How much water do you think you use on a daily basis? Depending on your personal hygiene preferences:  5 gallons? 10 gallons? 20 gallons?

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the average American uses 80 – 100 gallons of water per day! In fact, over 410 billion gallons of water are withdrawn from the country’s water supply each day!

Now imagine that supply wasn’t available. What would you do? That’s why having an emergency water supply is so important – not only for natural disasters but water outages and other problems.

It’s recommended that you have 1/2 gallon of drinking water per day. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, recommends that you have 1 gallon of water per person per day for drinking AND hygiene. That means if you want to prepare for a month for a family of four, you’d need about 120 gallons of water!

You can see how water storage preparations would begin to add up!

That’s why our new 500 gallon water tank is a great way to help you prepare. This behemoth tank is a great way to prepare for a long time to come!

Good material. The lining is BPA-free with heavy-duty walls that are ¼” thick. The walls are made from food-grade high-density polyethylene. That means you can store water in it and not worry about harsh, man-made chemicals.

Space saving comparison. With the 500 gallon tank, you’ll save on space compared to 500 gallons of the equivalent tanks. The 500 gallon tank measures 4 feet wide by 5 ½ feet tall. That’s not much space when considering how much water you get!

How long will it last? If you follow FEMA’s recommendation of preparing 1 gallon of water per person per day, you’ll obviously be cutting back on your water consumption. If you chose to use more water per day, the 500 gallon tank would still last! You can use this chart to plan for your family’s needs:

Questions?
If you have any questions about the 500 gallon tank, we’d love to help! Post your questions below and we’ll answer!

Most people know that there are microscopic organisms in backcountry water that can make you sick. But how prevalent are these organisms?

Many people have tolerances to certain types of organisms in water and thus think that they don’t need to treat any of their water! However, there are many protozoa, bacteria and viruses that can cause severe illness.

Here are a few of the most common and threatening organisms, advised by Ray Brooks.

Protozoa
Protozoa are the most common disease causing organisms in backcountry water. They are also the largest and easiest to remove with microfiltration. However, they are the hardest to kill with chemicals.

Cryptosporidium. Cryptosporidium is a type of protozoa that is found in 97 percent of the rivers and lakes found the in the United States. In 1991, two studies found cryptosporidium present in 65 – 87 percent of U.S. surface water samples.

Giardia. Giardia is just as common as cryptosporidium in backcountry water. It’s estimated that 2- 5 percent of people have giardia at a given time in the U.S. In fact, from 1979 – 1988, an estimated 4,600 people were hospitalized per year as a result of giardia. The CDC reports during 1991 – 2000 show that giardia was a cause of 16.2 percent of reported infectious outbreaks spread through drinking water.

If you become infected with giardia or cryptosporidium symptoms can be very intense. They include watery diarrhea, abdominal cramping, weight loss, fever and vomiting.

The hard part about identifying protozoan infections is that they typically have a long incubation period. It typically takes 5 – 28 days before symptoms appear. Until 2005, people had to let these infections run its course. However, now a drug called Alinia can help.

You can also treat water with Katadyn or MSR microfilters to remove protozoa. Chlorine dioxide is also helpful in killing cryptosporidium.

Bacteria
Bacteria that is found in backcountry water that affects humans, is the same type of bacteria that is found in improperly processed meat. The method of transmission is the same – through traces of feces contamination.

Campylobacter jejuni. This is one one of the most common bacteria in backcountry water. C. jejuni can survive in high-altitudes. It can also survive in surface water for months at a time. C. jejuni can be carried by poultry, horses, cows, waterfowl, rodents, deer, elk and bears.

C. jejuni affects an estimated 1 million people every year. Symptoms include diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever. Symptoms usually arrive within 2 – 5 days of ingestion. Illness usually lasts a week.

E. coli. E. coli actually consists of four classes. These four classes cause gastroenteritis in humans. Symptoms include watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, low-grade fever, nausea and malaise. E. coli is usually found in the intestines.

Salmonella typhi. People affected by salmonella typhi know it by its common name – Typhoid Fever. There are about 400 cases reported in the U.S. each year and the majority of these cases originated from international travel. Typhoid fever can be life-threatening and it’s recommended that you get an immunization shot or booster before traveling internationally.

Cholera. Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The infection causes severe vomiting, leg cramping, water diarrhea and a rapid loss of body fluids. Without treatment, cholera can cause death within hours.

Bacteria can be removed from water through Katadyn, MSR filters and purification tablets.

Viruses
Viruses in water have only one source – human feces from infected carriers. The majority of outbreaks occur due to cross contamination. Outbreaks have also occurred from well or river water contaminated with raw sewage.

Enteric adenovirus & astroviruses. Enteric adenovirus is the most common virus found in water. It can cause respiratory problems but can also cause illnesses such as gastroenteritis, conjunctivitis, cystitis and rash illness. Enteric adenovirus causes 5 – 20 percent of the gastroenteritis in young children.

Norovirus and the calcivirus group. Noroviruses symptoms include headaches, fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms usually appear within 48 hours. Norovirus can survive in up to 10 ppm chlorine – well above the levels used in public water systems. You can, however, treat norovirus with chlorine dioxide at 1 ppm in 30 minutes.

Rotavirus. One of the hard things about rotavirus is that it has an incubation period of 2 days. Symptoms include vomiting and watery diarrhea for 3 – 8 days. They are usually accompanied by fever and abdominal pain. Children are particularly affected by rotavirus and account for the hospitalization of 55,000 children in the U.S. each year.

Hepatitis A. Hepatitis A can be very prevalent in water outside the U.S.. However, it can be present in backcountry water in our borders. Hepatitis A affects liver functions and can cause long-term problems. It’s recommended that you get an immunizations shot for international travel.

Enteroviruses. This family of viruses includes 62 separate viruses that can infect humans. Most of the viruses cause cold- or flu-like symptoms. However, some of them can cause Polio, aseptic meningitis and more.

To combat viruses in water, you should first use a microfilter, then treat the water for 15 minutes with chlorine dioxide.

Other concerns
Blue-green algae. Also known as Cyanobacteria, this algae can affect water’s color and smell. You should try and avoid cyanobacteria water, however, if you’re forced to use that water, try and filter water where the algae doesn’t seem to be as thick. Be sure to run the water through activated charcoal. Microfilters will remove the majority of the toxins.

Contaminated water. You’ve probably seen pools that have a skull-and-cross-bones sign in front of them. These pools are usually contaminated with metal deposits or chemicals. While activated charcoal will remove many organic chemicals, it probably won’t remove metals, salts, or carbonates.

Judy in Chicago had just purchased a new hose for her grandchildren to use as they played in the backyard during the summer.

However, she immediately returned the hose when she got home and read on the label, “Wash hands after use” due to the possibility of leached lead!

Findings
Many commercially bought water hoses contain dangerously high levels of lead which leech into the water flowing through them. In fact, according to Consumer Reports, water sitting in a garden hose that has been left in the sun can contain a level of lead that reaches 100 times over what is considered a safe amount.

Many garden hoses are made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) – a toxic plastic – and lead is often used as a stabilizer in PVC. The dangerous levels of lead in garden hoses could potentially cause lead poisoning, cancer, birth defects and/or reproductive harm. (Read the Natural News article.)

A few years ago, ABC did a report where they purchased 10 garden hoses from nation-wide distributors. They filled the hoses with water, sealed both ends, and allowed them to sit in the sun for a day. The water was then tested for lead.

Four of the 10 hoses were found to leak extremely high levels of lead into the water.

Filling your water storage with a hose
Many people use a simple garden hose to fill their water containers or tanks. This means that if you’re using an unsafe type of hose, you could be storing lead in your water tank!

Obviously, you don’t want to fill your emergency water supplies with lead! By purchasing a lead-free hose or a filter, you can ensure that this won’t happen.

What hoses are safe?
We’d answer that question by saying it’s OK to drink from a hose only if it’s labeled safe or if you flush it first. Otherwise, the water standing inside may contain worrisome amounts of lead and other chemicals that leach from the hose itself. Many hoses are made of polyvinyl chloride, which uses lead as a stabilizer…

When you buy a hose, choose one labeled safe for drinking. With any hose, flush it by letting
the water run for a minute or so before you drink. (Read the Consumer Report article.)

Previously, we addressed why rotating your water storage was so important. However, we had a lot of questions from people asking how to set up water storage. Here are a few tips to consider:

Type of container
Size. Make sure that the container is big enough for your needs. It’s recommended that you have 14 gallons per person in your family.

UV coated. You want to make sure that light isn’t getting in to your water. This can increase the possibility of contaminant growth inside the container or barrel. You want to make sure that it’s dark inside that tank!

Material. Besides making sure that you have a UV coating on the barrel, you’ll want to make sure that it’s BPA free. With some containers, BPA can seep into the water and create some problems.

Quality. You’ll also want to make sure that each of the containers is durable and won’t warp, crack or split easily.

Preparing the container
When you first purchase the tank or container, it might come with preparation directions. To ensure that the inside is clean, you can use a mild dish soap and clean water to wash out the inside walls, base and lid of the container.

We recommend using a Water Preserver to keep your water safe for 5 years. If you don’t use a water preserver, you’ll have to rotate your water storage every 6 – 12 months.

Installing the container
Place the tank or container in it’s final resting place.

You’ll want to place a wood board or block between the barrel and the cement. If you don’t, toxins from the cement can seep into your water supply. Don’t store water barrels directly on cement!

Fill the container half way. After you fill it half way you can check the seams the valves on your container, if you have them. (This is when you add the preserver.) Once the seals are checked, fill the rest of the container.

If you’re container is larger, you may want to strap the barrel or tank to the wall. This will prevent it from falling in an earthquake. I’ve seen many photos out there of people who staking their water barrels on home-made shelves and if you do this, you need to make sure that they are strapped down securely in case of an earthquake.

If you’d like to see a video demonstration, here ya go!

I tried to think of a good joke to start out this post. Something like “Canned water: Best thing since sliced … water?” and that’s where I stopped.

So instead, I’ll just get straight to the article on canned water.

History
During World War II, the United States decided that they were going to can water in order to ease shipment to the troops. They also found that the canned water wouldn’t spoil and could easily get to the location without a quick expiration date. The practice then spread to other sectors of the industry.

In fact, the Civil Defense Museum alone, produced over 240 million gallons of canned or barrelled water in1967. (Visit their site.)

Pros

1. Long shelf-life. Canned water lasts for a long time. While with some containers you have to empty and refill every year or so, you won’t have to refill canned water and it has a shelf-life of 30 years. Can’t really beat that.

Another cool thing about canned water’s shelf-life is that it’s not effected by temperature. While some food storage items’ shelf-life decreases with heat, the water’s shelf-life is not effected. In fact, Stevens Ecology has found that canned water that was made in the ‘50s was still safe to drink nearly 60 years later.

2. It’s ready to drink. While you might have to filter or purify a local water supply, canned water is ready to drink – no harmful bacteria or microbes in your canned water.

3. Small amounts of water. If you need water on the go, it is easier to take a small amount in stead of a 50 gallon water tank. The can allows you to take as much water as you need on the go.

Cons

1. Price. The number one problem that most people have with canned water is that they say that it’s expensive. Taking into account the can, the shipping weight for the supplier, and the water you save with utilities, it might cancel out the expense for some people. So don’t be too quick to place price on the cons’ side of the list.

2. Heavy. Water is already pretty heavy by itself but adding cans to the mix can definitely add to the weight of the product. Sometimes this can make your overall water storage very heavy, but at the same time, it can be pretty portable in small amounts.

When trying to understand all the different products we carry there are two products that can confuse a lot of people. These products are our Potable Aqua – Water  Purification Tablets and the Potable Aqua + PA Plus – Water Purification Tablets.  (Both of them are a must for your 72 hour and Emergency Kits.)

When drinking water is of questionable quality, that’s when you’d use your Portable Aqua Tablets.  The Potable Aqua germicidal tablets will make most water clean of bacteria and suitable for drinking. It doesn’t matter where you are, as long as you have a water source you can have drinkable water.

With our Potable Aqua & PA Plus tablets drinking water is safe with a two-step treatment process. For the first step, the tablets are used to disinfect the questionable drinking water and make it bacterialogically suitable to drink.  Step #2: After Portable Aqua tablets have treated the water, add P. A. Plus neutralizing tablets to remove the iodine taste and color.

I have noticed that the water has a hint of iodine as well as the color of a light brown in the water.  Both products will treat Bacteria, Protozoa, and Viruses, but the difference is the Portable Aqua + Pa Plus is the only one that will remove the flavor & color of the iodine. Now I personally have used the Portable Aqua when I go back packing and I personally do not have a problem with the water being discolored and a hint of iodine to the water, I just think it’s amazing that one little tablet can turn some simple creek water and turn it into safe drinkable water.

When planning for an emergency or any out door activities, make the Portable Aqua or the Portable Aqua + PA Plus your first pick in water purification tablets.

Step 1: Before filling a water container makes sure you clean it thoroughly before any other steps. You can safely clean a Food-Grade water container with dish soap and water. Another way to clean it is by adding 1 tsp. of liquid house bleach to 1-quart of water. Make sure all soap residues is out before filling the container with water.

Step 2: Fill container with regular tap water, for your lager containers like a 15-30 Gallons you might want to use your garden hose. WARNING: Your standard garden hose could contain a lead lining and is not recommended for water storage. If you are unable to know if your hose doesn’t contain lead, please check with your local home improvement store to locate a Lead-Free or Food-Grade Garden Hose.

Step 3: When using your standard tap water, it will render a 6-Month Shelf Life. To maximize the water supply it should be treated with water preserver (Add 8 drops of for every gallon of water). That will render the water a 5-Year Storage Life.

Step 4: Be sure to place the date on the water container so you know when you filled it, and when you’ll need to fill it, again. If you used chlorine treated water, rotate every 6 months. If you used water preserver or tablets rotate as often as the package indicates. Please feel free to use the Water Storage document bellow for your water storage needs.

Step 5: Store in a cool, dark place. It’s ideal to store water in a location where nothing in the home will be damaged if the container leaks. It’s also helpful to remember that you can improve the taste of the water by pouring it back and forth between containers before use.

Storing water is a very tricky thing to do. Shelf life is the biggest challenge. You can store water in large barrels, smaller 5 gallon containers and even with bottled water. Each method has different challenges, advantages and shelf life issues. Water that is stored by you out of the tap should be rotated annually. Bottled water purchased at your local retailer has about a 2 year shelf life. I recommend that you have some bottled water in your home if you are using it on a daily basis. Your price per ounce for bottled water is relatively inexpensive.

But the biggest problem with storing water is that people do not rotate the water as often as they need to. So when it comes time to use it, the water is not safe to drink and needs to be treated or filtered. Therefore, finding stored water that has an extended shelf life becomes very important for your emergency supplies. There are two options that I really like for portable, water storage. They are pouched water and boxed water. Both packaging options have a 5 year shelf life and are an excellent choice for portable, easy to store and carry water. I do not recommend pouched water for bulk water storage as your price per ounce becomes very expensive.

Let me give you a quick comparison of the water pouches and boxed water. Both taste great and don’t have any kind of aftertaste. Like I said both have a 5 year shelf life, which is far better than other water storage methods. So the difference boils down to packaging.

The Datrex water pouches are come in a 4.2 ounce foil pouch. These pouches were originally designed for use on lifeboats. 4.2 ounces is the recommended amount of water to drink with each meal during an emergency according the American Red Cross, so the portion is the right amount. The pouches are extremely durable and can take up to 600 psi before bursting. They can be frozen without bursting which allows them to be used for first-aid purposes. The shelf life is not affected by temperature and so they can withstand a large amount of temperature fluctuation. The pouches are about 6”x4” and are about ½” inch thick. Their biggest drawback is that after they are opened, you need to drink the whole amount. Normally, with 4.2 ounces that is not a big deal, but it might be with smaller children. There is a tare notch at the top of each pouch to make the easy to open.

AquaBlox is the boxed water brand and the small box contains 8.5 ounces of water. Think of juice box full of water instead of juice. Each box comes with its own straw attached. The box is 4” x 2 ½” x 1 ½” inches in size. AquaBlox shares all the same attributes as the Datrex water pouches except that it comes in this small box. The two biggest drawbacks with the boxed water is durability and portion size. Like most juice boxes, boxed water can crush easily. So if it is in a 72 hour emergency survival kit with other supplies it can get crushed and leak. The portion size is a plus and a minus. It is more water than you would need at one meal, but is also more water than what comes in the Datrex water pouch. The advantages are that they come in an easy use box with a straw and are very simple to use for children. AquaBlox work very well in institutional settings like a school where children will be using the product.