Storing A Safe Emergency Drinking Water Supply

By Sharon Skipton,
UNL Extension Water Quality Educator

Spring and summer in Nebraska can be a time of severe storms which can result in damage to homes and other property, loss of power, and in some cases an interruption in water supplies.

Having a safe emergency drinking water supply on hand is a good idea. If you do not have an emergency water supply, consider storing one.

The water you store should be free of disease causing organisms. Nebraska’s public water supplies are suitable for storage. Private drinking water supplies suitable for drinking and cooking should also be suitable for storage. Use food-grade containers washed thoroughly with hot tap water and dish detergent and rinsed with hot tap water.

Bacteria can be introduced into the water during collection and storage. Therefore, it's a good idea to disinfect the water being stored to guarantee it will remain safe.

Some, but not all, public water supplies are disinfected with chlorine or chloramines.  These water supplies may contain enough residual disinfectant to deactivate pathogens that might be introduced during the water storage process.

For private water supplies or public water supplies that are not disinfected with chlorine or chloramines, or for an additional safety margin, you can treat the water with chlorine (a disinfectant) to inactivate organisms that might be present in the storage containers, or that might be introduced as the water is collected.

Use liquid household chlorine bleach that contains five to six percent sodium hypochlorite.  Do not use bleach containing fragrances, soaps, or other additives. Use fresh bleach, preferably not more than three months old.  Add the bleach using a clean, uncontaminated medicine dropper at the rate of four drops per quart or 16 drops per gallon.

Stir the water, cover, and allow it to stand for 30 minutes. You should be able to smell chlorine after the 30 minute waiting period. If you cannot, add another dose and let the water stand covered another 15 minutes. Cap containers and label each with the contents and the preparation date.  Water treated in this manner can be stored in one of two ways.  Containers can be stored on a shelf in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

For best quality, use or replace shelf-stored water every six months. Water can also be stored in a freezer. If you lose electricity, the frozen water provides the added benefit of keeping foods frozen for a period of time. Leave two to three inches of air space in the top of containers before freezing to prevent the container from bursting as water expands during freezing. Some thin-walled containers may break regardless of the air space provided.

People sometimes ask if it is possible to can water. The answer is yes, although I do not hear of it being done often. It is possible to can water in food-grade glass fruit jars with flat metal lids and metal screw bands. Jars should be manufactured and rated for canning of food. Fill clean quart fruit jars with water, leaving 1 inch of head space (air space) at the top of each jar.  Place a flat metal lid and a metal screw band on each jar.

Fill a canner half full with water. Preheat the water and lower the jars into the water. Add more boiling water, if needed, so the water level is at least 1 inch above the jar tops. Bring the water to a vigorous boil. Cover the canner with a lid and lower the heat to maintain a gentle boil.

Boil for 20 minutes adding more boiling water, if needed, to keep water level above the jars.  When the jars have been boiled for 20 minutes, turn off the heat, remove the jars, and place them on a towel, leaving at least one-inch of space between jars during cooling. Contents contract as jars cool, pulling down the lid to form a high vacuum seal. If the lid is not sealed on cool jars, do not store the water. Store containers in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Canned water can be stored for an indefinite period of time.

(Editor’s Note: This is the first in what we hope will become a regular feature in the Water Current on various water topics and issues by UNL extension educators and other water faculty and staff members with full or partial appointments in UNL’s Extension Division).