May 15 2008
Clean water to drink
If there is ever an event that damages the water supply in your area, making sure that you have access to clean water is a must.
The best option is to have potable water stored. The minimum you should have is one gallon per person per day, enough to get you through three days.
If you do not have that on-hand, you will need to find other water sources and make those safe to drink. Most bacteria can be killed by boiling water for five minutes. After boiling, pour water back and forth between two pitchers to re-oxygenate it and take away the flat, boiled taste.
Water can also be purified by adding small amounts of bleach – a couple of drops per gallon. Let it sit for several minutes before drinking.
A third, less well-known option is solar water purification. This method uses nothing more than PET plastic bottles and the sun’s light to kill germs. Exposure time needed ranges from 6 hours in warm climates and bright light to as long as two days in cloudy conditions.
There is a great step-by-step tutorial here . It’s a good option if you are in a situation where fuel is limited but water needs to be purified to drink, cook and wash.
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