Suburban/Urban Potable Water Preparations

Started by Raptor, September 05, 2022, 10:44:55 AM

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Raptor

This article in my local paper is IMO an issue that is not just confined to my area.
https://www.nola.com/news/environment/article_8652ea08-2a2f-11ed-bb61-3bec44b242ac.html

I would like to use this thread to discuss what is IMO one of the top three preparations. You will die in 3 days without water. You can contract a large number of really unpleasant waterborne illnesses (some fatal) from contaminated water.

In most parts of the developed world we take for granted that water will flow form the tap and that the water is safe to drink. It may have various taste issues but in general we assume it is safe. That makes us complacent and can bight us.

Generally drinking water systems are safe but like everything, "CACA" happens sometimes literally in the water supply.
"CACA" happens sometimes literally in the water supply.

You have no doubt heard of the Michigan lead contaminated water issue.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/key-moments-flint-michigans-lead-tainted-water-crisis-75207175

Then there is the recent issue of Jackson MS and the collapse of their potable water system.
 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jackson-water-crisis-normal-pressure-restored-most-of-mississippi-city-officials-say/

In 2019 my office building in the CBD dealt with 10 separate boil water advisories
https://www.wdsu.com/article/new-orleans-dealt-with-10-boil-water-advisories-in-2019/30301184

A "newish" subdivision near NOLA had and still has a potable water issue.
https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/northshore/nausea-rashes-sores-slidell-residents-water-sickened/289-7332062a-6047-4f2d-859f-c29dabaf857f

All of these are issues that occurred with little prior notice. One day everyone woke up and you could not or did not want to use tap water. This of course has happened in the aftermath of a weather event but you do then get some advance warning and notice.

A water storage of at least 10 days per person should be your minimum goal. If you use tap water this should be one the cheapest preps you have.

We have threads on water storage already but do feel free to post your thoughts, preps and plans here on that subject for further discussion.

I however do want to discuss what you can do on a day to day basis to ensure that the water you use for cooking, coffee/tea and drinking is reasonable safe to drink. 

In my case I have some basic water filters in the ice maker water supply lines, counter top drinking water pitchers. I also have tap mounted filters. I do not like bottled water for the simple reason this has proved to be contaminated.

Filters for municipal drinking water frequently are not certified for "raw" water they are designed for municipal water supplies.

Be aware that not all filters are created equal. Many are only "taste" filters. They simply removed chlorine and other contaminants that affect taste. Others remove a lot more. Also a key point is that many discuss dissolved solids (like Zero brand). Not all dissolved solids are bad. In fact mineral water is full of dissolved solids that people pay extra to consume.

So how can yo tell?

Filters (at least in the US) are required to disclose what they filter. In fact most filters will have some NSF certification on the box. They are generally certified by NSF and if so the filters will remove whatever they claim to remove for the specified gallons. Generally 200 gallons for smaller filters.

An NSF 42 certification is really simply a taste filter. It will not remove lead or other dangerous contaminants.

An NSF certification is a higher standard and typically (but not always read the box first) will remove contaminants like lead and mercury. This is the filter you should consider.

There are other NSF certifications for the removal of other contaminates. You may want these based upon your individual site specific needs.

You should consider using such filters for the water that you consume for your day to day consumption.   

I will pass along a "cheat" that I use to extend the filter life and maximize filtration. I draw filtered water from a tap and then pour that water into a filtered pitcher (a Zero brand) and use that water for coffee, tea or basic consumption. 
 
My refrigerator has a water water filter the ice maker and water tap. It was originally equiped with an NSF 42 taste filter. However, I was able to find replacement cartridges that are NSF 53 certified for lead and other heavy metals. So I upgraded to that brand.



Folks you are on your own...Plan and act accordingly!

I will never claim to have all the answers. Depending upon the subject; I am also aware that I may not have all the questions much less the answers. As a result I am always willing to listen to others and work with them to arrive at the right answers to the applicable questions.

flybynight

#1
Well first off, I'm on a well for  all home use. The well is 92 ft deep and the water table is normally 40  to 50 ft  ( but I've seen it really shallow. (Like 6 ft post holes filling with water ). Where the water line comes into the basement , after the pressure tank , I have a whole house filter. We installed that for rusty colored water . The water is soft and quite good tasting. The well pump was replaced  less than two years ago so should outlast us. My primary concern is loss of power to the pump. I have a 6500 watt portable generator for back up power. I'm tryin to figure out an enclosure to make it emp proof. And I would like to have some type of auxiliary power plug to attach a electric cord from the generator without removing the well cap.
  As back up there is a mineral water spring in town that a lot of people swear by and s naturally flowing into a small pool .
"Hey idiot, you should feel your pulse, not see it."  Echo 83

EBuff75

Quote from: flybynight on September 05, 2022, 06:42:39 PMI'm tryin to figure out an enclosure to make it emp proof.
Maybe one of those metal shed kits that you can get for a few hundred dollars. 

My parents' old house had ground water at the 6-8 ft depth, but it was really mucky stuff (and caused issues with the basement).  Their well was something like 400ft deep to get to decent water.  Unfortunately, even that was very hard water with lots of iron in it, so the pump (which was at the bottom of the well) kept having to be replaced.  When it failed the second or third time, my parents gave up and got connected to the city water that had been run through their neighborhood since the previous pump replacement. 
Information - it's all a battle for information. You have to know what's happening if you're going to do anything about it. - Tom Clancy, Patriot Games

flybynight

Quote from: EBuff75 on September 05, 2022, 06:59:32 PM
Quote from: flybynight on September 05, 2022, 06:42:39 PMI'm tryin to figure out an enclosure to make it emp proof.
Maybe one of those metal shed kits that you can get for a few hundred dollars. 

My parents' old house had ground water at the 6-8 ft depth, but it was really mucky stuff (and caused issues with the basement).  Their well was something like 400ft deep to get to decent water.  Unfortunately, even that was very hard water with lots of iron in it, so the pump (which was at the bottom of the well) kept having to be replaced.  When it failed the second or third time, my parents gave up and got connected at had been run through their neighborhood since the previous pump replacement. 
All the metal sheds we've had through the years have been to porous to be effective EMP protection . .
   Yea there is a water line that runs along the street that I have resisted since we moved here . Mostly because I'm a cheap MF who doesn't want to pay to hook up to the line and pay a bill monthly. Plus my water tastes better :slide:
"Hey idiot, you should feel your pulse, not see it."  Echo 83

Raptor

#4
I have both well water and "county" water going to the farm. I use the well water for agricultural uses. It has sulfur and a rotten egg taste, but it can be filtered.

Well water has its own issues. I have the well water tested (for free) by the state Ag folks once a year. Normally it passes muster. However without testing it is possible for pesticides or someone else's septic tank to cause an undetected issue.

A shallow well under 100 feet can be accessed with a hand pump. It will not be fun but it can work.
https://www.amazon.com/TryE-Pitcher-Suction-Outdoor-Garden/dp/B07MFSHX9V/ref=sr_1_3?hvadid=78271653579352&hvbmt=bb&hvdev=c&hvqmt=b&keywords=manual+hand+water+pump+for+well&qid=1662478126&sr=8-3

Not an emp expert but i think the pump 100 +feet down the well should ok. However any surface electrics might not make it. 
Folks you are on your own...Plan and act accordingly!

I will never claim to have all the answers. Depending upon the subject; I am also aware that I may not have all the questions much less the answers. As a result I am always willing to listen to others and work with them to arrive at the right answers to the applicable questions.

Crosscut

Right after 9/11, along with talk of terrorists using crop dusters to spread anthrax, there was some concern that they might poison city water systems so I added a tap to the kitchen sink that had double filtering, first through a carbon block filter and then a .1 micron filter.  Without knowing what the water might be poisoned with (and how long it make take to discover it was poisoned) I figured this was better than nothing, and since we only used that tap for drinking/cooking water the filters didn't require replacement as often as a whole house system would.  No idea what the NSF rating/certifications were on them now however, but the .1 micron ones weren't cheap and I left a few for the new owners.

In our current home we have multiple layers of redundancy for potable water so we don't store any inside except what's in the water heater and pressure tank, plus five 5-gallon buckets I'll use for flushing if the batteries are low and I don't want the generator to start when the well pump turns on.

Quote from: flybynight on September 05, 2022, 07:16:25 PM
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 05, 2022, 06:59:32 PM
Quote from: flybynight on September 05, 2022, 06:42:39 PMI'm tryin to figure out an enclosure to make it emp proof.
Maybe one of those metal shed kits that you can get for a few hundred dollars. 

My parents' old house had ground water at the 6-8 ft depth, but it was really mucky stuff (and caused issues with the basement).  Their well was something like 400ft deep to get to decent water.  Unfortunately, even that was very hard water with lots of iron in it, so the pump (which was at the bottom of the well) kept having to be replaced.  When it failed the second or third time, my parents gave up and got connected at had been run through their neighborhood since the previous pump replacement. 
All the metal sheds we've had through the years have been to porous to be effective EMP protection . .
  Yea there is a water line that runs along the street that I have resisted since we moved here . Mostly because I'm a cheap MF who doesn't want to pay to hook up to the line and pay a bill monthly. Plus my water tastes better :slide:

I'd bet the shed provides some minimal shielding, maybe upgrade it with some of the aluminum attic radiant barrier over the gaps (with aluminum tape to secure it to the inside shed wall/ceiling), or use it to line a box to place over the generator - or both.

Raptor


Quote from: Crosscut on September 06, 2022, 09:09:21 AMRight after 9/11, along with talk of terrorists using crop dusters to spread anthrax, there was some concern that they might poison city water systems so I added a tap to the kitchen sink that had double filtering, first through a carbon block filter and then a .1 micron filter.  Without knowing what the water might be poisoned with (and how long it make take to discover it was poisoned) I figured this was better than nothing, and since we only used that tap for drinking/cooking water the filters didn't require replacement as often as a whole house system would. 

QFT. In case of water filtration it is not always an "all or nothing" need. If you can reduce a contaminant that is certainly better than nothing. In fact most contaminants are not completely filtered out but reduced to "safe" levels. Also while a filter may not be certified for removal of a contaminant it may reduce it (of course it may not it depends on the contaminant and the filter YMMV).

Also filtering water for the whole house is both expensive and except in extreme cases IMO a waste of money in many cases (but not all cases). Most water uses are for grey water use. Washing clothes, dishwashing, toilet flushing and other similar uses. It is a waste of effort to filter most grey water. Granted there are instances where this is not the case, for instance the case where water lines were connected to sewer lines is one such example. However lead contaminated water would not impact these grey water uses. 

Potable water uses are where your efforts should be focused (at least IMO). Activated carbon filters can work on a wide variety of materials and is a good place to start. They are cheap and provide a decent layer of protection. 

Back to the subject of well water.

I have a neighbor who uses a well pump that is solar powered. I think this is the setup but I am not sure. He had to replace his well pump and used this for a shallow agricultural water well.

https://www.amazon.com/ECO-WORTHY-Submersible-Extension-Irrigation-Breeding/dp/B086WC35P4/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=solar%2Bwater%2Bwell%2Bpump&qid=1662478359&sr=8-5&th=1

Folks you are on your own...Plan and act accordingly!

I will never claim to have all the answers. Depending upon the subject; I am also aware that I may not have all the questions much less the answers. As a result I am always willing to listen to others and work with them to arrive at the right answers to the applicable questions.

RoneKiln

Thanks. You just reminded me that I need to replace the filter in my camping water purifier and order a backup. 

It doubles as my emergency water filtration as well. I'm also going to invest in one of the gravity water filter kits too in case I'm looking after more people than just myself.
"Seriously the most dangerous thing you are likely to do is to put salt on a Big Mac right before you eat it and to climb into your car."
--Raptor

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