Water - Introduction & Part 1

Just a reminder: The Food Storage 101 class is THIS SATURDAY!!!

There are so many important components to Food Storage. One that is often neglected is water. Speaking from my own experience, I put off having water as a part of my Food Storage for a while. I'm not sure why it was so hard for me, but it was. Maybe it was because I don't buy soda pop in 2-liter bottles, except at Christmas time, and then the bottles are already earmarked for our annual Day-After-Christmas Bottle Rocket contest. Maybe it was that the thought of actually having to drink the six-month-old water that has been sitting in the 55-gallon drum on my back porch suddenly made me feel not very thirsty. Maybe it was because the first time I tried storing water, one of the containers sprung a link, and I didn't know it until it had made a big mess. Whatever the reasons, water was my food storage hang-up. I just didn't understand how important water truly is. In the All is Safely Gathered In pamphlet that is published by the Church, water is listed as the second thing you need to focus on, right after your Three-Month Supply, and two steps ahead of building a Longer-Term Supply! Water is so important!

Now, my water storage system has four parts. I rotate each part on a regular basis. This accomplishes two things. First, it keeps the water tasting as good as possible. Second, if there is a problem, such as a leak, it is detected before a lot of damage can be done. A few years ago when I discovered my leaky water container, I called my mom to warn her, knowing that she had purchased the exact same product I had. Sure enough, hers had leaked, too. I was more fortunate than she was. Only one of my containers leaked, and though it made a mess, there was no damage to anything, as I caught it early. Evidently, two of her containers had been leaking, and for a longer time, causing damage to the drywall. This experience reiterated the importance of regularly rotating your water so that minor problems don't turn into larger ones.

The first part of my personal water storage system is very, very easy. It's simply plastic water bottles. Whenever the 24-pack cases of water go on sale (ideally for $1.99, but $2.50 is a decent price if I am running low), I buy them. I have a spot in my laundry room that is easily accessible, and that allows not only for easy rotation, but also lets me keep an eye on things so that I can spot a leak soon after it occurs. Because these bottles are thin, they are the most susceptible of the four methods I use for storing water to leaking. However, I have never had a single one leak, probably because I am careful about where and how I store them, and rotate them regularly. The individual bottles prove to be especially convenient in the summer for grabbing quickly on our way out the door. This helps a lot with rotation, too. My sister also uses this idea as a part of her water storage strategy, and has had a lot of success with it as well.

To make rotation easier, I use a permanent marker to mark each case of water with the expiration date that is stamped on the individual bottles. I write the month and year fairly largely on the outside plastic, and then I stack them so that the case with the nearest date gets used first. Whenever I buy new cases of water, I put them behind or underneath the older ones. This is the same method I use for all of my food storage. Taking the few extra seconds to do this as you putting things way really helps to make rotation easier.

In the coming weeks, I will be sharing the other parts of my water storage system. If you have any ideas or suggestions on what has worked for your family, please share them!

Additional information from the Church on storing water: Water