Prepare: Where to get water post-SHTF

Nuclear war, EMP burst, financial collapse. Every day emergencies, but where do we get water from?

Without fresh water, you die of dehydration. No water to clean with. To cook with. A world without water is a nasty place you won't live in long.

Right now, your home water comes from the faucet. Most of us are on "city water" which comes from a processing plant a long way from home. The water company provides water pressure in the pipes which allows the water to come out the faucet when we turn on the tap.

If the power goes out, or the water supply is disrupted, or the system is damaged, then no water. If you have ever had your water out because of a line break, you know how rough this is.

Now some are fortunate to be on well water. However, they are not out of the woods yet. Wells are no longer the bucket on a rope affair we have in mind when we think of wells. Rather, they are a deep shaft under the house with a powered pump lifting the water out of the depths. Even the infamous pitcher pump is no longer found in the home and those only work for shallow depth wells.

So if the power goes out, then the home with a well may also have no fresh water either.

So what to do?

If you have a well, the answer is easy. Have an alternate power source equal to pumping the water up to the house. Also needed is a power source for a pressue tank.

If you do not have a well, you may want to consider getting one. Yes, most municipalities frown on new well permits in the city, but an enterprising soul could look into "sand point wells" on the Internet and check out the farm and ranch store for the neccessary hardware. If someone were to put in their own sand point well in the backyard over the weekend, who would be the wiser? Just sayin...

Other water sources

Is there a water source on or near your home? A creek, pond, lake, river or stream? Even if the water is questionable, follow the Prepare Three Rule For Water - Boil, Filter, Bleach. Do this and any water is drinkable.

(Stock some camp stove cylinders, big jugs of bleach and water filters now).

Rain keeps falling on my head..

Store that rain water. Place a barrel at the base of the water spouts from the gutters off the roof. Generally, a regular trash can will work if you follow the Three Rule listed above. They sell rain barrels for water collection, but they are expensive. You will need something over the top of the rain barrel to keep mosquitos and large debris out, but allow rain water in. A piece of screen window works fine.
Some people connect two water barrels together with a piece of PVC to expand their collection.

Another is a cistern. A hole in the ground, lined with concrete and covered with some sort of access. The water can also come from rain water. A filter system can be built before the water enters the cistern using gravel, screens and sand. One idea here; a swimming pool can be converted to a cistern although the cover would most likely be a pool cover or a combination of discarded lumber. Be careful with cisterns as people and animals can fall in and drown.

Containers. Where ever the water comes from, where are you going to store it? Get plenty of containers, the bigger the better.

Remember, boil, filter, bleach. Any water can be made drinkable with this formula.