{"id":443,"date":"2025-12-16T21:55:49","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T05:55:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salemoregoncert.org\/?page_id=443"},"modified":"2025-12-16T21:56:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T05:56:54","slug":"water-purification-guide","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/salemoregoncert.org\/index.php\/water-purification-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Water Purification Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This guide covers the essentials of water safety, including why clean water is critical, the dangers of contamination, and the best methods for ensuring your water is safe to drink during an emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Importance of Water<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In an emergency, your body\u2019s need for water is immediate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Hydration Requirements:<\/strong> On average, a person needs a bare minimum of 500ml to 1 liter of water daily just to survive. For adequate health, men typically require about 3.7 liters (15.5 cups) and women about 2.7 liters (11.5 cups).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Survival Timeline:<\/strong> The human body can only go about two days without water before it begins to fail. Remember: you cannot ration water; you can only ration sweat.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sanitation Needs:<\/strong> Plan for an additional 1\u20132 gallons per person per day for washing and basic sanitation. While average daily usage is 80\u2013120 gallons, emergency usage is significantly lower but still vital.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Identifying Water Contaminants<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Understanding what is in your water is the first step toward purifying it. Roughly 51% of surveyed waterways in 2022 were found to be contaminated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Biological:<\/strong> Includes toxins, viruses, fungal spores, bacteria, and parasites like <em>Giardia<\/em>, <em>Cryptosporidium<\/em>, and <em>E. coli<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Chemical:<\/strong> Industrial waste, road spills (oil and fuel), herbicides, pesticides, and &#8220;forever chemicals&#8221; like PFAS.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Heavy Metals:<\/strong> Lead, mercury, and other industrial byproducts (e.g., the Flint, Michigan crisis).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Salt:<\/strong> Saltwater is not drinkable without specialized desalination equipment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Water Purification Methods<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Before purifying, look for clues: flowing water is generally better than stagnant water, and the color, smell, and opacity can indicate the level of contamination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Boiling and Distillation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Boiling:<\/strong> Bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute. This denatures the proteins in most biological contaminants but does not remove chemicals or heavy metals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Distillation:<\/strong> Capturing steam and cooling it back into water. While effective, it may still carry over certain volatile chemicals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Filtration<\/strong><br>Filters use a physical barrier (membrane) to remove contaminants based on size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Micron Ratings:<\/strong> Most backpacking filters are 0.2 to 1 micron. To remove viruses, a 0.02-micron filter is required.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Maintenance:<\/strong> Use a pre-filter (like a cloth or pool sock) to remove large particles, which can prolong the life of your main filter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Chemical Purification<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Options:<\/strong> Common chemicals include bleach, iodine, ozone, and specialized products like Aquamira or Aquatabs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Usage:<\/strong> Ratios and wait times are critical; some chemicals require up to 4 hours to be fully effective. Do not &#8220;stack&#8221; different chemical types, as this can be dangerous.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Reverse Osmosis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pros:<\/strong> Improves taste and removes lead, chlorine, fluoride, and PFAS. It is also one of the few ways to desalinate water.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cons:<\/strong> These systems are expensive, require power, and are generally not portable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Potable Water Storage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once your water is purified, you must store it correctly to prevent re-contamination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Containers:<\/strong> Use airtight, opaque containers to prevent algae growth. Options include Jerry cans, 55-gallon drums, WaterBricks, or IBC totes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weight Factors:<\/strong> Water is heavy, weighing approximately 8.33 lbs per gallon.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Maintenance:<\/strong> Cycle your stored water on a regular schedule and treat it for long-term storage if necessary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Recommended Resources and Gear<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For those building their emergency kits, the following items and resources are recommended:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Filters:<\/strong> Sawyer Water Filter Kits, LifeStraw bottles, or countertop filters.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Storage:<\/strong> WaterBrick containers or 55-gallon drums.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Treatment:<\/strong> Aquatabs, Aquamira, or water preserver concentrates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Further Reading:<\/strong> Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cana-provisions.com\/water-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cana Provisions Water Plan<\/a> for detailed guides.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This resource was compiled from materials provided by Will Conley from a presentation at a West Salem Roth&#8217;s Bi-Monthly(ish) CERT Meeting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This guide covers the essentials of water safety, including why clean water is critical, the dangers of contamination, and the best methods for ensuring your water is safe to drink during an emergency. The Importance of Water In an emergency, your body\u2019s need for water is immediate. Identifying Water Contaminants Understanding what is in your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-443","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salemoregoncert.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salemoregoncert.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salemoregoncert.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salemoregoncert.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salemoregoncert.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=443"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/salemoregoncert.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/443\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":445,"href":"https:\/\/salemoregoncert.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/443\/revisions\/445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salemoregoncert.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}