Water, how long?

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when i bought my place many years ago the fiorst thing i did was instal a hand pump for the well. worth every penny for peace of mind and works very well. its used it now and then, its gotten ot be a bit of a pia for an opld lady but it works, i can use it and thats whats important. . im just getting old, but when a storm is coming i will fill up some buckets for flushing, washing, coffee, several containers in the kitchen for coffee, drinking water, cooking, coffee, tea, ---did i mention coffee?

i also have a couple iof the solar camp showers i can hang on the porch in full sun for dishes or showers. got some rain water cubes i use every year for extra water for the garden.. thats a big deal and i need to get another.

in the Sw water is pretty serious especially these days, lol.
 
Water was high priority for me too - so I made sure to have more than I would ever need.

We store water in:
  • Rain water tanks setup beside virtually every building we have - the total number of tanks is seven and the capacity is about 40,400 gallons
  • Gully dams - built back when we were able to do so without getting approval - they are all fed with surface runoff from our land or the adjacent forest - the total capacity is about 12 million gallons. They were all dug very deep to minimize summer evaporation. The dam water can be filtered as it doesn't have any contaminants that are dissolved or particularly toxic
Many people get wells - but we never did drill for water. The closest we have to a well is a couple of holes dug into the summer flats where they get seepage water from the natural water table. Around here, that is described as a "soak" or a "drag hole" (presumably because they were mostly dug out using tractors dragging a bucket on a cable).
 
Currently at Mom's house. We've relied on rain catchment for over 60 years at this location. Two bathroom, clothes washer, two loads today, and a dishwasher. It has been years since we ran out. If I'm dipping water out of the cistern with a bucket we'll use even less. We'll do fine.
 
We have rain water catchment.

A stream that I drink from constantly with no filter. As well as pumps to lift the water from the stream to the tanks if needed. Pumps of various sizes ..so solar or generator driven. Also have the makings for a hydraulic ram pump if it comes to that.

A well with 3 ways of getting water - solar deep well pump, normal deep well pump I can run off the generator, hand pump because although the well is 115 feet deep the static water level is 4 to 10 feet depending on the season. Back up's of all 3 pumps.

And honestly in this place if you dig a hole deeper than 3 feet water is going to start seeping into it.

So I would like to think my water is not tied to the grids existence...or lack thereof here
 
Water is the least of my worries. We have our own catchment system, and our average precipitation per year is 38" of rain and 18" of snow. There is a creek that runs through our subdivision; behind the houses across the street from me that I can access without touching anybody else's property. There are two lakes that are within walking distance and a river close enough to access. The lakes and river would require some type of transportation, but a bicycle would work nicely.

The last piece of the puzzle, and I hope I never even find out if it is viable, our house was supposedly built over an old creek. We do have a sump pump in the basement that runs occasionally. If the power was down for any prolonged period of time I may have more water than I could even imagine. :good luck:
 
In the 80's, not long after we bought our property, we developed a spring fed gravity feed system, after I built two pickup points at the spring we've never lacked having water. The pickup points get silted in and root clogged but once they are cleaned out there's no problems, then came the heat and drought and now I believe that only prayer keeps the spring going.
 
Yep, we'll have water, even when it's -30ºF. (and, maybe some bear meat, too :) )
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The 200 watts portable solar panels that we used to keep the RV charged when we boon dock can be repurposed to keep the communication equipment powered and batteries recharged. At the moment I can't think of anything else we would need power for. Generator (and the LP for it) will be saved for emergency use only. We don't want the noise of a running generator to advertise "Come and get it!".


We have a rain catchment system that also serves as a vehicle barrier. Wife thinks it is a garden fountain. My calculations show it holds 5,600 liters.

We have a ditch on our property that runs 10 months out of the year.

We have food grade barrels and the materials to quickly build a roof rain catchment when needed (SHTF).

Also have the materials to cobble a well bucket and winch. Which it would be a great idea to actually build it now and have it ready.

We would have to use the "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down" principle until the outhouse is built over the septic tank clean-out.
 
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Yeah, we're fortunate to have a natural spring on our property. The area we're in gets a lot of precipitation, and rain catchment is in place. And, we're less than two miles from one of the world's larges sources of fresh water (Lake Ontario). And we have several purification systems (Berkey and similar). So on the water front, I'm good.
 
LadyLocust said:
A river - would need to be filtered, but that's doable in dire situations.
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Yes, it definitely would. Truthfully I would filter and purify all of the surface water. The only thing I would trust would be rain from the sky into my containers. Even rain that comes from the roof would have to be purified.
 
At the BOL I have a spring that starts on my place. I have 2 wells that I had drilled. Great water. I have made well buckets that work well. I do have a pump but I still need 7/16ths sucker rod. I really need to get that. I made a pump head but that was also stolen. probably for scrap. I do have water though and it sounds as though everyone else has their water situation squared away.
 
Morgan101 said:
Yes, it definitely would. Truthfully I would filter and purify all of the surface water. The only thing I would trust would be rain from the sky into my containers. Even rain that comes from the roof would have to be purified.
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Hubby and I were talking recently about the rivers back east and down south always looking murky. Our rivers are usually from the mountains (springs, mountain filtered etc) or snow melt. There are many rivers around here in the mountains that are safe to drink. During spring runoff, it's best to boil first so you don't end up with beaver-fever. We now live in the valley so the river gets the filtration of the farm fields and all those glorious chemicals that leach into the waterways.
 
The wife has been talking about adding some (~4) small (2.5 gallon) containers of water to our water storage, we have larger barrel type containers, but the smaller ones could be useful in carrying water from the water storage to a counter next to a Berkey type water filter set up. I would rather carry 2 2.5 gallon jugs instead of trying large buckets or jerry cans....

This seems to be a good add, but as I was thinking about it I also thought about sanitation water. I know that many people have bath-tub BOBs, but where are they (in storage shelves someplace?)? I have started thinking about pre-positioning catchment containers that could be quickly filled in the event of a "slow moving" SHTF event. For example if you have city water and no other resources could/should you place buckets and your BOBs close to where you would be filling them. I know buckets are bulky but would a couple of 3 gallon buckets in the bathrooms allow you to flush after the water stops? I mean if you only have a couple hours to top off things, do you want to spend that time trying to find a container?

And heating water can be a whole other bucket of worms (you don't think about it until you don't have it...)

Any ideas would be useful....
 
UrbanHunter said:
The wife has been talking about adding some (~4) small (2.5 gallon) containers of water to our water storage, we have larger barrel type containers, but the smaller ones could be useful in carrying water from the water storage to a counter next to a Berkey type water filter set up. I would rather carry 2 2.5 gallon jugs instead of trying large buckets or jerry cans....

This seems to be a good add, but as I was thinking about it I also thought about sanitation water. I know that many people have bath-tub BOBs, but where are they (in storage shelves someplace?)? I have started thinking about pre-positioning catchment containers that could be quickly filled in the event of a "slow moving" SHTF event. For example if you have city water and no other resources could/should you place buckets and your BOBs close to where you would be filling them. I know buckets are bulky but would a couple of 3 gallon buckets in the bathrooms allow you to flush after the water stops? I mean if you only have a couple hours to top off things, do you want to spend that time trying to find a container?

And heating water can be a whole other bucket of worms (you don't think about it until you don't have it...)

Any ideas would be useful....
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We have water stored in many ways. We lose our electric often in the winter, five days was our longest outage. Heavy duty barrels for the donkeys. They have frozen solid but rarely. Heavy plastic jugs (like vinegar comes in) in the house, probably fifty gallons right now! When we know bad weather is coming we have sanitized buckets just for cooking, washing that we fill along with the extra bathtub. We have a wood stove that is our main source of heat and can cook on it so it is an advantage no everyone has! I think sanitizing heavy jugs/containers with a good kid is the a good source of clean water.
 
As you know I live in a smaller space than most. My solution to having empty water containers close by, but out the way was to store them in a deck box outside near the door. It's about 5 foot by 2.5. Visually more pleasing that just a random pile somewhere. And keeps the ones designated potable water separate from just general use ones. I have about 15 x 2.5 gallon water containers and a bunch of buckets there. There are more in the shed but that's obviously more time and digging to get them out.

I don't have a water heater, or geyser, or whatever they are called here. Year round if I want hot water it is obtained one of 4 ways:
Pot over the fire outside
Pot or kettle on the wood stove
Kettle on the propane stove.
Solar bag.

Sorry, not sure any of those will help your situation. You will be surprised how much hot water you don't need when getting it is a pain.
Also you can have a perfect "bath" outside with a bucket, one kettle of hot water, and some cold to mix in. Including washing very long hair.
But that's probably rather too rough for most folks. And it helps not to have neighbors 🙃
 
I once lived in what could be described as a run down trailer, it had no hot water heater due to no propane tank... I found bathing in the winter was a little unpleasant, I had no central heat and had a space heater in the bathroom... I placed a 5 gallon glass jug about 2 feet in front of the space heater, it would heat the bathroom and the water a little over night.... but without power even that would not work...

Now, we have a flat topped wood stove, normally keep a kettle on it when we are using it a lot, so I guess we could replace that with a large stock pot to have enough water ready on demand.
 
Look around your area as to what might remain of old homesteads that stood housing a family say a 100 years ago . They were likely all built beside a natural water source . Some I have noticed their water supply was only a slow water seepage from the ground . Poor water sources were causing a horrific death toll on children . Just look at the tombstones and dates carved into them in a very old cemetery . How many houses in your area are sitting by a natural water source that hasn't been polluted with farming run off chemicals ? When electricity is a thing of the past not many houses will have water for long when the emergency community water generators run out of fossil fuel and they stop . These are things that should have been pondered and prepared for years ago . --- A few weeks without running water and most will pack their belongings and camp by a natural water source as fuel for transporting water in their vehicle will also run out , with no electricity the fuel stations shut down . There as starvation from no food coming in will soon turn into a squatter settlement murdering and robbing each other for a morsel of food . Then like a horde of locust will as a pack descend upon farms devouring their crops and livestock . ---Then there is the city folks to consider , Just hours after their water seizes we could expect gangs of desperate people attacking rural folks for their resources . ---We can hope the above scenario never happens . But as for me and my group we will not bet our lives and children's lives that it will not . We have taken measures to insure a forever supply of healthy water without the need for electricity . Protection from a starving hoard of people has also been prepared for though as in any battle the outcome can not be absolute .
 
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Don't forget the potential for roof catchment, even here in the high desert. Between that, a hand-dug well plus a drilled well and a seasonal creek, I should be ok for minimal subsistence with good management, meaning storage. Off-grid already, so as long as batteries last for the wells, then micro management.
 
We use 1 gallon plastic milk jugs; 1/2 gallon juice bottles; and two liter soda bottles, and have them stashed all over the house. We have some larger (15 gallon) containers in the garage. Milk jugs aren't the best, I know, but we rotate stock, and they would be safe for most uses.

Even if the power was out we could still purify. Heating would be an arduous process, but could be done.
 
Space Weather News ----- For those that think running out of water , brought on by running out of electricity can not happen just watch the post above just put up this very morning . Two solar flares erupted and flung out of the sun just this morning . A lot of things going on right now in an unstable galaxy . We could instantly be thrown into life with fried electronics , electrical transformers and melted power lines . We all may get to see if our backup water plan is adequate .
 
I have a rain water collection system, and have verified it's operation and my storage options. But, from Late November to Late April anything outside freezes so that option dies.... So that is 5 months when I would need to resort to using stored water, on average we (people) consume 5 to 6 gallons a day and we need a minimum of 1 gallon a day for drinking....

So I need to figure out how to store (assuming 4 people) 600 gallons of drinking water and 1200 gallons of sanitation water. This is assuming we can replenish our supplies when things warm up using rain water.... Here it rains on average every 3 days so if I assume I need to cover 18 days(safety factor included) in warm weather, I still need to store about 75 gallons of drinking and 150 gallons of sanitation water. All this is assuming that we can cut our non-drinking water consumption by over 50%...

If you were planning on a full year without re-supply you would need 3000 gallons for sanitation and 1440 gallons for drinking... Assuming 4 people at 3 gallons per person per day.
 
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