Preparedness Part 5 – Water Management Considerations

Preparedness Part 5 – Water Management Considerations

Don Hodge for 4^thTriage
In collaboration with Will Stewart  

10/14/2010 11:29 a10/p10

Although it may seem strange, your water management starts with sanitation.


Improper sanitation will contaminate your water supply. That can kill you - and your community. Conversely, members of your community can spread disease and wipe out your family through improper sanitation. Here are a couple basics to keep in mind during the disaster and the recovery period.

• Toilets will flush themselves when you are urinating, but require some water for bowel movements.
  
  • Country rules – if it’s yellow let it mellow; if it’s brown flush it down.
    
  • A couple of bricks in the toilet tank will reduce water usage when flushing.
    
  • Fill tank with “gray” water (used already for washing), from waterbeds (contaminated by chemicals), or possible contaminated water.
    
  • If you can, don’t use drinkable water to fill tank.
  • You can also use a 3-5 gallon bucket to pour directly into the bowl to flush. This requires some practice to avoid obvious overflow.
    
    
• If you can’t use house sewage/septic system, don’t risk contaminating the water supply with human waste. Deposit waste well away from water supplies. Remember, rain happens – and stuff flows downhill!
• 5 gal. plastic buckets can be used to make a field potty.
  
  • Form a seat by taping together a number of cardboard pieces and cutting a hole in the center.
    
  • Place a garbage bag inside a paper bag. Place both inside bucket.
    
  • After use, sprinkle bleach in bucket.
    
  • When bag is partly full – don’t overfill so bag bursts – remove and place in leak proof container.
    
  • Put container in a place where it won’t be knocked over. Place as far away from living and eating areas as practical.
    
  • Protect from rain and flooding so you don’t allow waste to contaminate rivers, streams, and/or community water supply.
    
• If you must dig a latrine pit, avoid low spots, dig 12”-18” deep, and locate away from sleeping/living areas. If possible, protect from rain and/or flooding.

Guidelines for managing Water –

• VERY IMPORTANT, drink only water that you know is not contaminated.
• In addition to having a bad odor and taste, contaminated water can contain microorganisms (giardia, etc.) that cause diseases such as dysentery, cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis.
  
• Treat all water of uncertain quality before using it for drinking, food washing or preparation, washing dishes, brushing teeth, or making ice.
  
• Safe sources
  
  • Captured rainwater. Preferably collected in an establish storage system. If not, be sure your collection containers are chemical free.
    
  • Melted ice-cubes.
    
  • Water drained from an undamaged water heater.
    
  • Water drained from household pipes.
    
  • Any tubs or containers you filled before/as the disaster hit.
  • Commercially bottled water and water stored in your disaster kit.
  • Liquids from canned goods - such as fruits or vegetables.
    
• Un-safe - possibly contaminated sources
  
  • Rivers, streams, ponds, lakes
    
  • Home radiators, hot water boilers (home heating system)
    
  • Water beds (fungicides added to the water or chemicals in the vinyl may make water unsafe to drink)
    
  • Water from the toilet bowl or flush tank
    
  • Swimming pools and spas (chemicals used to kill germs are too concentrated for safe drinking but can be used for personal hygiene, cleaning, and related uses)
    
• Hot temperatures may double the 1 gal./day normal minimum needs per person.
• Allow people to drink according to their needs.
  
• Never ration water unless ordered to do so by authorities.
• Do not drink carbonated beverages instead of drinking water. They de-hydrate you causing you to need more water.
• If you hear reports of broken water/sewage lines or if local officials advise you of a problem, turn off the main water valve to your house. You will need to protect the water sources already in your home from contamination.
• To use the water in your pipes, let air into the plumbing by turning on the faucet in your home at the highest level. A small amount of water will trickle out. Then obtain water from the lowest faucet in the home.
  
• To use the water in your hot-water tank, be sure the electricity or gas is off, and open the drain at the bottom of the tank. Start the water flowing by turning off the water intake valve at the tank and turning on the hot water faucet. Refill the tank before turning the gas or electricity back on.
  

Water treatment methods.

There are many ways to treat water. None is perfect. Often the best solution is a combination of methods. Before treating, let any suspended particles settle to the bottom or strain them through coffee filters or layers of clean cloth.

NOTE: there are many, relatively cheap, water purification devices (like those from Katadyn, MSR, PUR, and First Needs) in backpacking stores or online ( REI.com , cabelas.com , etc. ). These devices are lite-weight and more precious than gold.

Make sure you have the necessary materials in your disaster kit for your chosen water treatment method.

Boiling method of water treatment

• In a large pot or kettle, bring water to a rolling boil for 1 full minute, keeping in mind that some water will evaporate. Let the water cool before drinking.
• Boiled water will taste better if you put oxygen back into it by pouring the water back and forth between two clean containers. This also will improve the taste of stored water.

Chlorination method of water treatment

• Use only regular household liquid bleach that contains 5.25 to 6.0 percent sodium hypochlorite. Do not use scented bleaches, color safe bleaches, or bleaches with added cleaners. Use bleach from a newly opened or unopened bottle since the potency of bleach diminishes with time.
• Use a medicine dropper set aside for this and only this.
• Add 16 drops (1/8 teaspoon) of the bleach per gallon of water (or 8 drops to a two-litter bottle), stir, and let stand for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight bleach odor. If it doesn’t, then repeat the dosage and let stand another 15 minutes. If it still does not smell of chlorine, discard it and find another source of water
  
• Other chemicals, such as iodine or water treatment products sold in camping or surplus stores that do not contain 5.25 to 6.0 percent sodium hypochlorite as the only active ingredient are not recommended.

Distillation method of water treatment

• While the two methods described above will kill most microbes in water, distillation will remove microbes that resist these methods, heavy metals, salts, and most other chemicals.
• Distillation involves boiling water and then collecting only the vapor that condenses.
  
  • To distill, fill a pot halfway with water – strained to remove dirt, twigs, leaves, etc.
    
  • Tie a cup to the handle on the pot's lid so that the cup will hang right-side-up when the lid is upside-down (make sure the cup is not dangling into the water)
  • Boil the water for 20 minutes. The water that drips from the covering into the collection container is distilled.
    
  • This method uses a lot of fuel. Try to use what you have most of – usually wood.
    
• A second, much slower method of distilling is the solar still.
  • You place a container in the ground. This could be a sheet of plastic.
    
  • Place water in your container.
    
  • You will need a collection system around the outside of the water.
    
  • You place a plastic (and transparent) tent-like covering over the water.
    
  • Secure the ends of your ‘tent’ over your collection container(s) so that distilled droplets will run down the plastic into those containers.
    
  • Collect distilled water when polluted water has evaporated. Refill as needed.