Brothers and Sisters, as you all know after enduring the Syracuse City boil order last week due to contamination of the city's water supply, our access to clean water is a basic human need. On the night that the boil order was initiated, there was a run on the local grocery stores, and by early evening the shelves were bare of bottled water. Seeing this was a testimony to how many of us are poorly prepared to weather a water shortage. Fortunately for all of us, this was a very localized, temporary inconvenience. The question is, will we be prepared for a longer term stuation when it occurs? To help you get prepared we offer you the following instructions that have been provided to all members of our stake:
Water Storage Resource Sheet
How Much Water Should I Store? A good rule of thumb: 14 GALLONS PER PERSON (MINIMUM)
• A 2-week supply for each person.
• 1 gallon per person per day, or 14 gallons per person. This is a minimum! Store more for infants, elderly, ill people or people living in hot environments. And treat your pet as a family member when thinking about how much to store.
• Plan to use water for drinking, food preparation, sanitationand hygiene.
• Never ration water. Drink amount needed today, and find more tomorrow.
What Are The Best Water Containers?
• Commercial bottled water with an expiration date is the best way to store water.
▪ Bottled Water from the Store – 1- and 2-gallon sealed containers (NOTE: The 1- and 2- gallon containers that come in “milk” type jugs you purchase in your local store are not designed for long-term storage and will begin to leak/fail after about 6 months.)
▪ 1- and 5-Gallon Sealable Containers – From camping or survival stores. Be sure to sanitize container and treat the water that you are storing.
▪ 20-oz. to 1-Liter Designer Water Containers – Are usually marked with an expiration date, but are generally good for about two years
▪ 5-Gallon Water Bottles from Private Water Companies – Water companies claim their water and containers are good for up to five years, if still factory sealed & correctly stored in a cool dark location.
• However, if storing your own, use a food grade container such as a 2L plastic clear in color soft-drink bottle. Not plastic milk jug containers. Remember to label the date.
• Or a container similar blue 5-gallon stackable container which weighs 40 lbs. when filled.
• Consider when storing how you will empty and refill your containers.
How Do I Prepare & Fill My Own Containers?
• Don’t use a container that has held toxic chemicals.
• Clean bottles with dishwashing soap and water. Rinse completely
• Add solution of 1 t. non-scented liquid chlorine bleach to a quart (1/4 gallon) of water. Swish solution in bottle so that it touches all surfaces. After sanitizing bottle, rinse out the sanitizing solution with clean water.
• Fill bottle to top with regular tap water. (If water utility company treats your tap water with chlorine, you do not need to add anything else to the water to keep it clean.) If the water you use comes from a well or water source not treated with chlorine, add two drops of non-scented liquid chlorine bleach to each gallon of water.
• Tightly close container using original cap and being careful not to touch (contaminate) inside of cap with fingers.
• Write date on outside of the container so that you know when you filled it.
• If this is done properly then this water could last for years without rotation. It also depends on
where, what temperature and the amount of sunlight has shown on the containers.
Where Do I Store My Containers?
• Store in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight.
• When there are extreme hot and cold temperatures in the winter and summer months, bring water inside.
• Keep stored water away from solvents and gasoline, paint thinners, household cleaners, etc.
• If storing on cement floors, raise water containers with 2 x 4’s off the cement. The concrete will leech chemicals into the water, contaminating it and also degrading the plastic bottle, causing failure. Keep water containers in a location where container failure will not destroy your other supplies.
• Store it where you can get to it easily after an earthquake.
Where Are Safe Home Sources of Water?
• Safe water sources include water in your hot-water tank, pipes, and ice cubes. (These water sources do not count towards your 14 gallons per person for two weeks.)
• You should not use water for consumption from toilet flush tanks or bowls, radiators, waterbeds, or pools/spas. (Use this water for sanitation uses)
GETTING THE WATER OUT OF YOUR WATER HEATER :
▪ Use extreme caution. Let the water cool.
▪ Turn off the cold water supply to the tank
▪ Turn off the gas or electric heater for the tank
▪ Open the drain valve at the bottom
REMEMBER: Some sediment at the bottom of the tank may at first make water flowing out look murky. Continue to drain water until it becomes clear.
OTHER SOURCES OF WATER IN YOUR HOME
▪ Toilet Water Storage Tank. NOTE: Use the water from the Storage Tank – NOT THE TOILET BOWL (Don’t drink the water if you use coloring or chemicals in it)
▪ Melted Ice Cubes are a source of water
▪ Water-Packed Can Goods (even syrups are mostly water)
▪ Water Trapped In Home Piping. Water can be removed by locating and shutting off the main water valve. Then, open the valve at the highest point of your property (i.e., shower head, especially on the 2nd floor ). Then, when you open the valve at the lowest point, gravity will force the water from the pipes.
DO NOT DRINK POOL OR SPA WATER! POOL WATER CONTAINS MANY TOXIC CHEMICALS AND HAS A HIGH POTENTIAL OF GIVING YOU DIARRHEA, CAUSING DEHYDRATION!
Where Are Safe Outside Sources of Water?
• Be sure to treat water according to the instructions in the brochure listed in your filter or purifier before drinking it.
• Rainwater, streams, rivers, and other moving bodies of water. Ponds and lakes and natural springs
• Avoid water with floating material, an odor, or dark color.
• You should not drink flood water.
How Do I Treat Water?
If the purity of your water source is questionable, use the following methods to make the water safe to drink:
Best! Add liquid chlorine beach to the water. Use only regular household liquid bleach that contains 5.25 to 6.0 percent sodium hypochlorite. Do not use scented bleaches, color-safe bleaches, or bleaches with added cleaners. Because the potency of bleach diminishes with time, use bleach from a newly opened or unopened bottle.
(8 drops or 1/16 teaspoon per gallon of water. Stir and let stand for 30 minutes. Double this dose if the water is cloudy.)
Amount of water
|
Amount of bleach
| |
Clear water
|
Cloudy water
| |
1 quart
|
2 drops
|
4 drops
|
1 gallon
|
8 drops
|
16 drops
|
5 gallons
|
½ teaspoon
|
1 teaspoon
|
Or
Filtration- There are many good water filters on the market today. A good one will be around $80.00. The activated charcoal type can also help remove the bad taste. If water is in question also treat it with chemical to kill bacteria and viruses.
Or
UV Light-Technology that is used in most water parks and municipal drinking water facilities is now in a pocket size wand. Steripen and Camelbak have come out with these units. They retail for around $90.00 and are very effective in treating water.
Or
Good! Add 2% Tincture of Iodine to the water (12 drops per gallon. Double this dose if the water is cloudy.) Other chemicals for water treatment products (sold in camping or surplus stores) that do not contain 5.25 to 6.0 percent sodium hypochlorite as the only active ingredient, are not recommended and should not be used.
Or
Acceptable! Boil the water vigorously (5 minutes at sea level, adding an extra minute for every 1000 feet above sea level. Double this time if the water is cloudy.) Boiled water will taste better (not stale) if you put oxygen back into it by pouring the water back and forth between two clean containers. This will also improve the taste of stored water.
And
Don’t forget to clean and sanitize your food and water containers before using them. Wash with soap and water then fill with a 10% bleach solution. After 5 minutes empty the bleach solution and let air dry.
And
Water that is dirty should first be strained through a coffee filter, cheesecloth, or a paper towel to remove suspendedmatter.
Any Questions or Comments jorgensen.erik@comcast.net, gramahm@comcast.net or gbrustad@hotmail.com
