How To Transport Water From Source To Home In An Emergency
Water. You all know that water is among the very highest of priorities for survival. The vast majority depend on water from their regional municipal water department while others depend on their well. However what if there was a disruption from your source, and would you know how to transport water from a different source to your home in an emergency?
From a prepping and preparedness point of view, especially when considering worst case scenarios, one of your highest concerns should be a plan (and the methods) to transport emergency water from an external source back to your home.
Think of a hypothetical scenario – regardless of cause – your existing water source becomes no longer available. Uh-oh, what will you do?
Don’t take the easy way out of this mental exercise and tell yourself that you’ll simply drive to the store and buy some bottled water (which is legit during ordinary non-SHTF disruptions). Lets say that you can’t do that. What will you do? Well let me offer a few suggestions:
Find Nearest Water Sources BEFORE You Need It
Before you can transport it, you need to find it. Locate the nearest water source closest to your home. Then find another one. Some people may have water literally in their backyard (pond, stream, lake). Others may not have any easily accessible water for many miles or further away.
There may be a creek or stream or small pond much closer than you realize, but you’ve never noticed during your travels. One way to find water sources ahead of time is to look via ‘Google Earth’. You can zoom right down to your location and explore all around. You might be surprised how many backyard swimming pools that you discover too! (lots of water there)
You don’t necessarily need to find a lake. Many very small creeks, streams, and brooks wind their way through regions and often go unnoticed.
Google Earth (Web Version)
Google Earth (Download App)
How To Transport Water
Water is heavy. Water weights about 8 pounds per gallon. Unless water is very close nearby, motorized transportation (a vehicle!) sure will help. Depending on how far that you want to take this mental exercise, you might also consider “what if” you don’t have an operational vehicle. You’ll want something with wheels! A wagon. Cart. Anything like that…
If you can get your transport vehicle right up to the water source, that’s great. If not, you will need to consider what you might use to get in there. You’re going to need water containers…of which there are all sorts of sizes.
My largest is a 275 gallon water storage tank that I can fit on the back of my truck. I got it from Tractor Supply and it’s called a “Global Industrial IBC Container”. It’s used for rainwater collection too.
You could get fancy and also purchase a portable 12 volt DC water transfer pump to get that water from its source into your tank.
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You might adapt the transfer pump 12 volt leads to alligator clamps for easy attachment to a battery.
SEAFLO Water Diaphragm Self Priming Pump
(from SEAFLO Direct on amzn)
1/2″ NPT To Garden Hose Adapters
(must-have adapters :=)
Water Transport Jugs – Containers – Barrels
You will need water containers. I have a variety of water jugs that I’ve purchased over the years. One of my favorite water jugs is the Reliance Aqua-Tainer.
Aqua-Tainer 7 Gallon
Aqua-Tainer 4 Gallon
(amzn)
[ Read: My Aqua Tainer 7 Gallon Water Jug With Spigot ]
55-gallon barrels. These are good for vehicle (truck) water transport as well as storage at home. I also own several water barrels for this very purpose. You could use barrels designed for rainwater collection too.
Barrel Selections on AMZN
(amzn)
[ Read: 55 Gallon Drum Water Storage Barrel | How-to Clean & Store For Emergency ]
[ Read: Gallons Of Rainwater Collection From A Tarp (How-to Calculate) ]
Wagons & Carts
You might need some sort of wagon or cart to haul that water. The cart that I like the most is my Gorilla Cart. It has held up well for years and years. There are lots to choose from and they’re great for transporting anything, including water transport (containers).
Gorilla Carts
(All models on amzn)
[ Read: Yard Cart Wagons For Homesteading and Preparedness ]
Drinking Water Filter
You will most definitely need a good drinking water filter at home to purify the water that you have gathered from your source.
Do you want the best countertop drinking water filter that will remove all of the organic ‘nasties’ that may be in pond water? In my view (and experience), this is it…
Royal Berkey
(from SafeCastle on amzn)
There are plenty of others and all sorts of styles, form-factors, and models. Just be sure to have ‘something’! My choice for an inexpensive yet excellent little portable water filter is the following. It conveniently connects to a standard store-bought plastic water bottle too. Which means you could use an empty one and fill it with sourced water, connect it to the Sawyer mini and drink it. Easy Peasy.
Sawyer Mini
(amzn)
CONCLUSION
Give it some thought. Where might you acquire emergency water if you needed to… and think about how to transport water from its source to back home…just in case.