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Water report prepared in March 2009 by Martin C.

This report will advise you on how to acquire store and purify water for all your daily uses in the event of an emergency where safe water is not coming out of your tap. Also I am researching water borne diseases and report on that.

My first recommendation is to store water in plastic containers ie 50 gallon barrels, blue jugs which you can buy at a hardware store, or Walmart etc.

or

 Each person will need at least a gallon a day. To drink one needs only 1.5 litres a day assuming your not working out in the sun. You can also store water in trash cans and trash bags or waterbeds if need be.

If running water is not available and you have not stored water then the simplest solution for drinking water is to purify dirty water which you can get from a creek or lake etc. Remember your hot water heater contains about 40 or more gallons of water and can be drained from a spigot at the bottom.This could get you through an emergency of a  moderate length of time.  Your toilet contains clean water as well in the holding tank. You can flush your toilet by pouring a bucket of dirty or gray water directly in the bowl. You should have an idea of where your nearest water source is. Even in a severe drought there should still be lakes, rivers, and creeks that have water. Here is a simple poor man's solution using only chlorox bleach. You will need an eyedropper which you should tape to your jug of chlorox. This is the best link I can give you with complete instructions. Basically remember one drop of clorox bleach for every 16 ounces of water will purify the water and try to strain the water through a cloth to eliminate particles.

Click here for how to purify water

You can also boil water and experts seem to vary the amount of time needed to sterilise water but certainly 7 minutes will do it and probably just one minute. (Update : Boiling sterilises water whereas all that is needed to drink dirty water is to pasteurise it at much lower temps)

In fact just getting water 150 degrees for 5 mins kills over 99.9% of the bacteria harmful to animals see here for extensive info on this. Click for extensive info on pastuerizing water with the sun

 You can use beeswax as a thermometre to tell if the water is hot enough as beeswax melts at 154 degrees farenheit

http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Beeswax

or order one of these for $6

You can also pastuerise water in a can inside a plastic jug. See these complete instructions using materials from a trash dump

also

Another good source for solar disinfection using the SODIS method:ie fill plastic bottles with water and lay em out in the sun preferably on top of something black and hot
 more on that
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_water_disinfection

 
 

Here are some other simple cheap solutions to purifying water

Here is a solar powered water purifier used in Nepal

and here is a solar water purifier for $20 which I have ordered

Finally you can heat water in a solar oven which you can buy or make. See many plans here

To take a shower you can use this solar heated shower available at Walmart for under $9

You may also produce your own water from a solar still which you can make very easily with a clear plastic sheet. See here for details of a still that will produce about a quart a day in the desert.

 http://www.desertusa.com/mag98/dec/stories/water.html