Without water you’re not going to survive. It’s so important that, as a prepper, if you haven’t ensured an adequate supply of clean, drinkable water for yourself you might as well not bother doing anything else, either.
Lack of water will kill you quicker than just about anything else, except for lack of shelter. That makes it the top priority when you’re planning to survive a crisis – but unfortunately it’s also something many people overlook.
It’s easy to see why they overlook it; after all water is easily available. Just turn on the faucet and out it comes. It’s so simple that we tend to take water for granted. It’s always been available and it always will be, so why not focus on stockpiling food, medical supplies and guns instead?
Unfortunately water might not always be available.
We’re so used to it that getting clean water from the tap is a simple process we don’t even think about.
But before it gets to that convenient faucet in your kitchen, water from the public supply goes through a long, often complicated process – and that process is very vulnerable to being disrupted.
Related: 8 Myths About Storing Water That Are Actually True
It just isn’t going to survive a social collapse, or even large-scale unrest, and if you want to live long enough to eat your stockpiled food you’re going to need to make sure you have your own water supply.
What Happens to the Water?
Even after a nuclear attack or serious disaster, the water supply to your home might keep flowing. It might not, of course – where water is pumped up from underground aquifers, if the power goes off or the computers are disrupted, the supply will shut down very quickly.
A lot of domestic water supply is basically gravity fed, though. If your town has a water tower, the pumps that get water up to it will soon stop working, but the water in the tower itself will be properly treated and safe to drink for as long as it lasts.
Of course, as people realize there’s a crisis and start filling every container they can get their hands on it isn’t going to last very long, and soon the pipes will run dry.
There’s another scenario, though. What if the power goes off, all the workers at the water plant run for the hills, but the water keeps flowing? Good news, right?
Well, maybe not.
The water coming out of your tap might look the same as it did before the crisis, but there’s no guarantee it’s safe to drink. Automated systems might keep running for a while, so it could be safe, but it almost certainly won’t be for long.
Water Filtration
Domestic water supplies can be purified in a few different ways. Almost all involve filtering, and filters will keep working for a while.
Your tap water probably went through a very large filter, with layers of different material including gravel, sand and charcoal. There can be tons of material in these filters and it takes a while for them to clog up. That’s why the water will look the same – the filters will continue to strain out any debris or particles in the water.
What they won’t do is clear out bacteria, other microorganisms or harmful chemicals – the things that actually make contaminated water unsafe.
Water treatment plants can sterilize water with chemicals like chlorine, with ultraviolet light or by reverse osmosis – forcing water through a very fine membrane that can even filter out viruses.
Related: I Lived Without Running Water for One Year. Here’s What I Learned
Then they add chemicals called flocculants. These soak up any toxic chemicals in the water then settle out to the bottom, so the clean water can flow to your house.
Most of these processes need power; the others need supplies of chemicals.
When those run out the water might keep flowing from the filters to your house, but it hasn’t been made safe.
Different types of disaster can contaminate water in various ways.
Civil unrest often leads to fires, and if society breaks down you could end up with toxic soot landing in water sources and releasing toxic chemicals – which won’t get removed from the water.
A nuclear war would cause radioactive fallout, which could make the water dangerous for weeks. Broken sewers, dead bodies, volcanic gases; there’s an endless list of things that could contaminate water, so if disaster strikes that endless supply of safe, clean water you take for granted is over.
If you want to make sure the water you’re using for you and your family is safe to drink, it’s best to filter it yourself. You can learn here a cheap and easy way to create an ingenious rainwater harvesting and purification system capable of storing 165 gallons of water.
What About Other Sources?
Regular water supply will be the first source to disappear, but there are alternatives. If you have your own well, that won’t be affected in the same way. It could still end up being contaminated, though, so in a crisis you need to boil or chemically treat the water from it.
Be aware that this will kill bacteria, but it won’t do anything about toxic chemicals or fallout. Filtering through activated charcoal can help remove chemicals though, so either stock up on water filters or learn to make your own.
Water from lakes or streams is very exposed to contamination. Soot, chemical leaks or fallout can land in them; so can the bodies of animals or people. Depending on the kind of crisis you’re facing, water from these sources could be unsafe for weeks or months afterwards.
Of course there are huge stocks of bottled water in stores or warehouses around the country, and the more you can get your hands on the better.
You won’t be the only one with that idea, though; panic buying, and then looting, will wipe out those stockpiles very quickly. The only bottled water you can rely on is what you already have at home or in your BOL when a crisis hits.
And, really, that’s what it comes down to. Are you stockpiling enough water to get you through a crisis?
It’s easy to overlook, because it’s pretty boring compared to many of the other preps we can focus on, but water is the key to life.
We’ve all got used to having an unlimited supply of it at our fingertips, but when a crisis happens that ends immediately. We need to be prepared for that.
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Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink. The lunatics, political activist, environmentalist, unions and the United Nations are all here to wreck havoc on America. For advarsaries like China gobbling up our valuble farmlands and meat processing industries to control our food chain supplies. And whatever else our Bidenomics corrupt government does not control.
Today we are truly living “Ground Hog Day” the Bill Maury Movie; from the president Carter Days to the president Bidenomics daze of our lives.
It is true those who don’t know their history are doomed to repeat it.
The two presidential times are being relived in today’s woke cancel culture indoctrinated population. Those who remember the Carter days will be able to tough it out.
Unfortunately we got the full blown internet social media, tik tok and smartphones to distract Americans from all the crazy garbage the liberals are changing America. Thank you Clinton’s, Obama’s and Biden’s for the open border mess, deport, deport, deport!
Make sure you have water filters to get you through this temporary mess until Trump gets back into office to cleanup the liberal Marxist mess.
Build the wall, drill for oil.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
It is funny how we used to have and keep things physical such as paper records, recording records, 8track tapes, VCR tapes and DVD disks. Now people stream digital, some media will not let you own a digital copy of a movie. This is the beginning of you will own nothing unless you belong to elitist who will get to keep their stuff.
Think about it, you have been distracted by the social media and smartphones most of your life.
Ugh.
☆ Earth First !! No compromise in the defense of Mother Earth !! ☆
SUBVERT THE DOMINANT PARADIGM !!
Facts: Not only is the United States producing more oil than any country in history, but the amount of oil (crude oil, refined products and natural gas liquids) that it is exporting is near the total production of Saudi Arabia or Russia.” Jim Burkhard, vice president and head of research for oil market, energy and mobility, said in the report on Tuesday. “When you look back on 2008 — when US production was at a 62-year low, and exports were zero — it is a remarkable turnaround.
Also, the border is NOT open. Border apprehensions have been gradually increasing since the summer. Last month, border authorities apprehended about 192,000 migrants between ports of entry, a 2% increase compared with the 188,000 migrant apprehensions in October. Apprehended means caught and returned to Mexico, not released into the U.S. Those seeking asylum and or work permits can stay until their court date. If only Mike Johnson could get his head out of Trump’s ass, we could get Congress to pass a border bill that would help the situation. Lies that have been told to you make you think there is a “liberal Marxist mess” when in fact, there is none – except for the messes caused by the Republican Congress. They are the party of inaction. Nothing has gotten done and Trump is not the savior you’re hoping for.
And your a damn idiot
The water like in Michigan was manage by poor quality standards, lead pipes not replaced, poor maintenance of the municipal water treatment plants. The chemicals introduced to the supposed potable drinking water like fluoride.
The Chinese hackers are targeting our infrastructure like water treatment plants, the electrical grid and so on.
Americans are stupid to rely on all our paper records placed online for the whole world to see on the internet. The utilities all can be be wiped out, modified to no end of potential dangerous consequences.
It is time to have backups, like analog technologies and the paper and pen method as digital can be erased. Time to reflect that all digital and green energy solar, wind mill are just props of the elite globalist to control us.
The globalist have made slaves out of the digital woke EV driving believers.
God is watching to see if Americans are awaking from their deep woke sleep to take back God’s given lands back to the true Americans.
Elections have consequences, we got Bidenomics, we need MAGA!
What will we do?
You wonder how many military bases water supply systems like Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune have similar potential issues?
In fact how many other civilian run municipal water facilities have similar problems?
FLINT, MI was a big deal of poisoned water, then the was it in Ohio a few months ago had a railroad disaster that poisoned their drinking water. Then Let’s Go Braden months later shows up for re-election photo op, when former president Trump was there first.
Bidenomics America last, the world first, with TRUMP AMERICA FIRST!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
America is at a point of being taken over by foriegn assets coming across the open borders Bidenomics administration says is secure.
How many terrorists are ready to destroy our country’s utilities?
Electric grid grid first, water and food supplies next.
The university systems have been infiltrated by Marxist since the 1920’s most of the high ranking colleges and universities were started by Christians. Now they are breeding grounds for espionage of foreign countries stealing our technologies to be used against us at a latter time.
We are an open society that shows it’s dirty laundry
As long as you have Plastic , a container , common sense you can make water from air
dig a Hole about 2″ round , cover with plastic with edges overlaping sides by at lease 1″ all around , put the container in the very bottom , center of hole , then put a rock on top of the plastic so as to create a center pt drain so the condensation goes to the center as the water drains , install weights around all side s
this method is Survival 101 , anywhere as long as there is moisture
can be used in opposite method with rainfall
The important issue is , Where you are in the world , what is the dew pt or evaporation pt , and how hot is it .
usually you can make enough for 1 person per day , if completed properly
look it up
other methods are just larger and have same effect
can be dont in high salt applications alson as long as you create it properly
even if in dirty areas , sanitation is another issue , it will not decontaminate
so use charcoal or salt solution s or diatamatious earth to filter , which you can buy in bulk for use later
Now is the time for preparation , not during the crisis
planning , preparation , prevention keys to success
Watching Tv is WASTE of time , being programmed by the liars networks to think like they want the massis to think , and soon will destroy thier moron base of followers
Remember , There is no honor among thieves, criminals, thugs, morons , villiage idiots
Every Man, Woman , child will give account on that day of judgement
actions, thought s , deeds
obey God, Trust Jesus Christ , Believe in his salvation thru the cross and sacrifice for sin for all who will trust and obey enven to the end
Good info to know!!
Good article, the part on filtering and purifying your own water should be expanded into another whole article. It is that important. I personally have equipped myself to flocculate then settle out what I can, filter with two coarse filters, then chlorinate it and let it set for a half hour or more.The last step will be running it thru the Berkey, I don’t want to load it up, it will just be a final polishing. If the public water source is out of commission I will have to use a nearby river and there is no way I would drink that without without all of the treatment I have described. One of my coarse filtering methods is marketed for filtering milk (like someone with a small herd of goats would use). The other is a finer thicker matt with micron levels of filtration. One last thought, remember you have about 30-40 gal in your water heater.
@domeliving: Berkeys are having issues with forged/fake testing. The ProOne system has 3rd party testing and is pretty much the exact same system. Their filters are better and you only need ONE filter for all contaminants. I bought 2 Big Berkey systems, before learning about their underhanded testing. I bought the ProOne FILTERS which will fit the Big Berkey gravity tanks. Since I did buy a lot of the BB filters, I will be using 2/2 with the ProOne filters.
Just a heads up about Berkey…….not affiliated with either one…..
Australia where I live, we are the driest continent in the world , within Aust . is Sth. Australia which is the dries state within the driest continent. In Australia every house hold has a rainwater tank from !,000 gallons to hundeds of thousands of gallons , depending how big your property is. Rain water tanks collect water off of the roof , We either drink it ,animals drink it on big properties ,we garden with it ,use it for washing or fill swimming pools. It is mandatory for all new houses built to have a rain water tank. Doesnt America have any thing simular, There is a business there waiting to happen, the making of poly water tanks. Regards JAS.
In the USA, we have companies that produce/sell water storage tanks but overall, not many houses have them nor do most houses have rainwater collection systems. Where I live, lots of the old houses had sisterns under the houses that rainwater was directed to from the roof and a pump then drew on that water to feed the bathrooms, laundry and kitchen. But back in the 1970s, a rural water system was built to supply treated water to all the farms and ranches. Many of the sisterns were decommissioned and the hole where the rainwater entered was filled in or cemented over so people wouldn’t fall in. Now days, we don’t get enough rain to supply a house with enough water even if the sisterns were still usable. Additionally, these days, most houses have more than one bathroom as well as laundry appliances, dishwashers, ice makers and water hookups to their refrigerators. That’s a lot of water usage for a rainwater sistern in a drought-prone region to supply. Some people around here have water storage tanks that they bury at least part way underground. They get filled either from a well or by hauling water by truck from another location. The water is then stored and used to water livestock and gardens.
Until fairly recently, the State of Colorado prohibited rainwater collection. They have finally repealed that law, probably due to the environmentalists protesting it. Probably the only thing that we can thank them for.
In some states you cannot legally have a rain barrel.
I know in MA where I live even if you own all the land around a pond you legally don’t own the pond the state does.
Debbie in MA
You know, I’ve often wondered if people who are flooded out could actually sue the entities that “claim” ALL water rights including nature (rain etc.) because THEIR rain flooded them out! Interesting, thought provoking and I wish someone would try to do it for those states/cities that ban water collection…..
Oh, my gosh! Is MASS really that communist? Wow!
Hey Barefoot Ridge Runner Off Grid!
I don’t understand your comment…But I would like to.
Can you explain?
Living in the usa , we have many restrictions that detour the ignorant and uneducated from harming themselves and the public , water storage is one of them
since in the usa , the media goes out of thier way to program and propaganda the public in ways to be dumber , not think for themselves and become socialized , not educated
and conform the the next global stupid , not real education
States have enacted laws so you cannot be independent and have to depend on them
Water is just one of the ways they control
expecially in Dumbo States , Demo Crap failure states
I have almost a full 100 lb bag of activated charcoal. It’s sold for pond and pool filters. I keep a 5 gallon container set up with a coffee filter over the spigot for serving, then play sand, activated charcoal, play sand layers alternating nearly to the top. It takes a while for water to find its way to the bottom but it’s well filtered by then. And that’s for well water that is from an underground river at 38 degrees coming from the top of the neighboring mountain filtered by nature to old volcano lave tubes deep below the mountain. Mountain top is over 11,000 ft elevation while I’m at 6,800 ft elevation. That’s a long natural filter system.