Water

Out in California, on the PCT, we actually drank from springs occasionally. They were shooting out of the ground. Normally we would sterilize our water, but we didn't bother to do this whenever we found an underground spring. Our understanding was that the spring water would always be fresh and clean. It was indeed delicious water.

 

As everyone knows life expectancy will be short without a reliable and plentiful water supply . How many of our members would last a year if the power grid went down , thus losing municipality supplied water and municipality supplied electricity to pump water from your own well ? I know we have some that have that essential element covered but suspect some do not . I suspect quite a few wouldn't last a month much less a year . Just driving down the road and looking at where houses are built with no sign of being able to obtain water at their location is something I notice " and that is in the rural area " . I guess their only hope would be to flee to somewhere else along with hundreds of their neighbors and develop a shanty town near water . Then starvation for food sets in leaving them vulnerable to the starving neighbors . A census of those capable of surviving a year or more with their water supply would be interesting .

 

I have been drinking untreated well water for a lot of my life. Groundwater in the deep aquifers was laid down millennia ago and is clean and pure. Even the shallow water from personal wells is well filtered by the soil as it leaches down through the various different soil and sand layers. It may pick up some various contaminants like sulfur, coal, lime or where I live natural gas but there is little worry about bacterial or viral contamination.

On a side note, it isn't uncommon in East Texas to be able to light a fire out of a faucet from a personal well. The natural gas comes up with the water. The amount isn't dangerous but it is surprising the first time you see someone turn on a water faucet and then set fire to the water.

Surface water, even in a fast-running stream can be contaminated by the urine and feces of any critter or human that is upstream of you. Always filter or purify surface water if you can. I will drink from a fresh puddle before I would drink from a stream.

 

Water is the least of my worries; almost to the point of it being a joke. I blame this, of course, on marrying a Pisces. How can a fish be very far from water? We will start from the center, and work our way out. Rumor had it when my house was built when the contractor was digging the basement they hit a natural spring. Additional drain tile was used to channel the water to the storm sewer. Our entire subdivision had been the site of a public, spring fed, swimming pool. From the drawings I have seen, my house was in the deep end. Supposedly the spring was just buried. I do have a sump pump, and it runs periodically. If the power was out I might be able to go into the water business. I don't know if or when it would reach equilibrium, and I hope I never find out. You can't get any closer than that.

In the front yard I have a decorative pond. Not clean by any means, but it stores around 50 gallons, and it is clean-able. More on that later. In the backyard we have a cement fountain. Not plumbed, but again it has three levels, and it will store quite a bit. Both of these could be used to harvest rainwater.

Also in the backyard we have a 40 gallon storage tank that is connected to one of the downspouts coming from the roof. This would have to be purified, but that is not a problem. Across the street and easily accessible we have a fresh water creek that runs through the subdivision. It is not more than 100 yards from my front door. Taking a five gallon bucket to the creek would not be a problem.

Moving a little farther out, but within 1/4 to 1/2 mile there are two nice sized lakes. These are on private property, so the owners may not want to share. Hard to say. Go about 3/4's to a mile away there is a legitimate river. Public access. You would need some type of wheeled device to haul what you get, but all within my capabilities. I have the containers, and a method of hauling everything albeit with some elbow grease.

I have additional storage capabilities to harvest/keep more rain water if necessary. I have ample wood, a fire pit and pots to be able to boil whatever I need, and access to ample wood if my supply starts to dwindle. I have containers to store what has been boiled, and can easily keep everything separated if need be.

I like to think this is one commodity I have thought through pretty thoroughly, and I feel very well prepared.