Store it, treat it, protect it The numbers below come straight from CDC, Ready.gov, EPA and extension services.
Store water for three days Ready.gov's baseline is one gallon per person per day, for drinking and washing.
A household of four needs 12 gallons for three days Hot weather can double the need, and children, nursing mothers and sick people need more Keep bought water sealed in its bottle in a cool, dark place, and replace water you bottled yourself every six months Work out your own total with the water calculator Boil water to make it safe If the water is cloudy, let it settle or run it through a clean cloth, paper towel or coffee filter first.
Bring it to a rolling boil for 1 minute Above 6,500 feet, boil for 3 minutes Let it cool, then store it in clean, sanitised containers with tight lids Disinfect with household bleach When boiling isn't possible, plain unscented chlorine bleach works if you measure it.
Check the label: most US bleach is 5% to 9% sodium hypochlorite Use 8 drops (about ½ mL) per gallon, or 40 drops per 5 gallons Double the dose for cloudy, coloured or very cold water Stir, then wait at least 30 minutes before drinking Distil water on the stove Distilling also takes out salts, heavy metals and most chemicals, which boiling leaves in.
Fill a pot halfway Tie a cup to the lid handle so it hangs upright above the water when the lid goes on upside down Boil for 20 minutes and collect what drips into the cup Catch rain for the garden A rain barrel saves tap water outdoors. Wisconsin Extension doesn't recommend drinking it or using it on vegetables, because roofs can leach chemicals and germs into it.
About 600 gallons run off 1,000 square feet of roof per inch of rain Fit a fine mesh screen to the lid, or empty the barrel every week Add an overflow near the top that sends water away from the foundation Drain and disconnect it in fall so it doesn't freeze and crack Thaw a frozen pipe A faucet that gives only a trickle in a cold snap usually means a frozen pipe.
Know where the main valve is: the pipe may already be split and leak as it thaws Keep the faucet open and warm the pipe with a hair dryer, heating pad or hot wet towels Keep going until full pressure returns, then check the other faucets Leaving home in a freeze? Keep the heat at 55°F or more and open the cabinets under sinks Test a private well every year EPA's yearly check covers total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH.
Test again after a flood, nearby construction or any repair to the well Test when the taste, smell or colour of the water changes Test more often if small children, older adults or anyone pregnant or nursing lives there Ask the local health department what else turns up in your area's groundwater Safety Some water can't be fixed at home Boiling and bleach do not make water with fuel, toxic chemicals or radioactive material safe. Use bottled water or another source and ask your health department. CDC adds that most portable filters stop parasites but not viruses, so disinfect after filtering.
