Water Systems

Daily Needs

• Drinking: 0.5-1 gallon/day (more in heat, activity, illness)
• Cooking: 0.5-1 gallon/day
• Hygiene: 0.5-2 gallons/day (can use lower quality water)
• Total baseline: 1-4 gallons/person/day

Minimum survival: 1 liter/day in temperate climate, sedentary. Can survive 2-3 days without water but performance degrades rapidly after day 1.

Dehydration Signs

Mild (1-2% loss): Thirst, dark urine, dry mouth

Moderate (3-5% loss): Fatigue, headache, dizziness, decreased urine

Severe (6-10% loss): Confusion, rapid heartbeat, sunken eyes, unconsciousness

Death (10-15% loss): Organ failure

Natural Sources (Rank by Safety)

1. Springs (groundwater emerging): Often safest natural source - filtered through earth
2. Fast-moving streams: Better than stagnant, but still treat
3. Lakes and ponds: Higher contamination risk, definitely treat
4. Rainwater: Generally safe but collects pollutants from air and roof
5. Rivers: Variable - depends on upstream activity
6. Standing water: Last resort, highest contamination

Even "clean" looking water can contain parasites, bacteria, viruses, chemical contamination. ALWAYS treat water from natural sources.

Urban/Post-Collapse Sources

• Water heater tank: 40-80 gallons of treated water. Drain from bottom spigot.
• Toilet tank (not bowl): 1.5-6 gallons per tank. Only if no chemical cleaners used.
• Pipes: Drain by opening highest faucet (air in) then lowest (water out)
• Swimming pools: Not for drinking (chemicals) but can use for hygiene/flushing after treatment
• Rain barrels: Collect from roofs - treat before drinking
• Bottled water: Obvious, check expiration (plastic degrades)

Finding Water in Wilderness

• Follow animal trails: They lead to water, especially converging trails
• Bird flight patterns: Birds fly toward water at dawn/dusk
• Green vegetation: Lush growth in arid areas indicates water near surface
• Low areas: Water collects in valleys, canyons, depressions
• Dig in dry streambeds: Water may be just below surface
• Collect dew: Walk through grass with cloth before sunrise, wring out
• Transpiration bag: Plastic bag over leafy branch, water condenses inside
• Solar still: Hole in ground, container in center, plastic over top weighted with rock, edges sealed. Water evaporates from soil, condenses on plastic, drips into container.

DIY Solar Still: Dig 2ft hole, place container in center, cover with clear plastic, seal edges with dirt, place small rock in center of plastic to create drip point. Collect 0.5-1 liter/day. Add vegetation/urine to hole to increase yield.

Water Indicators - Plants

• Cattails: Always near water. Roots edible, pollen nutritious.
• Willows: Always near water. Bark contains salicin (aspirin-like).
• Cottonwoods: Near surface water or high water table.
• Reeds/rushes: Grow in or near water.
• Moss: Grows on north side of trees in N hemisphere - indicates moisture.

Many water-indicating plants have edible/useful parts. Learn your local species.

Boiling

Effectiveness: Kills bacteria, viruses, parasites. Does NOT remove chemicals.

Method: Bring to rolling boil. At sea level, 1 minute sufficient. At altitude above 6500ft, boil 3 minutes.

Fuel cost: High. Requires heat source and container.

DIY: Any heat source works - fire, stove, even solar oven on clear day. Metal, glass, or ceramic container. Let water cool before drinking. Tastes flat - pour between containers to re-aerate.

Boiling indicator: bubbles throughout water, not just edges. If uncertain, boil longer. Better to waste fuel than get giardia.

Chemical Treatment

Bleach (unscented, 6% sodium hypochlorite):

• Clear water: 2 drops per quart/liter
• Cloudy water: 4 drops per quart/liter
• Wait 30 minutes before drinking (60 min if cold)
• Should have slight chlorine smell after treatment

Iodine tablets/tincture:

• Effective against most pathogens
• Does not kill Cryptosporidium well
• Unpleasant taste - add vitamin C after treatment
• Not for long-term use or pregnant/thyroid issues

Source: Bleach at any grocery store. Iodine tablets at outdoor/camping stores. Potable Aqua brand common.

DIY: Bleach is cheap and widely available. Rotate stock - bleach loses potency (6-12 month shelf life). Pool shock (calcium hypochlorite) stores longer and can make bleach solution.

Do NOT use scented bleach, color-safe bleach, or bleach with additives. These are toxic.

Filtration

Gravity filters: Berkey, British Berkefeld. Ceramic or carbon elements. 1-3 gallons/hour. Remove bacteria, parasites, some chemicals. Long-lasting elements (3000+ gallons).

Pump filters: Katadyn, MSR, Platypus. Portable, for backpacking. 1 liter/minute. Remove bacteria, parasites.

Straw filters: LifeStraw, Sawyer. Drink directly from source. Portable, limited capacity.

Bottle filters: Integrated into water bottle. Convenient but limited filter life.

Source: Berkey $300-400. LifeStraw $20. Sawyer $30-100. MSR/Katadyn $100-300. Outdoor stores, Amazon.

Most filters do NOT remove viruses (too small). For virus protection, combine filter with chemical treatment or use hollow-fiber filter rated for viruses (0.02 micron).

DIY Filtration

Multistage filter (filter only - still need to purify):

1. Gravel layer: Removes large particles
2. Sand layer: Removes smaller particles
3. Charcoal layer: Removes some chemicals, improves taste
4. Fine sand: Final polishing

DIY: Stack in bucket or barrel with holes at bottom. Pour water through. Charcoal from fire (hardwood best, no lighter fluid). This is FILTRATION not PURIFICATION - still need to boil or chemically treat after.

Biosand filter: Established filter develops biological layer that eats pathogens. Takes 2-3 weeks to establish. Used in developing world - plans available online.

Distillation

Effectiveness: Removes bacteria, viruses, parasites, heavy metals, salts, most chemicals. Produces pure water.

Method: Boil water, collect condensing steam. Impurities remain behind.

DIY: Pot with boiling water, lid inverted with handle down, container below drip point. Or copper tubing from pressure cooker to collection vessel. Solar still (see above) is passive distillation.

Distilled water tastes flat and lacks minerals. Safe to drink but not ideal long-term without mineral supplementation. Excellent for making water from contaminated sources including seawater.

UV Treatment

Solar disinfection (SODIS): Clear plastic bottle, fill with water, lay in direct sunlight 6 hours (or 2 days if cloudy). UV kills pathogens.

UV purifiers: SteriPen and similar. Battery-powered UV light. 1-2 minutes per liter. Effective against all pathogens.

DIY: SODIS is free. Requires clear PET plastic bottles (not glass - blocks some UV). Works best with clear water, not cloudy.

SODIS doesn't remove chemicals or improve taste. Only for biological contamination.

Method Comparison

Best practice: Filter to remove particles and chemicals, then purify (boil/chemical/UV) to kill pathogens. Multi-barrier approach.

Containers

• Food-grade plastic (PETE/PET #1, HDPE #2): Safe for water storage
• Glass: Excellent but heavy, breakable
• Stainless steel: Excellent, durable, expensive
• Avoid: Containers that held chemicals, milk jugs (degrade), non-food-grade plastic

Source: 55-gallon drums $30-60. 5-gallon jerry cans $10-15. Water bricks $15-20. IBC totes (275 gal) $100-200.

DIY: Clean 2-liter soda bottles work well (PETE #1). Wash with soap, sanitize with bleach solution, fill with treated water. Replace every 6-12 months.

Storage Guidelines

• Quantity: Minimum 2 weeks supply (14+ gallons per person)
• Rotation: Every 6-12 months if no preservative added
• Location: Cool, dark place. Avoid direct sunlight (algae growth).
• Treatment for storage: Add 1/8 tsp bleach per gallon if water not already chlorinated
• Sealing: Tightly sealed to prevent contamination and evaporation

Commercial water has 1-2 year shelf life. Home-stored should be rotated more frequently. Water doesn't "expire" but container can leach chemicals, and treated water loses effectiveness.

Common Threats

Giardia: Parasite. Symptoms: diarrhea, cramps, nausea, 1-2 weeks after exposure. Common in mountain streams. Filter or boil.

Cryptosporidium: Parasite. Resistant to chlorine. Symptoms similar to Giardia. Requires filtration (1 micron or less) or boiling.

E. coli: Bacteria. Fecal contamination. Symptoms: severe diarrhea. Killed by boiling, bleach, iodine.

Cholera: Bacteria. Severe diarrhea, can kill in hours. Rehydration critical. Killed by standard purification.

Dysentery: Bacterial or parasitic. Bloody diarrhea. Common in contaminated water sources.

Hepatitis A: Virus. Liver inflammation. Can survive months in water. Boil or UV.

Basic Methods

• Flood/furrow: Channel water between rows. Simple, wasteful, causes erosion.
• Basin: Surround plant with raised edge, fill with water. Good for trees, shrubs.
• Drip: Slow delivery to root zone. Most efficient. Can use DIY from buckets and tubing.
• Soaker hose: Perforated hose along rows. Moderately efficient.
• Rain catchment: Direct rainfall to growing areas with swales, berms, contours.

DIY Drip: Bucket with small hole(s) near bottom, place near plant. Add tubing to direct. Or use 2-liter bottle with holes buried neck-down near plant. Clay pot irrigation: unglazed pot buried, filled with water, slowly seeps to roots.

Water Requirements by Crop

• Low water: Squash, melons, tomatoes (established), peppers, beans
• Medium water: Corn, potatoes, carrots, onions, leafy greens
• High water: Celery, cucumbers, lettuce, rice

Average garden needs 1 inch of rain per week (about 0.6 gallons per sq ft). Mulch dramatically reduces water needs by preventing evaporation.