"A person can live up to weeks without food, but significant damage can be done to your body in a matter of DAYS without WATER!"
Here are some helpful guidelines to follow in preparing and treating your water supply...
How much do we need?
24 gallons per adult will sustain you for 2 weeks
children 7-10 years of age will need 90% of what an adult requires
children 4-6 years of age will need 70% of what an adult requires
children 3 and under will need 50% of what an adult requires
Water Storage & Purification
The need for pure water in the body is greater than almost any other need in the body. Experts tell us 3 days without water and our bodies will degenerate and die. Contaminated water though will kill you in less than 24 hrs. This is why we need to know how to store and purify water. We lose water from respiration, perspiration, and elimination. These all can contribute to dehydration and death.
A few points to remember when water is low or unavailable:
* Don’t ever eat ice or snow in cold weather with out melting it first, if you
don’t have access to external heating.
* Keep exercis e and activity to a minimum and in hot weather only move at night.
* Eating food will cause the body to dehydrate faster when water supply is
unavailable.
Dangers in water:
* Biological-protozoas, bacteria, viruses
* Chemical- heavy metals, salts, fuels, pollutants, chemicals
Storing water:
* Store 1 gal. per person per day. 14 gallons minimum for 2 weeks.
* Store in food grade, clean containers. Use a variety of sizes for easy use and
transport.
* Purchasing some bottled water on sale is a good idea too.
* Do not leave water storage on cement, set on top of 2x4's
Water sources:
* Water heater
* Rain water
* Toilet flush tank
* Creeks, rivers, ponds
Non usable sources: (Chemicals do not boil out and some may be toxic. Possibility of dis tilling.)
* Water from a water bed
* Hot tubs
* Swimming pools
Steps of purification:
* Clarify or strain
* Dis infect
* Filter
* Remove contaminates if using chemically polluted water.
Clarifying is removing or straining out any suspended particles. Bacteria can hide in any piece of debris making dis infection harder or impossible. Use coffee filters, layers of paper towels, or tightly woven cloth. Allow water to settle and pour off or scoop out water. Commercial filter bags are great and very cost effective.
Dis infecting is killing or removing pathogens (bugs) that can cause illness and dis ease. Boil-pasteurize-dis till-solar dis infection-chlorine bleach-iodine-silver-stabilized oxygen.
* Boiling is the safest method. Kills most microorganis ms that cause illness. Clarify before boiling. (Doesn’t remove contaminants like heavy metals, salts and most chemicals.)
* Pasteurization-heat water to 160 degrees for 6-20 min. (or higher temp. for a shorter time) Kills all bacteria, viruses, parasites, giardia, eggs, worms, cholera, salmonella and those that cause typhoid, E. Coli, Hep. A, and rotavirus. Water Pasteurization Indicator (WAPI) is the tool needed.
* Water dis tillation removes contaminants that boiling and chemicals can’t. Removes heavy metals, salts and other chemicals. It is a slow process and requires a lot of energy. Will NOT remove substances with lower boiling point than water (oil, petroleum, alcohol, etc.)
* Solar Dis infection (Sodis ) uses UV rays to eliminate harmful pathogens. Fill ¾ full shake for 20 seconds, finis h filling. Place transparent container of filtered water in direct sun for 5-6 hrs. Increase exposure to two consecutive days if heavy cloud cover. Will NOT remove chemicals, tastes, or smells. Won’t treat large volumes of water.
* Chlorine Bleach, Clarify water before treating. 16 drops of liquid chlorine bleach to one gallon of water. Let stand 30 min. Should have slight chlorine smell. No added soap or fragrances. Liquid bleach has a short shelf life (about 6 mo.) It does not remove contaminants such as heavy metals, salts, and chemicals.
* Sodium Dichloro-s-Triazinetrione
This is powdered chlorine bleach, stores 15 years. Purchase only with a 99% Sodium Dichloro-s-Triazinetrione Dihydrate and 1 % INERT INGREDIENTS.
Use ¼ tsp. in 55 gallon barrel. A slight smell of chlorine should be present after 24 hrs. (if not repeat process). Clarify water before treating. Again, this does not remove contaminants such as heavy metals, salts, and most chemicals.
A stock solution can be made by adding a ¼ teaspoon to a gal of water. Then you can use this solution to purify smaller amounts of water. Simply divide the barrel of water and the solution in the same amounts, example:
2 quarts to 25 - 27 gals of water 1 cup to 3 gals of water
1 quart to 12-13 gals of water ½ cup to 1.5 gals of water
1 pint to 6-7 gals of water ¼ cup to ¾ of a gallon of water
* Iodine treatment- Chemical halogen available in 5-7 % solution, 10% solution, tablets, crystals, and 2% tincture. Must remain in water for a certain period of time to work. Varies with water temp., PH, and strength of solution. Not recommended for pregnant women, people with thyroid problems, and those with a known hypersensitivity to Iodine, or prolong use (more than a few weeks at a time).
