Make Your Own Emergency Drinking Water Pouches
More Articles Related to WaterWater is a basic survival need that you cannot go without for long. Many survival kits now come with little plastic or foil bags containing emergency drinking water, also known as emergency water pouches or "aqua pouches".
These little emergency water bags are expensive. Not only that, I have always thought that the amount of water in some of these emergency kits' water containers almost laughable. 3.5 ounces of water for a guy like me who typically sweats profusely just doesn't cut it. The act of eating alone requires plenty of good clean water in order for the body to process food. On a typically active summer day I would probably go through 30 or 40 such water pouches.
There are no requirements for bottled water to be disinfected. There may very well be cryptosporidium, giardia or other water borne parasites flourishing in your next emergency bottled water drink.
One possible solution for emergency water storage is to simply purchase bottled water. There are a couple of drawbacks to using emergency bottled water that I think are important for the survivor to know.
Emergency Drinking Water Often Contaminated
First of all, bottled water is not necessarily clean water. According to a study done by the Natural Resources Defense Council, bottled water regulations do not guarantee purity or safety. In fact, bottled water regulations are less stringent than those for common drinking water obtained from your tap!
Of 1000 bottles of water tested from 103 brands of bottled water, fully one-third were found to be contaminated with bacteria, arsenic, and synthetic organic materials. There are no requirements for bottled water to be disinfected. There may very well be cryptosporidium, giardia or other water borne parasites flourishing in your next emergency bottled water drink. I suspect the same holds true for the water in those little emergency water containers.
... fully one-third [of commercially available bottled waters] were found to be contaminated with bacteria, arsenic, and synthetic organic materials.
A second problem with relying upon bottled water for emergency use comes with cold climates. In my neck of the woods winters freeze hard and any bottles of water in my car or backpack are liable to burst as the water expands into ice. If the source of heat to your home or shelter is cut off, your emergency water supply may be destroyed.
Make Your Own Emergency Drinking Water Supply
An excellent and cheaper alternative for storing enough portable emergency drinking water is to bag the water yourself. Here is how it is done:
You will need:
32-ounces of water
Heat source
Pan
A few drops of chlorine bleach (optional)
Vacuum sealer and plastic
Label and marker
1) Bring 32-ounces of water to a rolling boil in order to destroy water-borne disease organisms.
2) Cool the water and add a few drops of bleach as further protection.
3) Freeze this sterilized water into ice.
4) Using heavy-duty sealing plastic, create a water pouch capable of holding about 50-ounces. This extra size will accommodate expansion without bursting should your water freeze. Double seal all seams.
5) Put your 32-ounces of frozen sterile water into your plastic pouch, vacuum seal it, and double seal the opening.
6) Label your new emergency water bag with the date and amount of water.
7) Store your custom made emergency water supply in a strong, light-proof container. Include some clips that can be used to close off opened emergency water bags.
Using this method you can make your own emergency water supply cheaply, and be assured that the water is safe to drink. Even if your emergency water packs freeze, the plastic water containers have plenty of volume with which to expand without breaking open.
Washington State
Waxhaw, NC
Good idea! If one container gets contaminated you probably still have plenty of good ones left. Bulk containers, obviously, would require redisinfection, if prudent.
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