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Drinking Water. SHTF Options.

I have a 6" drilled well and the pump hangs at 365 feet deep. 220volt. You folks with similar situations, have you given any consideration on how to power those if the grid is down, generator is down, no fuel, etc.? I have not been able to figure out a reasonable solar option.
 
I’ve got a couple of drinking water options I need a little education on.

1st. I live on Lake Sinclair so I have plenty of lake water. I’ve got a couple of Life Straws and some purification pills. I’ve heard that a few drop of bleach makes lake water safe to drink too.

2nd. We were on well water but changed over to county water. The well is still there but was disconnected. I’m thinking this is my best source for drinking water. I’m guessing I could remove the pump and access the water with a bucket and rope or maybe a manual pump of some sort, or maybe even a 12 volt pump with battery/solar power.

looking for some advise.
Thanks
I'd have the well water tested first but it would definitely be a consideration. Your county extension office, if you have one, may test it for you.
Rain catchment is another emergency option. A tarp draped in the back of a pickup truck, rain barrels on downspouts, etc. Just be ready to filter/purify.
 
Chlorine bleach, plain, unscented. 8 drops of good old fashioned bleach per gallon of water.

the problem is that you cannot store bleach long term. It degrades after a few years, into salt water. The powdered chemicals will last a lot longer.

And I have a nice ring on my hardwood floor demonstrating the OTHER problem with gallon bottles of bleach. They leak after a few years. (No, I wasn't storing it there. I set it there when moving from basement to garage. It apparently started leaking when I picked it up after one year of sitting.)
 
Incidentally, you can get a "bullet" for a drilled well-- a PVC tube with valves that you lower down and then pull back up when full of water. Obviously, this is slow and a pain. However, it will work in a pinch, though with Lake Sinclair right there, you have better options.
 
Storing Berkey Filter Elements:

We recommended storing the Black Berkey Filters if they will not be in use for 4 or more days. Below you will find the proper method of storing the Black Berkey Filters depending on the amount of time the filters will not be used. It is best to empty both chambers before storing because anytime water sits it becomes stagnant, which means it can grow bacteria. You may consider washing your chambers with soapy water before leaving them to dry. Unused and unopened Black Berkey Purification Elements theoretically have an indefinite shelf-life. We recommend storing them in a dry area away from anything fragrant (laundry rooms or the garage). The filters are very powerful and can absorb odors in the air. After Use Short Term: If the filters will not be used between 4 and 15 days we advise removing them from the system and placing them into a sealable sandwich bag or container and placing the filters in the refrigerator towards the front to ensure they do not freeze. This will allow the filters to stay mostly saturated so that minimal priming is required when they are ready to be used again. When you are ready to use the Black Berkey Filters again, re-prime until the exterior wall of the filter begins to sweat beads of water for 10 seconds. Long Term: If you have used your Black Berkey Filters, you should fully dry them before storing. We offer a tool to assist in both priming and purging. This tool is called a Black Berkey Primer. The benefit to purging the Black Berkey Purification Elements is that they are dried very quickly and cleaned to a degree at the same time. Alternatively, the filters can be dried by leaving them on a windowsill for one to three days allowing them to air-dry. The key is to ensure they are bone-dry before storing them, to prevent any bacterial growth. The filtration elements are extremely powerful and can absorb odors and smoke from the air. Once dry, we recommend sealing the purification elements. This can be done with a storage bag such as a sealable sandwich bag. By sealing them in a storage bag, this will aid in preventing the filter from absorbing any odors from the air. When you are ready to use your elements, they will need to be re-primed by scrubbing them clean with a 3M ScotcBrite pad or stiff brush. In theory, the shelf life of the elements is indefinite. **Please note that the storage methods above apply to the Black Berkey Purification Elements only. ** When storing the chambers of your Berkey system, it is best to empty both chambers before storing them, because anytime water is still, it becomes stagnant and can produce bacteria. We recommend washing your Berkey system with soapy water before leaving it to dry.
 
This stuff falls right out of the sky.
 

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You can make one with charcoal, sand, gravel and some other materials in a 55 gallon drum. You're basically building layers and the charcoal is the main filtering element. You just use the spout from your gutter to catch the rainwater and it runs into the 55 gallon drum and then comes out the other end purified. You'll have to look up the exact specifications and layer arrangement. But basically you could put Lake water or whatever through it and it filters and purifies the water and then you just collect whatever you can. I saw this method on a prepper show a while back and it's not a very expensive endeavor it's just gathering the materials and making a method of transporting water and then storing the water after it's filtered.
 
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