# What is your emergency water supply in case of a failure of your current system?



## PrepperRecon.com

What type of back up water systems do you have in case of a failure in your water source?

I installed a rain catch system with some simple gutters and 55 gallon buckets. Here is a picture of my *Rain Catch System*.

Has anyone installed a hand pump? Does anyone have a gravity fed system?


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## WVprepper

We have several cases of bottled water, and 30 or so 2 liter bottles so far. There is also a spring close by, but I don't know how guarded it will be...


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## Cygnus

I have a 1200 gallon cistern that is the holding tank for my house. Then I have 4 gutters that each have a 200-275 gallon tanks under them. House is 2000 sq ft so a good monsoon rain and they all fill. Then I have another. 1500 gallon tank I found on Craigslist that I need to get set up for the shop to drain into. Then I will have lots of water stores. I want one of these when they are finally on the market.

Eole Water - Give us wind, we give you water | Home


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## AquaHull

PrepperRecon.com said:


> What type of back up water systems do you have in case of a failure in your water source?
> 
> I installed a rain catch system with some simple gutters and 55 gallon buckets. Here is a picture of my *Rain Catch System*.
> 
> Has anyone installed a hand pump? Does anyone have a gravity fed system?


If I can't get it out of the well, I get it from the artesian well down the street, or I'll get it from the lake and boil it.


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## Leon

sawyer bucket system filter


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## PrepperRecon.com

Leon said:


> sawyer bucket system filter


I just looked that up. It says 1,000,000 gallon capacity and around $70. Amazing!!! I have to get one.


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## Leon

PrepperRecon.com said:


> I just looked that up. It says 1,000,000 gallon capacity and around $70. Amazing!!! I have to get one.


AND it can be back-fed to clear it out. It filters virus and pathogens, too. I paid 120, so if you see that for 70- RUN, do not walk and get it. Well worth it.


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## fedorthedog

I live in western Washington pick a creek or river put in pot, boil. Got lots of tree's to so wood for a fire to boil it is easy. I am making a distilling pot to make it easier using the wood stove.


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## dontlookatme

Cases of water bottles. 5,6,7 gallon water containers. I have a katadyn water filter pump that i will use when i go get water from a "lake" or questionable water. My dad has a property with a well. That has about 100 gallons of water in the reserve. In case the power goes out.


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## kyletx1911a1

10CASES OF WATER but looking at that sawyer systm thanks plus water purification tabs. about 500gals worth


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## stormpump

We have completed more than 50,000 pump cycles in our endurance test on The Storm Pump, our new high efficiency, small diameter hand pump. Now we will make it cosmetically market ready and begin customer trials. I have both a well and spring for my property but will mount the Storm Pump for any time the power is out. We will spend the next month fine tuning our installation instructions, DVDs, and website to be ready to offer it to customers. More details as we progress can be gotten by calling me (Fred) at 208-277-7416.


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## usfilters

Sawyer filter does not remove viruses, but their purifier will.
Also these filters will get clogged using filthy water.

usTerrafilter will not get clogged, uses one filter medium, gravity fed, 5 gal at a time, *will* remove viruses and will last for at least 5 to 10 years.
You won't stick this filter in your backpack, but when you get to where you are going you will be glad you had it. Removes 99.9% viruses, parasites and bacteria.
Designed for retreat and home use.
US Terra Filter | Water Purification


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## Lucky Jim

If things become really really parched and the only thing we're concerned about is getting enough to drink, a *solar still *like this would help if we lived near the sea because even if lakes and rivers dry up, there'll still hopefully be oceans out there to supply all the distilled water we need to stay alive. 
(And of course we needn't rely on just one still, we could have a dozen or more all going at the same time-


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## WoadWarrior

Lucky Jim... I saw a "I shouldn't be alive" show where some guy was lost on the ocean and had two of these... he had to tear one apart to figure out how to make it work because the instructions weren't that clear... which, of course, meant he was down one. 

I'm sure most people already do this... but one of my goals it to go out and actually use what I buy so I will know exactly how to use it should the need arise. I'd also post updates here and try to get inputs from others... which is one reason I'm on this forum.

So... if you get one... and actually try it out... would you mind sharing what you learn.... like does it actually work or is it a pain in the butt and we should look elsewhere?


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## mossberg500

We have a 600ft. spring water well in our backyard. and it's so covered and hidden no one would even know it was there. Not to mention we ran pipes from the pump to the kitchen sink and all we do is flick a switch and we start getting spring water out of the faucet right away. Good tasting water too.


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## shadownmss

My property borders a small river and there is also a natural spring that flows out of the hillside into the river. The spring was still producing water even during the middle of the heat and drought this summer. I have a couple of ceramic filter 5 gallon bucket systems for filtration. After that I will filter the water with sand and cloth then boil the water .


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## JDE101

We've got several cases of water stored, plus I have a Berkey type water purifier. I have a rain barrel that I use for watering the garden, but I want to set up another with a food grade barrel. There are streams, rivers, and lakes within relatively a short distance from my house that can be reached by truck, bicycle, and/or hiking if necessary.


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## Suprafreak13

We're lucky enough to have a good flowing spring on the property. I have still been storing gallon bottles a few at a time.


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## C5GUY

Good post. I maintain about 200+/- gals of drinking water on hand at all times stored in 3 55 gal. plastic water drums and assorted containers. Even though I chlorinate all of the bulk containers I still date code them all and rotate it out every 6 months. As long as fresh, clean water is available I figure why not. I also have a 420 gal. hot tub that will be my gray water storage with a two feed gutter system that I can install in less than 2 hours to resupply it. Long range back ups include a Berkley system with 3 sets of new filters cartridges, and 2 large fresh springs that are both with 2 miles of my home plus several ponds within 1/4 mile of so.


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## GTGallop

I have a 22,000 gallon pool and any time it looks like a SHTF scenario, I super shock it in case I need it for water. Also fill tubs with water.

I have a chest style deep freeze in the garage. I keep the bottom of it stacked 2 layers deep with bottled water like the 3 liter Ozarka bottles because the bottles stack well. They also help keep the freezer cool in the event of short term SHTF issues that cut power for a few days.


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## LAWNKILLER

My neighbors have pools, and we have discussed this, this is their plan as well. My plan is to help protect them should I have to stay bugged in.



GTGallop said:


> I have a 22,000 gallon pool and any time it looks like a SHTF scenario, I super shock it in case I need it for water.


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## dsdmmat

I have a river behind the house.


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## SOCOM42

i have a river 25 yards from the back of my home.
i have enough hose to pump from it if needed.
too much water is a problem not the lack of it.


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## UnknownCertainty

Currently, I have several cases of water. I try to buy one or two extra cases every time I go to the store. Yeah, I'm basically screwed for long-term preparedness.


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## C5GUY

UnknownCertainty said:


> Currently, I have several cases of water. I try to buy one or two extra cases every time I go to the store. Yeah, I'm basically screwed for long-term preparedness.


Hey at least you have a start and a plan that is a lot more than most people have done. Keep at it.


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## Lucky Jim

WoadWarrior said:


> Lucky Jim... I saw a "I shouldn't be alive" show where some guy was lost on the ocean and had two of these... he had to tear one apart to figure out how to make it work because the instructions weren't that clear... which, of course, meant he was down one.... So if you get one... and actually try it out... would you mind sharing what you learn.... like does it actually work or is it a pain in the butt and we should look elsewhere?


The Aquamate job sells for 122 GB pounds (193 US dollars) which seems a bit steep for a bit of plastic and tubing so I'll shop around for something cheaper and let you know how I get on. 
I live in that area below (circled) and have got the Atlantic ocean on my doorstep so it'd be a pity to let all that water stay unused..


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## LAWNKILLER

I started looking yesterday at these filter items and got to thinking, what does one need to make a "HomeMade" filter system? I've never given much thought about it, figured I'd just boil water and/or put iodine in it. Guess I need to educate myself more on this. Maybe I'll start a new thread on the subject.

When I was a kid on the farm we drank right from the hose that came from the well, drank from the spring down in the pasture but not from this stream its self. And I turned out fine (head twitch involuntarily).


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## dudeman351

Water in my area is not a problem. I'm fixin to dig an off grid (county won't know about it) well in my back yard with a hand pump. Water is about 60' down.


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## crystalphoto

UnknownCertainty said:


> Currently, I have several cases of water. I try to buy one or two extra cases every time I go to the store. Yeah, I'm basically screwed for long-term preparedness.


They call it "prepping", not "prepped"... You are off to a great start!

So far, I have 17 cases of bottled water, two cases of 3 gallons each, a MSR Miniworks filter in my BOB along with water purification tabs, a deep water well that requires power, plans to get a Bison Hand Pump to connect to the well...


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## usfilters

Got a friend with the above ground pool of now green slim water. He learned real quick the water needed to be filtered first when he tried out his new Katadyn and clogged it all up in a few minutes. Every filter will need contaminated water filtered first or pre-filtered. That determines the life of the filter and slows down the flow to near/ useless. Check out usterrafilter We don't determine our life span by gallons. This gravity fed filter will last 5 to 10 years. We expect it to last longer as the years of testing continue. After several years being used in Uganda and constant lab testing there has been no degradation in its ability to remove 99.9% of all parasites, viruses and bacteria. 
The filter medium is 100% natural not made in manufacturing plants and not treated with any chemicals. It holds 5 gallons of unfiltered water in the top and 5 gallons of clean drinking water in the bottom.
usterrafilter.com


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## usav8er

Our small town municipal water supply comes from a well at 1000+ feet and the pump has a diesel generator backup if electrical power fails. We store several cases of bottled water. Time permitting, I would drain the hot tub and refill with 450 gallons of clean fresh water. We also have a creek running through town and a small lake. I also have two water purifiers and failing those you can always boil water if you have a heat source.


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## 45reloader

usfilters said:


> Sawyer filter does not remove viruses, but their purifier will.
> Also these filters will get clogged using filthy water.
> 
> usTerrafilter will not get clogged, uses one filter medium, gravity fed, 5 gal at a time, *will* remove viruses and will last for at least 5 to 10 years.
> You won't stick this filter in your backpack, but when you get to where you are going you will be glad you had it. Removes 99.9% viruses, parasites and bacteria.
> Designed for retreat and home use.
> US Terra Filter | Water Purification


The Sawyer SP191 does remove Virus I just received mine in the mail today.
SP191 Sawyer Point Zero Two Water Purifier


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## 45reloader

LAWNKILLER said:


> I started looking yesterday at these filter items and got to thinking, what does one need to make a "HomeMade" filter system? I've never given much thought about it, figured I'd just boil water and/or put iodine in it. Guess I need to educate myself more on this. Maybe I'll start a new thread on the subject.
> 
> When I was a kid on the farm we drank right from the hose that came from the well, drank from the spring down in the pasture but not from this stream its self. And I turned out fine (head twitch involuntarily).


If you had to boil water everyday for drinking and cooking the major problem will be fuel.


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## Piratesailor

Leon said:


> sawyer bucket system filter


Great! I just wrote them with a few questions and plan on buying from them.

We have a few water plans depending on bug in or bug out and where. At home we have a pool. 15k gallons of grey water and if boiled (or sawyer filter) drinkable. I can divert gutters to it as needed. Our bug out location has 150g of fresh drinkable Atwater, a rain catchment system with filters, and if needed, a water maker to turn sea water into drinking water.


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## Smitty901

I have wells that are easy to hand pump form even in the drought of the 80's and the one this last year no drop in water so have that part covered.
Also an artesian well near one house that runs out of the ground on it's own if uncapped.


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## HuntingHawk

I'm rural & have my own well & septic. Well is deep so pump takes alot of electric. I have a backup generator but gasoline will only last so long. Stored water is good but you have to have the means of replenishing it.
Rain catch system is low maintenance once installed. I have decided I will not filter the stored water. Instead, filter before using. The reason is why purify water that will probably be used on plants or for the toilet. 
I've two good roofs to use & each will have four 55gal barrels.
My main water purification system will be a 55gal drum with a 5gal bucket mounted to the top with ceramic filter. Prefilter is a 5gal bucket with an aluminum colander & use collon rags for taking out the big stuff. Coffee basket with filters also works but water is slow going threw it.

Also fitted a long length of copper pipe to the vent of a pressure canner. Steam is about as pure as you can get water.

Water is one of the most important things you can prep for. Back ups for the back ups both water sources as well as purifying.


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## Ripon

There are calculators out there which show how much rainfall and how much water 
from a roofline you will get, but the quality will be nasty and need good filtration and
and chemical treatment. I run 3 55 gallon wood barrels with plastic liners inside that
look nice and if we get any "decent" rain they fill right up. Later I'll use them to 
water some of the back yard area as I'm in the city and don't need them right now, but
here in CA we get enough rain each year to fill them several times.


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## HuntingHawk

0.6 gallon water per square foot of roof space per inch of rain.


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## Ripon

You can boil small sums with a solar oven.



45reloader said:


> If you had to boil water everyday for drinking and cooking the major problem will be fuel.


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## Ripon

Thanks  We get a solid 11 to 13 inches a year, and 1200 square feet I think we even
have enough for the garden.



HuntingHawk said:


> 0.6 gallon water per square foot of roof space per inch of rain.


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## Lucky Jim

Donald Trump built a controversial golf course in Scotland and bulldozed a local spring leaving farmers without water (0:35).
He said of one Scottish guy-"He lives like a pig". 
That's the face of big uncaring businessmen for you, if they want your land they'll take it-


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## HuntingHawk

I have a 17x22 roof I will use as well as a 10x20 roof. Both metal roofs so a big plus.

10x20 roof is 200sqft so one inch of rain from that small roof would provide 120 gallons.

17x22 roof is 374sqft so one inch of rain would provide 224 gallons.

Even half an inch of rain would provide 172 gallons from those two roofs.

Where I live we average 21" of rain per year. I won't have enough storeage to collect all of it. So figuring 574sqft & 10" of rain collected that would be 3,444 gallons of water collected per year. Not enough for me to get by on but would cover about half.


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## HuntingHawk

You can go to weather.com & get your average yearly rainfall as well as average monthly rainfall.

I don't have anyother roofs as a good option so my only other realistic option would be more storeage for the two roofs.


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## yzingerr

I have about 10 cases of water, BOB boxes in my garage full of gallon water jugs, atleast 3 water filter systems, and an entire ocean about 1/4 mile from me.


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## jrclen

We have a driven sand point. I can pull the electric pump and install my hand pump. After I run out of fuel for the generator. We also have spring fed ponds on our land.


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## UrbanEDCPhoto

We have 10 gallons stored and because we live in an apt an storage space is limited we also have an Aquapod for the tub ready to be deployed, beyond that we're moving on to my parents house where there are multiple ponds


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## MI.oldguy

We have bottled water stored,and live on the great lakes, the biggest one.only a mile away from us.we would probably take a vehicle and fill up our many 5 gal water containers and filter it through our monolithic filter system or boil it and put it back in suitable containers it will be alot of work though.where we are we dont expect gangs and etc, I could not collect rain water to drink because we have a newer composition roof even though we have a collection system for our shrubs and trees but,we have been thinking about a biosand system.we have to research that a little more.


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## paraquack

Beside the usual stored water in gallon jugs, the hot water heater, I also have a king water bed mattress that I put on the back of car or truck (keep tailgate closed) and built a valve for it. Fill it with as much water as your vehicle can carry and take home. I got the idea from http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/portable-rv-fresh-water-tank-45-gallon/1605. Supposedly it can go on roof, but $100+. My mattress cost $20 and I've used it to fill my RV's tank many times.


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## stonewolf

I have a .02 micron fliter pre water softner comeing from 3 3500gal systerns and then under counter filters at each faucet ... I do have 20 or so 55gal barrels attached to my shop all plumbed togeather to gravity feed thru on spicket to water my garden works awsome ... Large quanties of water purification tablets and bleach (lean how the bleach purification works dont just wing that please lol)


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## Go2ndAmend

I'm one of the very lucky ones. I have a year-around river which forms the Eastern border of my propery, and a seasonal creek which forms the Southern Border. Not only are they an excellent source of fresh water, they form a natural barrier against intruders. In addition, I have 3 stock ponds with fresh water fish and seasonal waterfowl. Finally, I have a good well which I can run off of a generator if need be. I also really like the idea of a rain catcher off of the shop and barn roof and may incorporate that in the future.


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## Moonshinedave

My thoughts on water right now, and yes, I know it not a very good plan, is simply going to the river with a couple 55 gal. drums. of course boiling and such to make it drinkable. I'd love to have a well drilled, but on my list of things I need to have done, it's pretty far down.


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## PaulS

I have a couple of rivers close and a good reflux still.


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## paraquack

I have a river nearby too. But I don't have to worry about the water. No bacteria or virus could possible live in that water!


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## PaulS

How about chemicals, solvents and other things that kill slow? The reflux still makes sure that only water comes out because the temp is controlled so the only distillant I collect is water.


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## www.BigBugOutTrucks.com

paraquack said:


> I have a river nearby too. But I don't have to worry about the water. No bacteria or virus could possible live in that water!


WHY is this?


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## pharmer14

Water to me is a volume issue. You need to throw as many passive sources as possible at the problem. Roof collection systems, streams if you have access, solar distillation to either recycle grey water or pull water out of leaves or grass... etc, etc, etc... Winter climates make the choice painfully obvious... 

There are also videos out there demonstrating how you can drill your own well if you live in the right area... I always thought that if you live in the right place, and old fashioned well with a hand pump on it would be a brilliant investment. It's probably something I'll look into once I stop renting and buy a place.


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## pharmer14

paraquack said:


> I have a river nearby too. But I don't have to worry about the water. No bacteria or virus could possible live in that water!


Ever take a walk up stream??? If you live near a major city (Chicago), there's no way to ensure a germ free water supply.


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## paraquack

I referring to the idea the water is so polluted that not even germs could survive in it! LOL

Illinois is a unique place. Example: Chicago only has sanitary sewer system, it also handles all storm/rain water run off in the same sewer lines. All water is treated and then dumped in the river, etc. When it pours like crazy, the treatment plants can't handle the water, and in the early days, they simply let the contaminated water flow out into the river. Now they have dug the "Deep Tunnel Project" to hold all the water. Very deep tunnel storage system that doesn't seem to hold enough. Then they pump the the contaminated water up and treat it. Unfortunately it never seems to be enough storage so...


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## usfilters

Free Shipping during the month of May.
Check out usterrafilter


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## usfilters

*Free Shipping through the month of May*

usTerrafilter will not get clogged, uses one filter medium, gravity fed, 5 gal at a time, will remove viruses and will last for at least 5 to 10 years.
You won't stick this filter in your backpack, but when you get to where you are going you will be glad you had it. Removes 99.9% viruses, parasites and bacteria.
Designed for retreat and home use.
US Terra Filter | Water Purification


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## IngaLisa

We plan to distill what we need for drinking and cooking. I am on a RO, so we only get 3 gallons of water per day from it any way. Until I can afford a Bison hand pump, we are using an amish well bucket as our emergency back up, and then distilling the water using a pressure cooker and Vortex distiller. I had to get a rocket stove to use the pressure cooker on. :/ Boiling our water would only make the nitrate level worse, and it is already over twice the safe water drinking level. We are our in 'pristine' farm country.


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## Rambo Moe

Just bottled water (120L), and some iodine and chlorine for purification of other sources I may find.


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## SquirrelBait

I live a few blocks from a river, I have nearly three months worth of stored drinking water, And a Berkey.

I will be putting some silver and copper coins in the bottom of the Berkey to keep the water from stagnating. The silver and copper generate a mild charge that will hamper growth of the little nasties.

Edit: I forgot to mention the filter straw I carry in my daily carry bag...Ooops!


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## RNprepper

100 gallons in 15 and 30 gal barrels, + 20 individual gallons in the house + 1 gal in each of our "get home" bags. Then we have 13,000 gal. capacity in rain water catchment off our house and barn roof areas. Even though the large tanks will only fill twice a year with our whopping 6 inches of annual rainfall (at our house), the capacity is adequate with two fillings per year - summer and winter. Filter through a biosand system and then use UV sunlight to sterilize. (Glass bottles of water on a shiny piece of corregated roofing will be sterilized after 8 hours in the sun.) I have backup Katadyne filters, but hopefully only for use in bug out situations. Boiling is last resort, as fuel will be precious. 

BOL has 300 ft. private well. Should we lose ability to pump from the well (ie: no gas for generator) then there is a spring 1 mile away. The mules will haul water in 7 gallon containers - one on each side. 3 mules X 14 gal = 42 gal. per trip. 2 trips per day will supply enough water for family and mules.


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