When an emergency occurs, water might be held (and found) in bulk
tanks, indoor pools, bathtubs, cisterns, hot-water tanks, toilet
reservoirs, in canned or fresh fruit juices, and in fruits and vegetables themselves. Water reserves to be stored for later use
are traditionally collected by three primary methods, such as in a
cistern.

Did you know water can be canned? Emergency water can be
disinfected in four ways, and some of these may surprise you.

4 WAYS TO DISINFECT WATER

1. Boil it vigorously for at least 5 minutes.

2. Add 4 drops of chlorine bleach to 1 quart of water, then let the mixture stand for at least 30 minutes prior to use.

3. Add 5 drops of 2 percent iodine solution (usually found in a home medicine cabinet) to a quart of water. It should stand for at least half an hour before consumption.

4. Buy water purification tablets from a drug or sporting good store. Add 1 tablet to a quart container filled with water before the container is tightly capped. After 3 minutes, shake the container thoroughly. The cap can then be tightened and the water allowed to disinfect for 10 minutes. Follow the manufacturer’s directions however, for maximum effectiveness.

Emergency water can be canned. Fill quart Mason jars, cover with regular jar lids, and process in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes at 15 pounds of pressure. Store these jars in a cool root cellar, or wherever other canned goods have been stored.

—From The Home Water Supply, by Stu Campbell.)

WATER RESERVES
Water reserves are an integral part of any water supply system for a home or farm. Water to be stored for later use can be collected in three primary ways.

Cisterns

Cisterns are ground-level or below-ground reservoirs. A cistern that collects and stores rainwater can be expected to gather as much as 2/3 to 3/4 of the annual rainfall on the catchment. Some homes have cisterns just for emergency storage, but others use rainwater for garden water, cleaning, toilet flushing, and other nonpotable uses. Because rainwater is soft, water in a cistern can also be used for bathing, laundry, and dishwashing.

Constructing a good cistern is not a project to be taken lightly. High-density concrete, vibrated as it’s cast in place, is the best choice.

Elevated Storage Tanks
Called gravity tanks, they provide gravity-flow pressure to systems below. They’re usually designed to hold enough to supply a family with at least two days’ worth of water. Gravity tanks should have vents to allow air in as the water level within them is lowered, and to let air out as water is pumped in. Screening should cover these vents to keep out insects and small animals.

A gravity tank can provide pressure to a system without any need for a pressure tank if it is located high above the uppermost outlets in the house. As always, 2.3 feet of elevation will produce 1 pound of pressure. If the system needs 20 pounds per square inch (psi), the tank must be at least 46 feet above any faucet.

Pressure Tanks and Elastic Storage Cells
These constitute the third type of water storage. Although they generally have a small capacity, hydropneumatic tanks and storage cells are considered the most sanitary way to keep water on hand.