Do you have your emergency water plan in place?
Water is taken for granted in North America.
In developing nations, water is a scarce resource treated like liquid gold — as it should — because water is essential for life and health. Unsafe and inadequate water is responsible for approximately 3.1% of all deaths worldwide.
Its quality and availability should be taken seriously.
Given recent events with the Ohio train derailment disaster, the concern of water security and safety is a very real risk for everyone in North America.
In a previous article, I described the importance of preparing. I outlined how we can improve our food security by storing, producing and managing our consumption.
In the article, I provided preparedness categories ordered by priority.
Water ranked number 3.
Understanding water quality, and your inventory of it, deserves serious attention.
Drinking water and contamination
Not all water is safe to drink.
Quality standards for drinking water vary by nation. These standards specify water concentration limits for contaminants from potential sources.
(e.g., EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations).
Common water contaminants include:
Microorganisms.
Bacteria and viruses from human waste or natural sources.Disinfectants.
Water additives used to control microbial levels.Disinfection Byproducts.
A byproduct from water additives used to control microbial levels.Inorganic Chemicals.
Industrial discharge, erosion from natural deposits, decay and corrosion, etc.Organic Chemicals.
Water additives, agricultural runoff, industrial discharge, leaching, etc.Radionuclides.
Erosion or decay of natural deposits, radioactive releases, etc.
Water should be tested in the presence of contamination sources or health issues.
Public water systems monitor, treat and report results to the federal government.
Private water systems, such as wells, must be tested and treated by its owner to assure water safety. Periodic testing also provides a record of quality, which may help resolve compensation disputes if an entity damages the private water supply.
Different water tests are required for different types of contaminants.
The EPA provides a list of water tests and when to use them.
Water purification, filtration and sanitation
Water is decontaminated through a purification process.
Purification is a water treatment process, which includes filtration and sanitation.
Filtration.
Removal of macroscopic particulates. e.g., organic matter such as leaves, sediment, etc.Sanitation.
A treatment process to remove contaminants — usually bacteria and microorganisms.
The sanitation and treatment process is specific to the contaminant type.
A UV water purifier treats micro-biologically unsafe water with germicidal ultraviolet light. The UV wavelength scrambles the DNA of living organisms in the water, so they can no longer reproduce and make you sick.
If you drink bacteria-infested water, the organisms can embed in your digestive tract and replicate. Ultraviolet radiation renders bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi unable to replicate by damaging the nucleic acids of their DNA.
Understanding the potential sources of contamination is required when performing water tests and considering purification systems. For example, a UV water purification system is not appropriate if the water is chemically contaminated.
For chemical contaminants, there are filtration systems that use a process called Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) to remove dissolved inorganic contaminants.
R.O. is able to filter:
Fluoride.
Lead.
Chlorine & Chlormamine.
Pesticides.
Nitrates & Sulfates.
Detergents & much more.
In the case of the Ohio train derailment disaster, some companies offer R.O. systems tested and certified to remove contaminants such as vinyl chloride.
Installing a reverse osmosis system is a highly effective method of purifying water and removing harmful chemicals, including vinyl chloride.
Our T1-400 tankless reverse osmosis system has a proven Vinyl chloride removal rate of 99%, making it an effective way to protect your health and ensure that your water is safe to drink in Ohio.
— Ohio Train Derailment: Is Tap Water Safe to Drink in Ohio?, SimPure
Please remember to do your own research and discuss your needs with a qualified professional before making any decision that may affect your private water quality.
Family water requirements
Household water use is measured in gallons per household per day (gphd).
According to the Water Research Foundation, a single household uses 137.71 gallons per day, which is over a half of a ton of weight delivered daily to each household.
We use a lot of water!
Emergency water requirements
Consider the possible emergency scenarios:
Water distribution system is unavailable.
e.g., Water line depressurized, pump outage, etc.Water supply is contaminated.
e.g., Treatment process has failed or does not support contaminant type, etc.
For emergencies, the recommended amount of water is 14 gallons for 2 weeks or 1 gallon per day per person. This is approximately 2 quarts for consumption and 2 quarts for cleaning and bathing. For a household, round it up to 5 gallons per day.
Emergency water (5 gphd) should be stored:
In a food grade polyethylene water drum.
(Water can also be stored in a recycled container, such as a pop bottle or glass jug).Close to the ground and secured in the event of an earthquake.
Away from harmful chemicals or strong odours.
Storing bacteria-free water long-term should not require further treatment.
However, some recommend the following treatment options as a precaution:
2% Iodine Tincture.
Add 12 drops per gallon. Do not use if pregnant, nursing or have thyroid problems.Chlorine Bleach.
Add 1/8 tsp per gallon. Household bleach can also be used. It must contain 5.25% solution of sodium hypochlorite, no soap additives or phosphates.
Learn more about Emergency Water Storage from USA Emergency Supply or watch Managing Your Emergency Water with RoseRed Homestead.
Household usage comparison
Compare the two numbers:
140 gphd.
Nominal usage.5 gphd.
Sustenance requirement.
If you have extra space — try and store more water if possible!
The emergency recommendation is not a lot of water and implies a drastic reduction in the standard of living. Water takes up a lot of space and is heavy.
Concluding remarks
Everyone’s individual circumstances differ.
I created two reference appendices if you decide to adventure into further detail. I find that without a reference some concepts and its notation may be difficult to read, especially with the variety of different units.
Appendix A.
Contains the common lexicon used for water notation. Use this as a conceptual reference when purchasing equipment or following guides.Appendix B.
Contains the basics of how water is transported, distributed and stored. Water is very heavy and requires some form of mechanical assistance to move.
Water is needed for life and to support our standard of living.
It is prudent we give more attention to our individual water supply situations.
Setup an emergency water supply if you have no done so already. Minimal protection does not need fancy equipment. Fill up old pop bottles or glass jars and stick them in unused places like closets, pantries, under stairs, etc.
We all need to carefully consider improving the reliability and quality of our water source. For me, rainwater catchment deserves further investigation as both an irrigation and emergency water source.
Plus using rainwater is better for soil biology than tap water.
If you have comments or more resources, please leave them below for others to enjoy!
Appendix A — Common lexicon for water
These are common definitions when describing drinking water contamination.
Potable water.
Water safe for drinking and food preparation.Contaminated water.
Presence of harmful substances, e.g., chemicals, radionuclides or microorganisms, that degrade water quality. Contaminated water is toxic to humans or the environment.Black water.
Waste water from flushed toilets, runoff, etc. that contains contaminants.Grey water.
Waste water from sinks, showers, baths, etc. that contains fewer contaminants.
Grey water can be reused for domestic purposes.
(e.g., Flush toilets or use in garden if environmentally friendly detergents are used).
Units of measure for water
Below is a list of the most common quantified properties. Under each property are typical units and a link to their Wikipedia definitions.
Volume.
Space occupied by water.Weight.
Mass of water.Pressure.
Amount of force exerted per unit area, which is the energy source of water flow.
(Flow is proportional to the square root of pressure — Bernoulli Principle).Kilopascal (kPa).
Metric.Pounds per square inch (psi).
Imperial.
Flow.
The velocity of water through a cross sectional area.Litres per second (lps).
Metric.Gallons per minute (gpm).
Imperial.
Kilograms per second (kgps).
Metric.Pounds per minute (lbpm).
Imperial.
Power.
Energy per unit time (instantaneous energy required to move mass of water over distance).Watts (W).
Metric.Horsepower (hp).
Imperial.
Heuristics
A heuristic is used for simplified calculations. These calculations can be done in your head to get a “feel” for a scenario and establish an upper or lower range.
These are some simple heuristics to memorize.
Volume:
1 litre is approximately 1 quart.
1 quart is the size of a standard mason jar, which is approximately 4 cups.
(It’s the standard jar I use, which is why it’s a heuristic).1 gallon is approximately 4 quarts.
Mass:
1 litre of water is 1 kg.
1 kg is 2.2 lbs.
1 gallon of water is about 8 lbs.
(Round up to 10 lbs gives you the upper limit of water weight, which is easier to use).
Example usage
In my head if I’m moving 5 gallons of water for daily emergency use, that’s moving about 50 lbs (it’s actually 40 lbs). A 55 gallon drum is about 550 lbs (it’s actually 440 lbs).
Using the heuristic, I can quickly estimate how much work it is to manually move water.
I can also estimate how much water I might need relative to meal prep.
20 mason jars is 5 gallons, which is a household’s worth of emergency water for 1 day.
That’s 4 short of 24, which is 2 flats of jars.
However, for 1 person 2 flats is 6 days worth of emergency water.
This is a nice visualization of how much water is needed overall. For an entire household, 14 days worth of water is under 24 flats of 1 quart mason jars, which is not practical.
This tells you that a 55 gallon barrel is necessary for a household and the remaining 15 gallons can be stored elsewhere in jars, bottles, etc.
Appendix B — Transportation, distribution and storage
Consider the following about water:
Must be transported over a long distance from a supply.
Has a high daily volume requirement.
Is heavy.
There are two main transportation methods:
Manual.
Moving buckets of water through a machine or manpower.Pipe.
Moving water through a pipe system.
A manual method is used during emergency scenarios or in developing nations.
Piped water moves through a distribution network using a pressure differential. Without a pressure differential there is no flow of water.
Residential water is pressurized between 45 - 80 psi.
Common pressure sources.
Elevation.
Increasing the physical elevation of a water source increases pressure.Pump.
A mechanical device that increases water pressure.Positive displacement.
Changing volume to increase pressure in a chamber, which discharges a pulse flow.Centrifuge.
Rotation increases water pressure, which discharges a continuous flow.
Water distribution.
Public water.
Usually delivered from a water tower, which uses a high elevation to pressurize water lines.
Water is pumped from a treatment facility into the tower and gravity fed into a distribution network.
Booster pump stations may be located throughout the system to maintain water pressure.
Private water.
A private well supplies water through a pump.
A well may also have a small hand pump for outside or emergency use.
Water storage.
Suitable for increasing outdoor or indoor water capacity.
Can be easily moved with hand-truck.
Can be costly.
A large tank to store water for household use.
Preferred method for water resilience due to its capacity.
Costly and takes up space.
For emergencies, consider reading Survival Water Collection Methods with Primal Survivor. It is good to know what materials to have on hand just in case.
Ideas for collecting and transporting irrigation water
There are multiple creative options for collecting irrigation water. Rainwater catchment redirects precipitation from roofs or polyethylene tarps into barrels.
Below are a few videos to demonstrate transportation options available for irrigation.
Use a simple drill powered centrifuge pump to move small amounts of water.
Ram pump for irrigation from stream source that does not use electricity.
Using updated values from ERRATA.