How to Store Emergency Drinking Water
It is recommended that each household store a minimum of 14 days worth of water in preparation for an emergency. Each person will need 1 gallon per day, to cover drinking, hygiene, and food preparation needs. So if your household has 4 people, one 55 gallon drum should work.
Water containers
Water should only be stored in food grade containers, such as soda or juice bottles, or in larger container like food grade 5 gallon buckets, 55 gallon drums, or even 1000+ gallon water tanks. Milk containers should not be used, because they are difficult to clean, do not seal well, and the plastic is too thin to support long term storage, and will leak.
Pretreatment
If you fill the containers using a municipal water source, like city tap water, it has most likely already been treated with chlorine, and requires not further treatment for storage. If you fill the water from a source such as a spring or well, you should add 1/8 tsp of liquid bleach to every gallon of water, as a pretreatment for storage.
Storage Conditions
Stored water will stay fresh longer when stored in a cool area, away from direct sunlight. Select a location that would cause the least amount of damage if containers were to leak! It is possible for toxins from fuel or other chemicals to penetrate into your water storage, if they are stored to close together.
Inspection and Rotation
You should visually inspect your water storage throughout the year, to watch for signs of leaking.
Your water storage should be drained and refilled at least once every year. Even store bought water will have printed expiration dates, and should be cycled through periodically.
Cost estimates for various container sizes
- 1 gallon or less = Free, if you can salvage some (juice, soda bottles, etc...)
- 5 gallon container = $2 per gallon
- 55 gallon drum = $1 per gallon
- 500+ gallon tank: plan on $0.50 per gallon
