Water purification steps simplify task

The following is taken from the “Food and Water in an Emergency” guide published by FEMA and the American Red Cross at fema.gov/pdf/library/f&web.pdf.

There are sections about preparing an emergency food supply and how to safely store water for an emergency, but should you run out of water, it also recommends the following ways to treat whatever water is available: TREATING WATER

These instructions are for treating water of uncertain quality in rare emergency situations in the absence of instructions from local authorities, when no other reliable clean water source is available and you have used all of your stored water. If you store enough water in advance, you will not need to treat water using these or other methods.

In addition to having a bad odor and taste, contaminated water can contain micro-organisms (germs, bacteria and viruses) that cause diseases such as dysentery, typhoid and hepatitis. You should treat all water of uncertain quality before using it for drinking, food preparation or hygiene.

There are many ways to treat water, though none are perfect. Often the best solution is a combination of methods.

Boiling or chlorination will kill most micro-organisms but will not remove other contaminants such as heavy metals, salts and most other chemicals. Before treating, let any suspended particles settle to the bottom, or strain them through layers of paper towel, clean cloth or coffee filter.

BOILING

Boiling is the safest method of treating water. In a large pot or kettle, bring water to a rolling boil for1 full minute, keeping in mind that some water will evaporate. Let the water cool before drinking.

Boiled water will taste better if you put oxygen back into it by pouring the water back and forth between two clean containers. This will also improve the taste of stored water.

CHLORINATION

You can use household liquid bleach to kill micro-organisms. Use only regular household liquid bleach that contains 5.25 to 6.0 percent sodium hypochlorite. Do not use scented bleaches, color safe bleaches or bleaches with added cleaners. Because the potency of bleach diminishes with time, use bleach from a recently opened or newly opened bottle.

Add 16 drops (1/8 teaspoon) of bleach per gallon of water, stir and let stand for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight bleach odor. If it doesn’t, then repeat the dosage and let stand another 15 minutes. If it still does not smell of bleach, discard it and find another source of water.

Other chemicals, such as iodine or water treatment products (sold in camping or surplus stores) that do not contain 5.25 to 6.0 percent sodium hypochlorite as the only active ingredient, are not recommended and should not be used.

DISTILLATION

While the two methods described above will kill most micro-organisms in water, distillation will remove micro-organisms that resist these methods, as well as heavy metals, salts and most other chemicals.

Distillation involves boiling water and then collecting the vapor that condenses back to water. The condensed vapor will not include salt or most other impurities. To distill, fill a pot halfway with water. Tie a cup to the handle on the pot’s lid so that the cup will hang right-side-up when the lid is upside-down (make sure the cup is not dangling into the water), and boil the water for 20 minutes. The water that drips from the lid into the cup is distilled.

Information provided by FEMA and the American Red Cross.

HomeStyle, Pages 38 on 04/27/2013

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