Alternate Water Sources

Water in your home
- Hot water heater tank
- Toilet tanks (don’t use water that contains colored disinfectant!)
- Water pipes
- Ice in the freezer
- Canned food

Traditional bodies of water near your home
- Rivers and streams
- Ponds and lakes

Collect water from the air and plants
- Snow and ice
- Rain water
- Morning dew can be mopped up from rocks and plants (especially effective in desert areas). The easiest method is to use a handkerchief or shirt to gently mop up the dew and then wring it into a container. It is possible to mop up almost a quart an hour using this method!

Obtaining water from the soil
- A hole dug in a damp or muddy area allows water to seep in and accumulate
- Mud wrong in a shirt or other cloth will force out water (muddy water can be partially cleared by allowing it to stand overnight and then running it through several thickness of cloth)
- Make an evaporation still

Locate sources of groundwater (in mountainous areas)
- Sloping side of the hills in dry mountain ranges
- Small seeps and springs can be found by following narrow canyons and gullies up to their heads
- The water table is usually close to the surface and you could locate it by digging at the base of cliffs and rocks where lots of vegetation is thriving, at the base of large sand dunes on the shady or steep sides, anywhere the ground is damp or muddy, in low spots where patches of salt grass, cattails, willows or elderberries grow

Please note: Depending on the nature of the emergency situation you are in, some of these sources may be contaminated so make sure you have a plan in place for water purification. It never hurts to purify just to be on the safe side.

*from Food Storage Made Easy