Water Crisis / Emergency Thread

[Deleted member 8431]

[IMPORTANT NOTICE: Make sure you read the whole thread / follow the updates to get all the information as what is said is always subject to correction as much as new information may be needed to really understand the risks associated with anything discussed. This topic involves people's health so all precautions have to be taken in order to avoid any regrettable situation as much as humanly possible in the case of a real emergency, which will most likely happen in the near future.]

Greetings everyone!

I decided to make a thread about what to do in the case of a water crisis. With the way things are evolving, I feel that we might see many problems in regards to drinkable water in the near future (well, more than now), even in industrialized countries.

Of course, storing water would be a wise thing to do but that's not the end of it and I doubt anybody can store enough of it to live for months or even years (at least the majority of us).

So I'll keep adding information as my research goes. My area of study is water treatement so if my knowledge in the matter can help anybody, well my goal will be fullfiled.

I made it a thread of it's own for quick reference since other threads about water cover many other things. But if you really think it should simply be merged with another topic, well be it, I'll still do what I have to do and add the information as I find it anyways. But keep in mind it's most likely going to be a fairly big thread that contains a lot of information so it might be better to leave it it's own thread.

I'll first cover the issue of biological contamination and see after what I can do as far as chemical pollution (organic and mineral) is concerned. Then I'll mostly discuss other issues like water sources themselves and what not. We'll see as it evolves. Anything that could be useful in the case of a water crisis is welcome in this thread.

Anyhow, I hope that this will provide you with at least some valuable informations.

I'll try to do this to the best of my capabilities but I might make some mistakes. So feel free to correct me in the case you notice one (or more) and free to ask questions and/or give some feedback.

Also feel free to contribute to the thread yourself of course. I know that there are lots of very knowledgeble people here that know a bunch about chemistry and biology/microbiology, certainly more than I do myself.

Enjoy!

(Bare with me, English isn't my first language.)

BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINATION

Now obviously, this might be the greatest risk we might face in the case of a water crisis and that is for many reasons. The biggest problem isn't so much about the sickness itself but rather the dehydration and nutrient depletion that might follow (in the case of diarrhea and/or vommiting for instance which are the two most common symptoms of bacterial contamination). Viruses and protozoas might also end up being a threath as they can easily spread into water as well.

Here are simple but effective ways to desinfect water in the case of a biological contamination (or risk of). If the water distribution network is down, you will mostly have (if possible of course) to find a relatively clean source of water as big polluted rivers contain other very bad stuff which are hardly removable unless you have the proper equipment.

Simple Disinfection Methods

NOTE: You should never take for granted that any of these methods will be 100% effective as there are many factors that can influence their efficiency. The point is to get an idea of our options in the case we find ourselves in a position where drinkable water is / might be contaminated by microorganisms.

Reverse osmosis: Will take care of microorganisms but requires energy to work in order to generate a pressure that will exceed the osmotic pressure (hence why we call it reverse osmosis).

Sodium Hypochlorite: You can add 2 mL of 5% sodium hypochlorite (household bleach) to 5 L of water, stir, let sit for about 30 minutes and drink. It's quite efficient against viruses and bacterias but poorly effective against some protozoa, especially Cryptosporidium which is very dangerous. You might want to store a few gallons of it on top of canning and storing water. A US gallon of it (3785 mL) would then be good to disinfect around 9460 L of water which can deffinately make all the diffrence between life and death.

Hydrogen Peroxide: Extremely efficient (better than chlorine) against all hazardous microorganisms, including protozoa. Will most likely not leave any by-products as it quickly decomposes into oxygen (the oxidizer) and water. I will have to make some more research to find an appropriate dosage as if ingested, hydrogen peroxide can be very dangerous (although like I said, it quickly decomposes). I'll post it when I get an idea. You might also want to stock a few bottles of it as well.

Boiling: Very efficient against all hazardous microorganisms. Some say to boil for 20-30 minutes but that is not by any mean necessary. 5 minutes is enough and will prevent the loss of water through evaporation (which can be a problem in certain circumstances).

Iodine: Just like chlorine, iodine can be quite effective against microorganisms (a little less though) but again, not that much against some protozoa. You can buy kits that come with iodine pills that are made for that purpose. It'll leave a very unpleasant taste to water but it can be neutralized with ascorbic acid which often comes with the kit.

Distillation: Will remove all microorganisms and several toxins. A simple distillation apparatus can be made with a few jugs / pots and garbage bags although it'll require to be made in a very hot place under a very bright sun. It'll produce very little water over time but it could save your life. Don't bother with it if you can boil it instead. That kind of emergency distillation is mostly used to get rid of other compounds like the salt in sea water. I'll cover that in the other section later.

Rain Water: Rain water will theorically not contain any microorganisms but depending on the level of pollution (both in initial water and atmosphere) it could contain some toxic compounds. But again, it could be a life saver.

Air Moisture: Can be collected with web-like structures that allow moisture to condensate on strings and drip down to a container. Just like rain water, it'll be theorically microorganism-free but also just like distillation, it'll only produce very little water over time.

Ultraviolet Light: UV light is very effective against all microorganisms but that depends on a lot of factors such as it's concentration (yes, it can be calculated, usually in mJ/cm2) and the aspect of water (needs to be quite crystal clear so that light passes through it). Also keep in mind that glass will filter UV light as well as some plastics (but not all). It should only be used as a last resort as it's efficiency (or applied dose in mJ/cm2) is very hard to estimate as much as not all microorganism require the same dose to be destroyed.

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Allright. That's it for my first post. I'll keep you updated when I gather more information and have the time to post it. Also, don't take for granted that the biological contamination / disinfection section is already done per se. I'll add whatever is relevant as I get it and make the necessary corrections when needed.

See ya guys later!

 

[Deleted member 8431]

-- Make sure you check the OP back as I've added a little more info while I can still edit it such as how much water can be disinfected with a single US gallon of bleach. --

 

[Jeremy F Kreuz]

Jaymark,

Thanks for starting this thread and the info. As I worked in emergencies I might be able to add some practical remarks as you go along.

You can add 2 mL of 5% sodium hypochlorite (household bleach) to 5 L of water, stir, let sit for about 30 minutes and drink.

This is indeed the standard indicator but I would like to add that it depends how infected the water is. 2ml per 5 liter might not be enough: it depends on the level of contamination. A simple image may clarify this: to kill one bug in the water you need one bullet of chlorite. When you have more bugs then bullets, you will not be able to kill them all. That is why it is important to have residual chlorite after your treatment, you still have some bullets left after you killed all the bugs. Basically your treated water should be smelling and tasting slightly like poolwater, indicating you have residual poolwater. So you might want to start to add 2 ml, see if the water tastes and smells and if not you should add another 2 ml and treat again, this until the water slightly tastes and smells like poolwater. (it might be also the other way around and that 2 ml is too much and your water tastes too much like poolwater.

Too much residual chlorite in your drinking water is not good for your health. Basically you are making what Jim Humble sells as MMS and there is enough info on this forum about this guy and his product. Try to keep the residual chloor as low as possible, but make sure it is there to be sure you have decontaminated the water.

to find a relatively clean source of water

Indeed very important. Too turbulent water cannot be treated with these methods as the bugs tend to hide in the sand graines in the water where the chlorite cannot effectively reach them. So check on the turbulence. This can be done with a glass pipe of one meter long and 2 to 3 cm in diameter. Close on of the sides of the pipe and cover it with a dark color. fill the pipe up to one meter with the water to be treated and if you can see the bottom of the pipe, then it is ok to treat. If not, reduce the amount of water in the pipe (80 cm instead of 100 cm) and check again. Below 75 cm you should be wary to treat the water as such as the turbulence might be too high and chlorite or other simple methods might nto be effective.

You can diminish the turbulence of the water, simply by letting it standing until the dirt settles on the bottom of the pot or by aid of floculation chemicals. After sedimentation, prior to treatment, check again the turbulence.

Another important thing is the recipient of your treated water - make sure it is clean. No use desinfecting water to reinfect it again.

 

[Deleted member 8431]

Jaymark,

Thanks for starting this thread and the info. As I worked in emergencies I might be able to add some practical remarks as you go along.

My pleasure and you are always welcome to contribute to this thread.

This is indeed the standard indicator but I would like to add that it depends how infected the water is. 2ml per 5 liter might not be enough: it depends on the level of contamination. A simple image may clarify this: to kill one bug in the water you need one bullet of chlorite. When you have more bugs then bullets, you will not be able to kill them all. That is why it is important to have residual chlorite after your treatment, you still have some bullets left after you killed all the bugs. Basically your treated water should be smelling and tasting slightly like poolwater, indicating you have residual poolwater. So you might want to start to add 2 ml, see if the water tastes and smells and if not you should add another 2 ml and treat again, this until the water slightly tastes and smells like poolwater. (it might be also the other way around and that 2 ml is too much and your water tastes too much like poolwater.

Indeed that's a very good point worth to be mentionned.

(Note that I'll mostly use the general term 'chlorine' to designate even it's coumpounds to make it easier to understand except in a few places.)

In fact, as you point out, the required dose of chlorine depends entirely on the concentration of microorganisms that are actually found in the water which can vary in space and time.

Also, chlorine can react with many compounds such as ammonia (found in urine for instance) to form chloramines which also disinfect water but produce toxic by-products. As a very general rule, 1 g of ammonia will 'neutralize' 10 g of chlorine.

Usually what we do to determine it in a lab is we sample water, fill up containers with a precise volume of water (like erlenmeyers), add a diffrent doses of chlorine to them (like in the form of sodium hypochlorite), let it react and measure residual chlorine afterwards. If none is found in a sample, it means it has all been used up and require more. If some is found (but not too much for health reasons), then you've got a good dose.

In most water treatment plants, they have residual chlorine analysers that work non-stop and that are linked to the disinfection system (to make sure there's always enough of it). Note that small portable systems exist (we use them to measure residual chorine in situ on a water distribution network) but they might be expensive.

But of course, every kind / source of water is diffrent so the best thing to do (since we don't all have labs in our homes) is exactly to do what you have said and it is to add it, let it react and smell. If there is no chlorine smell, you should add up a little more of it and so on.

Just make sure you seal the water container because chlorine can evaporate and falsify the results. Also you should leave it in a dark place as light can also degrade chlorine.

Too much residual chlorite in your drinking water is not good for your health. Basically you are making what Jim Humble sells as MMS and there is enough info on this forum about this guy and his product. Try to keep the residual chloor as low as possible, but make sure it is there to be sure you have decontaminated the water.

Correct. And anyhow, there are other ways to disinfect that won't leave by-products (like boiling) but in the case you can't, well it's good to know how to use chlorine.

Chlorite in low enough doses shouldn't be relatively too harmful (we consume it everytime we consume salt) but too much, like anything else can be bad indeed. Also, adding chlorine (in any form) to water will produce various compounds like hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite ions. Chlorine can also react with organic matter to form halocarbons like chloroform (highly poisonous) so if you use organically contaminated water, it can be a risk.

Sodium thiosulfate can be used to neutralize chlorine but I wouldn't rely on it as I don't think it's healthy either. Best thing is to carefully do it as described or most preferably use another method like boiling if you can (in terms of disinfection alone, it's even better than chlorine as even resistent protozoa like Cryptosporidium will most likely be killed).

to find a relatively clean source of water

Indeed very important. Too turbulent water cannot be treated with these methods as the bugs tend to hide in the sand graines in the water where the chlorite cannot effectively reach them. So check on the turbulence. This can be done with a glass pipe of one meter long and 2 to 3 cm in diameter. Close on of the sides of the pipe and cover it with a dark color. fill the pipe up to one meter with the water to be treated and if you can see the bottom of the pipe, then it is ok to treat. If not, reduce the amount of water in the pipe (80 cm instead of 100 cm) and check again. Below 75 cm you should be wary to treat the water as such as the turbulence might be too high and chlorite or other simple methods might nto be effective.

You can diminish the turbulence of the water, simply by letting it standing until the dirt settles on the bottom of the pot or by aid of floculation chemicals. After sedimentation, prior to treatment, check again the turbulence.

Another important thing is the recipient of your treated water - make sure it is clean. No use desinfecting water to reinfect it again.

If you want to chemically coagulate particles, you could always use alum (available in most pharmacies). It'll produce aluminium and sulfate ions though but between that and death, I choose that. Iron (III) chloride and PASS (polyaluminium silicate sulfate) can also be used but as said, aren't necessarily healthy (or neutral if you prefer).

Anyhow, in the case of a crisis, we most likely won't have the time and ressources to coagulate it but keeping alum ready just in case could make all the diffrence as well. Better to discuss all possibilities even if unlikely.

As for the containers, you are also right on. Also, glass is much better than plastics to store water, especially for longer periods of time. To disinfect them (no matter the kind) you could simply use a solution of bleach and water and let them soak in there for a while. Doing this once in a while would be pretty advisable.

Many thanks for your contribution!

Feel free to add more! ;)

Peace.

 

[monotonic]

Jeremy, I think you mean turbidity, not turbulence. I went on a field trip to a water treatment plant once and they showed us a device using a laser to measure turbidity.

 

[Jeremy F Kreuz]

Jeremy, I think you mean turbidity, not turbulence. I went on a field trip to a water treatment plant once and they showed us a device using a laser to measure turbidity.

indeed I mean turbidity - thanks for catching that.

 

[United Gnosis]

A trick which I did when going long-term backpacking is bring bleach in crystal form. I had a 20ml plastic container filled with it and it has lasted me a great time.

Pure crystals can be found as pool bleach. Do be careful though, as many brands will have additives, however it is possible to find pure sodium hypochlorite.

One gram of crystals (weighed with .1 or .01 grams-precision kitchen scale mixed in 20 ml will give you an approx 5% bleach solution. Since it usually comes in one-gallon buckets you can make approx 65 liters of 5% bleach - one bucket will go a very, very long way.

Aside from the higher storage density, this is very useful since a bleach solution slowly degrades over a timescale of months. Crystals will store for about 2-10 years, depending on conditions. For instance, since they readily absorb moisture from the air, make sure to rarely open the bucket, transferring a small amount to a smaller container for everyday use. Do not use metal containers as they will corrode from the inside.

 

[chaps23]

Hey Guys!

We have spoken of this before just here http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,23575.msg308287.html#msg308287

But I think Jay Mark has made it far more presentable than my pile of clippings I wedged together on the page. Good work! In that thread I talk about the possible survivor methods that one can use when stranded but they can definitely be implemented any where!

I actually have just gone a bought this hand held water purifier ceramic filtration only so you still want to avoid tap water for fluoride. But will quite effectively purify nearly all bacteria/dirt/heavy metals etc you can find it on DHGATE _http://www.dhgate.com/

The unit is here: _http://www.dhgate.com/pureeasy-soldier-portable-mini-water-filter/p-ff808081306e8ba801307648354722ed.html#s1-20-null

Best thing about it is they sell them in Anaconda (big retail chain) for like $200! its the same one!! you will find loads of other goodies on there too in re: survival stuff.

EDIT: Spell check.

NOTE: Can we merge the thread?

PS. I thought I'd add this link _http://www.soul-guidance.com/health/colloidalsilver.htm As I strongly believe bleach should only be a last resort when natures finest can already do the job.

RECOMMENDATION FOR PURIFYING FOOD & WATER

Water purification: Colloidal Silver is an excellent water purifier. Water stored with one or two tablespoons of Colloidal Silver per 5 litres will be safe and sweet tasting for a very long time. Water containing germ contaminants (not toxic chemicals) can be made drinkable by adding two to three tablespoons of Colloidal Silver per every 5 litres of water. The Silver whilst purifying the water is also beneficial to the body, unlike the commercial tablets containing toxic chlorine bleach!

To guard against such water-borne diseases such as dysentery, the following airlines now use either silver water filters or a well known Hydrogen Peroxide/Colloidal Silver combination. British Airways, Swiss Air, Scandinavian Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France, Canadian Pacific Airlines, Alitalia, KLM, Japan Airlines and Pan Am. The Swiss and Australian Government has approved either or both the silver water filters or the hydrogen Peroxide/Colloidal Silver preparation which are now used in homes offices and town water supplies.

After testing 23 methods of purifying water, NASA selected a silver system for its space shuttle. Home-canned foods: One-half teaspoon of Colloidal Silver per 1 liter in home-canned foods precludes the growth of all bacteria, virus and fungus. As the food is consumed, the presence of silver will aid in the digestion process by not allowing fermentation of starches contained in the food, and will prevent the putrefaction of protein or rancification of fats in the digestive tract. Neither will there be a formation of gas in the bowel, nor food decay from toxins to diminish a sense of well being.

Most commercial food processing operations to date have elected to use preservatives which, unlike Colloidal Silver, are toxic and poisonous to people. were these commercial food processors to use Colloidal Silver instead, it would yield the triple benefit mentioned above.

Questionable refrigeration: In addition to keeping prepared foods cool and well sealed, add about one table spoon of Colloidal Silver per 1 liter (volume) to picnic foods containing mayonnaise, dairy products, or anything that has a potential for Salmonella growth and poisoning. Stir in very well.

Leftovers and Condiments: Mix about one quarter tablespoon of Colloidal Silver into each container of mustard, ketchup or pickle relish. Mix one half teaspoon into items that spoil more easily, i.e. mayonnaise, milk etc. They will store longer, remain fresher and benefit digestion.

 

[United Gnosis]

Or you can superpose about 4 unglazed ceramic pots over each other, let them filter drip down in a container. Won't filter ions but will work for any particles, bacteria and protozoa. That's what I'm planning to use for my roof rainwater catchment/filtration system - as I am located in an agricultural valley in Costa Rica, airborne toxins aren't a serious concern, so such a system might be useful to you according to circumstances.

 

[chaps23]

Or you can superpose about 4 unglazed ceramic pots over each other, let them filter drip down in a container. Won't filter ions but will work for any particles, bacteria and protozoa. That's what I'm planning to use for my roof rainwater catchment/filtration system - as I am located in an agricultural valley in Costa Rica, airborne toxins aren't a serious concern, so such a system might be useful to you according to circumstances.

Thats great! very lucky! I actually live only a couple hours from a natural spring so I mix that water 50/50 with Nobels Purea (Reverse Osmosis Water) So it doesnt have too much Iron in it but it taste's great. I reccomend to all Victorian Members to check out Spargo Creek if you are within driving distance I go down with 3 or 4 20lt containers every month or two, its about 20 minutes out of dalesford its the only one (I've tried all of them) that doesn't go black when in storage.

Google maps link.
http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=-37.490047,144.153757&hl=en&ll=-37.490047,144.153757&spn=0.021316,0.045447&sll=-37.490047,144.153757&sspn=0.021316,0.045447&t=h&z=15

The turn off on Spargo creek road is on google maps located at 1219 Spargo Creek Road, Spargo Creek VIC 3461

 

[Deleted member 8431]

A trick which I did when going long-term backpacking is bring bleach in crystal form. I had a 20ml plastic container filled with it and it has lasted me a great time.

Pure crystals can be found as pool bleach. Do be careful though, as many brands will have additives, however it is possible to find pure sodium hypochlorite.

Usually, what they sell for pools in crystal form is 85% w/w calcium hypochlorite (not sodium). This is something that should be checked anyways because I don't know, diffrent forms may exist. What you need to know about calcium hypochlorite (in the case it is what you have) is that every molecule of it contains 2 atoms of chlorine "Ca(ClO)2" while sodium hypochlorite only has one "Na(ClO)". So if you use the calcium salt, consider you might need far less. And be careful with the chlorine vapors.

Aside from the higher storage density, this is very useful since a bleach solution slowly degrades over a timescale of months. Crystals will store for about 2-10 years, depending on conditions. For instance, since they readily absorb moisture from the air, make sure to rarely open the bucket, transferring a small amount to a smaller container for everyday use. Do not use metal containers as they will corrode from the inside.

Correct. It should be stored in a cool, dry and dark place to prevent degradation.

Thanks a bunch for your contribution!

 

[Deleted member 8431]

Hey Guys!

We have spoken of this before just here http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,23575.msg308287.html#msg308287

But I think Jay Mark has made it far more presentable than my pile of clippings I wedged together on the page. Good work! In that thread I talk about the possible survivor methods that one can use when stranded but they can definitely be implemented any where!

The link should provide extra information and feel free to plug some in here.

Thanks for the compliment!

I actually have just gone a bought this hand held water purifier ceramic filtration only so you still want to avoid tap water for fluoride. But will quite effectively purify nearly all bacteria/dirt/heavy metals etc you can find it on DHGATE _http://www.dhgate.com/

The unit is here: _http://www.dhgate.com/pureeasy-soldier-portable-mini-water-filter/p-ff808081306e8ba801307648354722ed.html#s1-20-null

Best thing about it is they sell them in Anaconda (big retail chain) for like $200! its the same one!! you will find loads of other goodies on there too in re: survival stuff.

Caramic filters (we call them "ceramic candles" in French) are quite good and can filter out particles down to 0.5 um. It will filter out many impurities and stop protozoa. On the other hand though, it will not stop all bacteria (but still most) and will deffinately not stop viruses. So you might want to use a disinfectant with it just in case.

Also ceramic filters will easily clog and need to be cleaned regularly. So if the water has high turbidity, it might not work very well although diffrent models / kinds might exist.

Thanks for mentionning! I'll add this later on with other methods as well.

NOTE: Can we merge the thread?

I wouldn't mind at all but you know (and sorry about that, I don't mean to be an arse) I would rather have yours merged here so that people see the OP right away with the important notice and introduction to really get into context.

PS. I thought I'd add this link _http://www.soul-guidance.com/health/colloidalsilver.htm As I strongly believe bleach should only be a last resort when natures finest can already do the job.

Yes! Silver is known (depending on it's efficiency) to either kill or "inactivate" microorganisms. It is sometimes used with some filters (like ceramic filters for instance or charcoal). Funny fact about it is that by "the rules" (here) no more than 50 ppb of it can be found in the treated water because "it is toxic" (and yes, they are talking about coloidal silver). Hummm.

I will also discuss these things on my next big update (either tonight or on the week-end).

Many thanks again!

 

[chaps23]

I wouldn't mind at all but you know (and sorry about that, I don't mean to be an arse) I would rather have yours merged here so that people see the OP right away with the important notice and introduction to really get into context.

Thats what I think would be the better move with your excellent presentation, but I think the forum automatically puts old post's first??? Maybe we can just cut & paste it all over here or is that considered noise?

Yes! Silver is known (depending on it's efficiency) to either kill or "inactivate" microorganisms. It is sometimes used with some filters (like ceramic filters for instance or charcoal). Funny fact about it is that by "the rules" (here) no more than 50 ppb of it can be found in the treated water because "it is toxic" (and yes, they are talking about coloidal silver). Hummm.

I will also discuss these things on my next big update (either tonight or on the week-end).

Many thanks again!

So why all the bleach talk? Is it as a last resort?