Water!

While a person can survive for as long as two weeks without food, the human body was not designed to go long without water. Some experts say to have a least 2 quarts of clean, potable water per day for each person. Others say one to two gallons. Needs will vary depending on climate, age & health. Hot weather can double water consumption. Do you have a baby? Elderly people? Someone with a long term illness? Take these into consideration as you prepare to store water.

Storing water in gallon milk jugs is not recommended. Milk jugs are biodegradable. The plastic will become brittle and break down. Also some companies are offering used or "reconditioned" plastic containers & barrels. Plastic is porous. Even those that have been used only for syrups or juice concentrates can retain residuals of anything put into them and leave an aftertaste in your water. There are many different companies offering new barrels and water containers for storage. Prices vary. Barrels usually come in 15 gal, 30 gal, and 55 gal sizes. Remember that a 55 gal barrel will weigh over 440 lbs. when filled.

I use 55 gal barrels for long term storage. 5 gal containers are portable and convenient for sharing, traveling & daily usage. I also keep several cases of 16 oz. water bottles on hand. All of these need to be used or rotated, preferably every six months, but at least once a year. Remember to use a water storage treatment such as Purogene or Bleach to keep bacteria out of your barrels. Make sure you have a hand pump to transfer water from the barrel to your smaller water container and also to dump old water when you're rotating. And yes, there is always some water available in the hot water tank, toilet tank (NOT bowl) and in the ice cube trays in the freezer, but make sure you don't use water from the pool, spa or waterbed for drinking. These may contain acids, algaecides and other chemicals that can be harmful if ingested.

I have been looking for good deals on 55 gal food grade barrels. I haven't found any locally. US Plastics on the east coast has them for around $45 but shipping costs are running about $40 per barrel. Emergency Essentials is charging $75 per barrel and there is no shipping fee if order is combined with a monthly special order. Everywhere I've looked the prices are in the 75-85 dollar range. So, at the moment, my best price (cringe) for the 55 gal barrel is from Emergency Essentials. If anyone knows where food grade 55 gal barrels can be found for a better price please let me know!!!

Also I'm seeing that some nice, food grade, 5 gal., stackable, containers are available from US Plastics for about $15. If there is enough interest I will see about getting an order together for this. Also, I know that Walmart and some other stores have 5 gal water containers available. Some of these are around $5-6 each. Comments from people who have purchased them, however, indicate dissatisfaction with the quality. Most noting that they are very light weight plastic and not very durable. I know we had one that we used to take camping with us, until a seam sprung a leak...the third time out. So let me know if you're interested in the 5 gal containers.

Further comments on water storage can be found at www.ldsliving.com/magazine/show/2408/storeforthirst Be aware, they appear to be big fans of Emergency Essentials. And yes, I like some of their products. But they are not the final word in preparedness. Please keep that in mind!