Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Simple Water Storage Solutions for the Urban Homesteader

The lack of critical resources can create a major problem for you and your family during a crisis. While many people have sufficient food resources, many lack that most vital of resources…water. You’ll need water for hygiene purposes, for cooking and to drink. You will also need a way to filter and purify any water that is used for drinking or cooking.

A good water filtration and purification system is pretty easy to obtain and many are lightweight and portable. The problem arises in how to have sufficient water storage for your family in an urban environment. The trick here is to use a little “stealth” in your prepping.

In a survival situation, those items which can serve a multitude of purposes will often serve you best. It also helps if they don’t draw unwanted attention and are readily available in a crisis. People often don’t think in terms of alternate uses and this can be utilized to your advantage.

Water poses a unique problem in that it is heavy and difficult to store in large quantities for the average urban homesteader. A five gallon jug of water is over forty pounds and can be difficult to carry if you’ve neglected to stay in shape or suffer from a physical impairment that limits your activities. They will also take up a lot of space inside your home. Space you may need for other things. There are a few simple solutions that can be utilized by most anyone to solve these problems. Sometimes you just need to think “outside the box”.


Simple Water Storage Solutions for the Urban Homesteader

1.) Use a small inflatable pool to store additional water outside. The neighbors won’t give it much thought and if needed can furnish your family with a large amount of water in a crisis. Even a small, rigid “kiddie” pool can hold a lot of water for use in a crisis.

2.) Use small water features to store additional water for a variety of purposes during a crisis. A couple of small water fountains on the patio or in your yard can be utilized as a resource to store additional water supplies without being obvious to your neighbors. A small artificial pond could be used to store an even greater quantity of water.

3.) Utilize a rain catchment system to harvest additional water. Even a small 30 gallon garbage container will catch a large amount of rainwater and can be easily hidden from prying eyes by a little “stealth” landscaping.

These are just a few of the ways to increase your water storage in an urban environment. Chances are you can think of many other ways to accomplish your goal of additional water storage for use in a crisis.

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

10 comments:

357Chaos said...

a kiddie pool. That is a great idea. I have 2 of the rigid ones sitting in my garage. I don't want them sitting full all the time, but when a hurricane is coming I could put them in the garage and fill them up for extra back up. Thanks for the idea. Cheap and easy. I like it.

Riverwalker said...

To: 357Chaos

Many household items can be utilized as "survival gear"...just need to be a little "innovative" in their use.

Thanks 357Chaos.

RW

LuciferWar said...

Hey R-W.
I feel you have touched on a weakness common to many preppers and surthrivalists: water.
A few years ago I bought a .02 micron purifier, and haven't given water much thought since. I feel your post to be a warning. I'm going to address water now. Thanks for the excellent post River.
--- J the K

Anonymous said...

Also check out WATER BOB, a liner which is installed in your bathtub and filled in place. The tub contains the filled bladder - approximately 100 gallons. If you had prior knowledge things were "swirling around the bowl", that 100 gallons could hold a family for a bit.

riverwalker said...

To: Joel the K

I've got pretty decent amount of water storage, etc. but working to improve it all the time.

You're not going to last very long without water...

Thanks Joel

RW

riverwalker said...

To: anonymous 12:21

Anither excellent suggestion!

Thanks anon.

RW

Shy Wolf said...

Good idea on the kiddie pool- and to add even more water to it: rather than useing air to inflate the sides (assuming it's an inflatable style), inject water useing surgical tubing as a hose. Hidden in plain sight.
Shy III

james White said...

I have a couple of these in my summer house in Florida, we have lots of crocs around so we have to make sure the water storage is small so the crocs dont use them

Richelle Loughney said...

Using lids to cover your water storage is also good to avoid contamination. Boiling, filtration and any other cleaning method prior to cooking and drinking should be done to avoid microbial infection.

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