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At Family Survival Society, you’ll hear us often talk about water to the point you’d

think they weren’t making any more of it. Living in a first world country, it’s difficult

to fully appreciate how difficult potable water is to come by – we’re talking clean,

drinkable water here, not some random pathogen filled surface water. In fact, clean

water is a major factor behind what makes the difference between first world

countries – and the rest of the world.

Stockpiling water is an essential prepper task, so essential that we’ve decided to

share it with you first. It may not be as sexy as long range shooting, starting fires, or

making improvised splints out of paracord, but it’s one of the few things that , when

absent, will absolutely spell the death of your family in three days or less. So pardon

us in advance for beating you over the head with the water topic – we do it because

it’s important.

If you’ve gone to that kitchen sink and seen clear water flowing as long as you can

remember, you’re probably wondering what might cause the flow of water to stop in

the first place. Here are a few things:

Sewage leaks: Once in a great while, an environmental catastrophe occurs of

epic proportions. Sewage has occasionally found its way inside the water supply

over the past few decades. Some spills have been minor, while others have been like

the monstrous spill in North Carolina in 1995, in which a hog sewage lagoon burst

 

 

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and spilled 25 million gallons worth of liquefied hog manure into a nearby river that

was used as a water supply.

Storms: Heavy downpours occasionally bring flash floods, which overwhelm

sewers and sometimes cause a backup of contaminated water into the water supply,

resulting in boil alerts.

Terrorism: The nation’s water supply is poorly guarded (if guarded at all in some

places), and is ripe for a terrorism event. Remember, the mere claim by some

terrorist group that they have intentionally contaminated the water will result in

mass water shutoffs, whether the water is actually contaminated or not.

Weather and natural events: Earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes all wreak

havoc upon the local water supply. Whether it’s individual holding tanks and

equipment that gets destroyed, or whether it’s debris and detritus that gets blown

into the reservoirs, the water system is highly susceptible to weather events.

Most people have no idea where their water comes from, or even where to get more

should there be a crisis. Of course, trying to purchase water after a disaster will be

downright impossible, since it’s one of the first commodities to disappear from

shelves. So how do you develop a strategy to keep water on hand so that you can

buy your family several days of clean water during a disaster? Read on.

 

   

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HOW TO PLAN YOUR WATER STOCKPILE

Notice that we said water stockpile as opposed to “learn how to filter water” or “buy

a water filter”? There are some good reasons why you want to stockpile water in

advance rather than relying on purification or sourcing new water:

You can freely stockpile water now, while it is available.

During a disaster, water purification or filtering is time consuming and slow.

When first encountering a disaster, you need water, not a water filter. You don’t have

time to filter water for a sick or injured loved one. You can filter water when things

calm down, but during the outset, you need water.

Filtration and purification rely on an available water source to filter or purify in

the first place. You don’t have time to find such a water source during a crisis.

Okay, you’re sold on the merits of building up a water stockpile. So how do you

actually do it? We’ll walk you through it. The first step is to calculate your water

needs. Remember this handy rule:

While you could technically get away with using less water if you were just, say,

watching TV on the couch, for example, during a disaster you tend to sweat lots of

water away rapidly. Most people are forced to be active during a disaster because

Minimum water needs = 1 gallon per person, per day

 

 

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their life depends on it. Also, keep in mind that during a disaster, you won’t be

eating as much, and that your food contains close to 50% water, which is where

most people actually get their water, since few people will drink a gallon of water

per day.

Okay, so you need one gallon per person per day – but for how many days? FEMA

and other local and state disaster planners will often cite a 72 hour number, but we

feel that’s far too conservative. Few if any natural or manmade disasters capable of

severing the water supply are resolved within 72 hours. While 3 days worth of water

are better than nothing, it’s still a really, really tight reserve when you think about it.

If you’re in utter shock right now at the sheer amount of water you need, let us tell

you why we feel that way:

Naturally occurring water that is drinkable is a relative rarity in most American

cities. Even cities that have rivers or lakes nearby are subject to contaminated water.

All surface water must be assumed to be contaminated. Pathogens such as E.

coli, Giardia, Salmonella, and Hepatitis B are present in much of the untreated water

supply, and thus this water needs to be boiled or filtered.

We  recommend  a  minimum  of  a  two  

week  water  supply,  and  we  think  that  30  

days  is  optimal  in  most  cases.  

 

   

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During the initial phases of disaster, you want to focus on dealing with

the disaster, not filtering water. During the recovery phase of the disaster, you

want to be able to mix some filtering activity with some reserve water supply

usage so as to extend the water you already have.

Basically, two weeks worth of water is not an extravagant amount, and neither is 30

days really. Let’s get into the meat of how this is accomplished and make a checklist.

Critical Assumption: Let’s say for the sake of argument your family has two adults

and two children. That’s four adults for all intents and purposes. Do not assume that

kids need less water than adults – technically that may be true, but it is false

economy to not have one gallon per person per day!

So 4 people multiplied by 1 gallon each = 4 gallons per day. Assuming we are going

the full run of 30 days, we therefore require 120 gallons of water for four people

for thirty days.

THE RIGHT WAY AND THE WRONG WAY

If you’re thinking to yourself that 120 gallons is two 55 gallon water drums plus a

few bottles, you’ve lost before you even started. The wrong way to store water for a

disaster is in large containers like water barrels! Why? Consider that:

 

 

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Water barrels cannot be easily carried during an emergency

When part of a 55 gallon water barrel becomes contaminated, it all becomes

contaminated.

A 55 gallon water barrel is easily pierced or spilled in a disaster such as an earthquake

or tornado.

A 55 gallon water barrel weighs over 400 pounds

What we recommend is that you store your water in containers that are 3 liters in

size or smaller. Preferably, individual water bottles are best. Here’s why:

Individual water bottles represent a spreading of the risk of contamination

among hundreds of bottles. The probability that all of your water will be

contaminated is slim to none.

Individual water bottles are easily stored all over the home rather than in one spot

where they can be contaminated or damaged.

Individual water bottles are currently for sale just about everywhere.

The leftover bottles can be used to purify more water via the SODIS method

(covered in an upcoming video).

Here’s how to build up that water supply economically over time:

Method #1

 

   

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On week 1 of your grocery trip, purchase two flats of water. This is 24 (16.9

ounce) bottles. A recent premium brand we tested cost $4.99 for 24 bottles – there

are many cheaper brands out there. This is 6.4 gallons. Total price – less than 10

bucks for two.

Bring the water home, take a sharpie or other permanent marker and write the

date of purchase on the plastic wrapper that holds the bottles together.

Store one flat under your bed, and store the other under one of the kid’s beds.

Look for cool, dark places, and make sure you don’t store it all in one place.

For the next 19 weeks, repeat the same process. That’s less than 5 months of

water purchases at a weekly rate. Total cost thus far: $189, spread over 5 months.

Most anyone can do that!

On month six, you continue to buy water. Wait – what? Yes. You continue to buy

it, but with one twist – you grab the very first water bottle flat you bought six

months before. Remember when you labeled them? Grab that flat, and drink it. Now

you begin a rotation cycle, and for $400 per year, you drink premium water while

keeping a 30 day water supply on hand!

 

 

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The above method is easy and cheap, and can be made even cheaper by using the 3 liter

jugs, which are often priced less than the individual water bottles, although the risk of

contamination increases with the size. Of course, you can just go buy $200 worth of water

if your budget permits, but either way, make sure and rotate the stock. Plastic is not a

good long term solution for storing water – glass is much better, but is prone to breakage.

Method 2:

If cash is tight, you’ll need to think outside the box. One thing – don’t rely on the

water inside your water heater or toilet tanks – that is bonus water. You still need a

month’s worth of drinking water. Here’s what you do:

Acquire as many 2 liter plastic soda bottles as you can. Ask your friends, family, or

neighbors. Hit the local recycle bins on your street on garbage day. Do whatever it

takes.

Thoroughly wash each bottle, paying particular attention to the inside, mouth,

and threaded rim.

Take an eye dropper and a gallon of unscented bleach (must be unscented) and

put 4 drops of bleach in each bottle. Fill with ordinary tap water. Put the lid on

the soda bottle, swirl it around well, then dump the water down the drain. The

 

   

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inside of the bottle should smell very faintly of bleach – note – not an

overpowering smell!

Gather up all the lids, place them in a bucket with a few drops of bleach

within and let them soak.

Allow the bottles to sit uncorked, and let the insides dry out and evaporate.

Fill each bottle with ordinary tap water. Firmly replace the lid. Mark the date with

a sharpie right on the bottle’s label.

A single 2 liter bottle holds 67.6 ounces of water. This means that two such

bottles hold a little over a gallon (1.06 gallons to be exact).

In total, for a family of four’s water supply for 30 days, you will need 227 of the 2

liter bottles filled with water. Lest this sound intimidating, this is a little over 9

bottles per week over a six month period, or a little over one per day for six months.

At the end of six months, if the water has not been used, we will simply dump the

tap water and refill the bottle over again.

 

 

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This method can cost as little as a gallon of bleach, especially if you get the soda bottles

for free. Additionally, 2 liter soda bottles keep very well and can be stacked in neat piles

under beds.

WATER STORAGE TIPS

Here are some dos and don’ts when storing water:

Do:

Store your water in multiple locations around the home rather than in one place.

You don’t want all your water trapped under a pile of rubble if a hurricane,

earthquake, or other disaster strikes. Additionally, should water become a precious

commodity, you are less likely to have your entire supply stolen in one fell swoop.

Rotate your stock a minimum of once per year. Plastic was chosen for water

storage out of cheapness and convenience rather than with sanitary concerns in

mind. Plastic tends to leach out into the water after extended periods.

Write the date the water was stored so you can track rotation. Write it on the

bottle or flat itself.

 

   

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Don’t:

Expose the water to sunlight which promotes algae growth over time and

cuts down the life of the water.

Store the water next to sharp objects that could pierce the bottles during

movement of the structure during a hurricane, earthquake, or tornado.

Store the water next to any contaminants or chemicals that could spill on or

near the bottles and ruin them.

Use milk containers (even plastic ones) to store water in. They can never

totally have every trace of milk washed out of them and will make the water

undrinkable.

IN CONCLUSION

Building up a one month water supply doesn’t have to be hard, complicated, or

expensive. Remember one key point – only after you have a month’s worth of water

on hand can you truly look into filtration and purification methods as a means to

process contaminated water. In the meantime, your 30 day cushion gives you time to

react to a disaster without immediately being on the hunt for water, which is what

most people will be doing.

On that note, it bears mention to speak a little about operational security.

Don’t tell anyone about your water supply – not even loved ones outside your

 

 

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family if you can handle it. When asked what you need all the 2 liter soda

bottles for, mention that you’re donating them to your church or something

similar. Realize that in some third world countries, entire wars have been

fought over water. Don’t assume that this can’t happen on American soil! Be

prudent, and keep your preps under wraps. Should a disaster occur, don’t

attempt to ration water to under a gallon per person per day, unless the

situation seems overly dire. Rationing below this just puts everyone in a

constant state of dehydration. As you consume your water supply during a

disaster, do so covertly. If others are out seeking water, do the same. Not

seeking water will make people think you have a secret stash of it somewhere.

Use common sense!

Above all, start now. You can begin accumulating water right now, today, with

little to no cost. What are you waiting for?