Water is the most crucial element for staying alive. It's more important than food. Having a variety of water purification methods you can use is important, in the event that you find yourself unable to utilize your main method.

Everyone must have enough safe drinking water, which generally means one gallon per person per day. Needs will differ according to age, physical condition, lifestyle and climate. This doesn't include water for cooking, bathing, washing dishes and clothes, and pets or other animals.  Large dogs may need as much as a gallon a day, while cats can do well with just a pint a day. If you have other livestock your water needs obviously soar.

You'll need to locate at least one other water source, since even several hundred gallons of stored water won't last long. Assume any water not stored or purchased is contaminated, especially in perilous or unstable times. A mountain stream could look pristine, but still be polluted. Knowing how to strain and purify the water you find can help turn a dire situation into a more tolerable one.

This concise manual lists several approaches all leading to the same outcome - a clean, safe water supply.

  • Boiling
  • Liquid Chlorine Bleach
  • Dry Chlorine
  • Iodine
  • Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Purification Tablets
  • Stabilized Oxygen
  • Water Purifying Units