Heat

A. Boiling

If you don't have potable water, you should boil water to make it safe. Boiling is the surest method of making water safe to drink by killing organisms that may be present in local lakes and rivers. If not treated properly and neutralized, these organisms may cause diarrhea, fatigue, and cramps after ingestion, making the crisis situation and the need for water more severe. Individuals with weakened immune systems are likely to have more severe and persistent symptoms than the healthy.   Because earth is a good purification through filtration system bad organisms are less likely to occur in well water that hasn't been affected by flooding.

Bring the prepared water to a rolling boil for three minutes. After the boiling process is complete, the water will have a flat taste. Aerate it by pouring it back and forth from one clean container to another and then allow it to sit for a few hours. Alternately, you may add a pinch of salt per each quart of boiled water to improve its taste.

 

B. Pasteurization

While it is commonly known that boiling will purify water; it is lesser known that the process of pasteurization will also purify water. Boiling kills all of the organisms in the water to sterilize the water. Pasteurization kills those organisms in the water that are harmful to human beings. This is done by bringing the water to 65C or 150F.

This is good to know for times when you do not have an appropriate cooking container to withstand the heats required for boiling, or your only source of heat is the sun. Solar pasteurization can be accomplished by placing a plastic jug, preferably a dark color, in a box that is lined with aluminum foil and covered with plastic.

 

Disinfection

A. Bleach

When boiling your prepared water is not practical, bleach is a commonly used substitute. For bleach to be effective, the water must be at least expediently filtered. Use non-scented, household chlorine bleach that contains a chlorine compound in order to purify water. Do not use non-chlorine bleach as a purifier. Follow the procedure provided on the label if the procedure is provided there. When instructions aren't given, add ten drops of bleach per quart of prepared water. Double the amount of bleach in situations where the water is cloudy, dark, or is extremely cold.

Mix the bleach and the water thoroughly, cover and allow it to sit for approximately 30 minutes. The water should have a slight chlorine odor. If not, repeat the process and allow it to sit for an additional 15 minutes. If the water has too strong a chlorine taste, pour the water from one clean container to another several times. 

Camping stores also provide other forms of disinfectants such as iodine tablets or portable ultraviolet purifiers.

Unfortunately, none of these methods are 100 percent effective at water purification, there is always an element of risk involved. The only way to be certain that your water has been purified is to buy test strips that indicate whether or not a certain substance is found within the water. The common things you want to look for are giardia, cryptosporidium, e. coli and salmonella. However, the water may contain other organisms or pollutants that could be harmful to your health.

 

“This is an excerpt from a work in progress called ‘The Urban Survivalist’ The author, Doug Turner, has been a student of emergencies and dealing with crisis situations for over 20 years and is currently pursuing a degree in emergency management. Many of the lessons found in ‘The Urban Survivalist’ are based on his experiences while homeless or extremely poor in both Urban and Rural settings.”

 

< BACK