How do I Purify Water From Different Bodies of Water?

Emergencies can happen without the chance to prepare for them. Sometimes during a natural disaster, water lines will break, causing water to become contaminated or lines to be shut off completely. Finding drinkable water during these times is critical for survival. In the home, water heaters, water beds and toilet bowl reservoirs are the most reliable places to find water. Outside of the home, various water bodies such as lakes, creeks, rain water pools, and rivers can come in handy to supply water. No matter where water is found, it must be purified to get rid of impurities and contamination before drinking. (See Reference 1) By filtering and boiling or chlorinating, water from different sources can become drinkable.

Instructions

Filter

• 1

  Collect different containers. Various containers will be needed to collect water and to capture it during filtering.

• 2

  Gather water. Collect water from any source of water found by using a container.

• 3

  Find a filter. Find any clean linen, towel, shirt, or any material with a small pore size.

• 4

  Put cloth over another container. Fold the cloth several times and place over the top of an empty container. The cloth will serve as a filter.

• 5

  Pour water through the filter. Pour the collected water directly onto the cloth. The container under the cloth will capture the filtered water.

Boil

• 6

  Find a metal container. Now that the water has been filtered, it can be boiled to remove parasites or other microbes. A metal can will work for this process.

• 7

  Start a small fire. Use wood, books or anything flammable to used for a small fire. If matches are not available, use primitive methods to start a fire. Such methods include lenses and sunlight, friction, flint and steel, or a battery rubbed on steel wool. (See Reference 2)

• 8

  Put a flat rock in the fire. Find a flat rock large enough to place the can on. Depending on how big the fire is, put it directly on top or on the side of the fire.

• 9

  Place the can on the rock. Place the can of filtered water on the rock.

• 10

  Boil for 15 minutes. The can of water must rapidly boil for at least 10 minutes to kill any parasites or bacteria.

Chlorination

• 11

  Find bleach. If boiling water is not an option, bleach can be used to purify water instead.

• 12

  Add bleach. It is recommended by the State of Washington Department of Health to add three to five drops of bleach per quart of water. (See Reference 3)

• 13

  Mix the bleach and the water thoroughly by shaking or stirring.

• 14

  Let stand before drinking. After the bleach has been mixed, let the water stand for a least 30 to 60 minutes, depending on how cloudy the water is.