Best Water Sources for SHTF Scenarios

Picture this. Communication lines are down, buildings are toppled over, roads are blocked, and crazed folks are looting supermarkets in your neighborhood.

At home, the power’s out, your stomach’s growling, and your thirst is gnawing at you like a pitbull on a chew toy.

Suppose you still have some food to ration over the next few days, but what about H2O? What happens after you down your last bottle of water?

In SHTF scenarios, finding safe water sources can mean life or death. You’ll need a sufficient water supply for your consumption, hygiene, cooking, and cleaning needs.

Seems a bit much? The Prepperu2019s Wate... Daisy Luther Best Price: $7.49 Buy New $9.94 (as of 06:00 UTC - Details)

Don’t fret! In this blog, we’ll give you the rundown on finding viable sources of water in your area, plus some bonus tips on purifying and storing water with ease. So buckle up, grab a drink (preferably not contaminated), and let’s dive right in.

Identifying Potential Sources of Water

First things first, you’ll have to learn how to identify the potential water sources in your area. Depending on where you live, most homes rely on either a public water supply or a private well for potable water.

If you rely on public water utilities, treated water is pumped through underground pipes to your house. Natural disasters like earthquakes and floods often contaminate or damage these underground pipes, affecting public water supply in SHTF scenarios.

When this happens, it’s time to look for alternative sources of water. Below, we’ve listed some viable options you can find indoors and outdoors.

Indoor Water Sources

If you’re resourceful enough, you can skip the chaos outside because you won’t have to look elsewhere. There’s water in the most unlikely places inside your home.

Bottled Water and Beverages

Let’s start with the obvious. For emergencies, gather any beverages you have in stock at home. The following drinks will provide the most hydration:

• Bottled Water – If you’ve been a diligent prepper, you should have a decent supply of bottled water tucked away in your food pantry. As long as you’ve kept it hidden from direct heat and sunlight, unopened bottled water can have a shelf life of up to 2 years.
• Sports Drinks – Plain drinking water is best for hydration, but sports drinks are another great option if your bottled water is in short supply. The electrolytes in sports drinks help replenish your body, especially if you’ve worked up a sweat fighting off a hoard of zombies.
• Milk – It may have skipped your mind, but milk can also keep dehydration at bay. The calcium, vitamin D, and proteins in milk can supply your body with nutrients it’s missing from being in survival mode. Just be wary of drinking spoiled milk since a bad stomach will dehydrate you further.

To stay hydrated and healthy, skip carbonated, alcoholic, sugary, and caffeinated drinks altogether. These beverages might satiate your cravings but won’t quench your thirst! Instead, try light exercises in the morning if you need a pick-me-up in the absence of your usual cup of coffee.

And beware, the higher the alcohol content in drinks, the more dehydrating it is. For this reason, steer clear of all types of liquor. While we imagine the taste of an ice-cold beer would be heavenly in an apocalyptic wasteland, we suggest taking our advice if you don’t wanna end up like a shriveled-up raisin.

Swimming Pool

Obviously, not everyone has a swimming pool, but if your home has one, Lady Luck must be on your side. This body of water might not be what you had in mind, but it’s still a viable option — granted you’ve kept up with its maintenance. Water Purification Off... Redwood, Harrison Buy New $18.97 (as of 09:32 UTC - Details)

Even a small swimming pool can hold 15,000 gallons of water. In times of scarcity, this could be your golden ticket to survival.

Now, we’re not asking you to drink pool water. However, it can be a valuable resource for washing the dishes, showering, and even doing laundry.

Most times, chores become an afterthought in tough situations, but you’ll have to do them at one point or another to maintain some sense of normalcy. We suggest keeping a separate water supply for these less exciting tasks.

Melted Ice

When your power goes out, we recommend putting ice cubes inside your fridge in a clean container to melt. If you have enough of it, it might also help to scrape off some of the frost that’s collected in your freezer to melt in a separate container. It won’t be much, but anything counts when S hits the fan.

As long as it isn’t contaminated, water from the ice cubes should be safe for drinking. Meanwhile, you can boil the melted ice scrapings over a fire and use the water for cooking.

Water Heater Tank

A standard home water heater tank can easily hold 40-60 gallons. Since it already provides water for your tap and hot showers, draining your tank should provide a relatively clean water source for emergencies, regardless of whether your heater runs on gas or electricity.

Just don’t be surprised if you get funky, discolored water if you haven’t flushed out your water heater tank in years. Sediment collects at the bottom of the tank over time, so you’re supposed to drain your heater on a regular basis to maintain water quality.

If you’ve kept up with this maintenance, the water should come out clear, perfect for hygiene and cleaning purposes. This begs the next question:

Read the Whole Article