Water for drinking is not easy to keep fresh, yet our bodies depend on it for life. Here are some ideas on how to have fresh water on hand at any time.
- Carry fresh drinkable water in the car at all times. Use plastic or stainless steel camping or recreation containers. Or carry cases of "spring" or "drinking" water purchased from a supermarket. (Store them in a cardboard box, and label with dates. As you use them, refill from a viable supply and re-label, or replace with new.) If you have a truck, camper or similar vehicle, install a 10 gallon or larger water container where it can easily be drained and refilled with drinking water.
- Commercially packaged water is available from "survival" stores. Also check with your local automobile association for possible sources. Some water packages have extended storage life and are date-marked "use before."
- Store large quantities of water at home in 30 or 55 gallon water storage drums. Replace annually. 2-1/2 tablespoons of 5.25 percent bleach should be used in each 55 gallon container. Other ways of home storage include 1-gallon glass jugs stored in card- board boxes with protective dividers. Add two drops of liquid household bleach per gallon of water This water storage will go flat in time and need to be replaced.
- If you are at home when an emergency strikes, and it is possible to do so without jeopardy, turn off the inlet and the outlet to the water heater. This leaves you with 30 - 80 gallons of drinkable water. You can draw the water out of the drain tap on the water heater as needed. By turning off the inlet faucet you prevent it from being contaminated. Turning off the outlet prevents it being inadvertently wasted.
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