full of canned and boxed foods, freezers full of T.V. dinners and meats, yet store virtually no water?

On a medical note: Medical personnel use the term "Golden Hour" when referring to the timely treatment of serious injuries. Treatment of serious injuries within the first hour vastly increases the chances of survival. Every minute beyond this Golden Hour reduces the likelihood of a favorable outcome.

Not far downstream from us an elderly woman fell and bumped her head. Our emergency vehicles and crews could not gain entry. Several hours later the creek dropped enough for her to be evacuated, on the back of a 4 wheel ATV. She missed the golden hour but recovered. She was fortunate. Do you live in an area or subdivision where there is only one or maybe two entry roads, perhaps a gated subdivision? How easy would it be for you to be cutoff from emergency support, if only for a few hours?

*Sodium hypochlorite (Bleach) solution for sanitizing water is 1 teaspoon to 1 gallon water, agitate and allow to stand covered for an hour. Solution for spot sanitizing is 1 parts bleach to 3 parts water wipe or soak.

Use caution bleach can burn skin, and eyes, and ruin clothing.

Avoid breathing fumes.

Read and follow all cautions and warnings on the label.

Use bleach that is 5.25 % sodium hypochlorite with NO scents or additives.

Learn more about water, water storage and water purification in the manual.

For more detailed life saving information please read the Emergency Disaster Preparedness & Survival manual.

For information on using this manual as a fundraiser, click here.

Gerald lives with his wife, Lyn on their remote farm in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. A highly trained volunteer firefighter and fire service instructor, since 1989, and currently volunteers with his local fire department. He is a wilderness survival and primitive living skills expert, an Eagle scout and an adult scout leader.

Gerald's book Emergency Disaster Preparedness & Survival can be purchased on line with our secure website at www.EmergencyDisasterPreparedness.info

by calling 800-524-9014.

Gerald also provides consulting on your preparedness issues.

Things To Do This Season:

Rotate stored water. Freshen stored water at least once a quarter.

Tip:

Sanitize containers prior to filling. When storing water, keep it in a cool dark place. Storing water in the freezer will also double as a heat sink if the power should fail.

Unless otherwise noted, all materials at this cite (including without limitation all text, html markup, graphics, and graphic elements) are copyrighted ©, 1998-2010 by Gerald Pinckard The material available through this site may be freely used for attributed noncommercial educational purposes only. We ask that due credit and notification be given the author. All materials appearing on this website may not be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or used in any way for commercial purposes without the express prior written permission of the copyright holder.

Disclaimer: The author assumes no liability for any incidental, consequential or other liability from the use of this information. All risks and damages, incidental or otherwise, arising from the use or misuse of the information contained herein are entirely the responsibility of the user. Although careful precaution has been taken in the preparation of this material, we assume no responsibility for omissions or errors.