Cleaning Untreated Water

Remember, you should always keep a supply of water available in case of emergency.  However, what do you do if you find yourself running low?  Water isn't just used for drinking - it is used in a number of activities that are important in survival situations, such as cooking, cleaning, and sanitation.

Since one's supply of good, safe, treated water can often be cut off in a disaster, I'll now go over some of the threats involved in untreated water and what you can do to make sure that you and your family continue to have clean, safe, treated water.  

All sorts of things can be in untreated water, depending on the source.  These things include dirt, acid, algae, sediment, silt, pesticides, herbicides, other pollutants or toxins, and even micro pests - parasites that live in water with little sunlight and lacks aeration.  The biggest threats, though, are microorganisms such as bacteria, protozoa, and viruses.  There are many harmful bacteria like E. coli, salmonella, and many more.  Examples of harmful and dangerous protozoa you may be exposed to include Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium paravum.  You may not have heard of them, but they are both parasites that can survive for weeks in cold water.  And finally, don't forget the viruses.  Water with viruses such as Hepatitis A and rotavirus can take up to four hours in chemical treatment before it is safe.

So, what can happen if you are unprepared for emergency and end up drinking untreated water?  Well, if you're lucky, nothing will happen.  However, there is a long list of potential consequences if you're not.  On the mild end, you could get diarrhea or other prolonged intestinal discomfort.  Other possible effects include vomiting, rashes, fevers, chills, muscle aches, and even neurological symptoms and jaundice.  If you have the right microorganisms in your water, worst case scenarios include contracting illnesses such as botulism, cholera, dysentery, and in rare cases, death.  So...the moral of the story is - don't drink untreated water.

So what can you do?  

There are three main options for treating water: filters, chemicals and boiling.  Let me go over the basics here for you.

Filtering water is often considered the easiest and safest way to treat water for drinking.  The filter will keep any microscopic creatures and organisms in the water from passing through.  Filters can have different effectiveness in catching pathogens depending on the size of their pores.  As you look for a filter, you will want one where the pore size (often referred to as "pore-size efficiency") is at least less than 0.4 microns.  That is how small it needs to be to remove bacteria from water.  Protozoa and parasites are much larger than bacteria, and can be removed from water with a filter of almost any size.

Chemicals are most often used by those storing large amounts of water.  They don't filter out any contaminants, but they do kill any bacteria and viruses living in the water.  Chemicals can also affect the taste of the water.  Common chemical choices are iodine and chlorinate.  Whatever you choose, make sure you know how to use it properly and how much chemical to add.

Boiling is a well known old standby, but in reality has its drawbacks.  The biggest is that it requires a significant amount of fuel to heat water to its boiling point, and fuel can be a precious resource in a survival situation.  You should boil it continuously for at least five minutes.  Also, the temperature of boiled water can present a problem if you need it right away, but can't use hot water.  Finally, boiled water can have a flat taste, due to the loss of oxygen in the water while it is boiling.  You can transfer the water back and forth from one container to another to aerate it.

I hope this blog has reassured you that you do have options in an emergency.  A reliable supply of water is something you will definitely want in an emergency.  Be sure to have some water ready, but you should also be prepared to treat water, too.  After all, in case of disaster or emergency, preparedness is the name of the game.

P.S. - Water that comes out of your tap has been treated thoroughly.  Unless you hear otherwise from your local community water system, it is safe to assume your tap water is safe to use for drinking, cooking, or any other activity.  But not drowning.  Water is never safe to drown in.
If you would like more information about tap water, read this booklet called "Water on Tap: What You Need to Know" by the EPA.