A Field Guide to Clean Drinking Water : How to Find, Assess, Treat, and Store It

How to find and prepare safe drinking water—anywhere, any time! Clean drinking water may be the last thing we think about day to day—but it's the first thing we need in an emergency. Now, survival expert and biologist Joe Vogel explains how to find, treat, and store safe drinking water—even in the most extreme conditions. A Field Guide to Clean Drinking Water includes information about: ·The role of water in the body and how to calculate your water requirement ·Plants, geographical features, and more indicators that signal the presence of water ·How to collect dew and precipitation, and extract water from plants ·How to screen “raw water” for bacteria, pesticides, and other contaminants ·Every purifying method from boiling techniques to chemical disinfection ·And storage options that meet every need.Small enough to take anywhere—and broad enough to cover everything—this is a vital manual for backpackers, survivalists, and anyone who may need to know how to create their own drinking water. Cover Contents Preface Chapter 1: Basics Water and its role Water’s purpose in the body From dehydration to exsiccosis Hyperhydration—water poisoning Water in emergencies—and while traveling Water requirement Formula for the calculation of the daily water requirement Model calculation for moderate consumption Model calculation for high consumption Water on trekking tours Reserves and rationing Water stores Water stores as domestic reserves Water stores as emergency provisions Drinking properly Dealing with a water emergency Water stress Water shortage Water crisis Chapter 2: How to find water Properties of water How to read terrain structures Indicators for the presence of water Important indicators for moist soil Potential groundwater locations Wells Infiltration wells Suction wells Other sources Freshwater lenses Submarine freshwater sources Ice and snow Model calculation for two people and 3.5 liters drinking water each Humidity—dew Dew point Extracting water from the air Fog catchers Collecting dew Dew in the tent Further condensation methods Precipitation Cisterns and roof stores Water from food Water from plants Transpiration Extraction Simple collection Water from animals Chapter 3: How to assess water Properties of raw water Turbidity Discoloration Sensory assessment Raw water vs. drinking water Pathogens Viruses Rotaviruses Hepatitis A Bacteriophages Bacteria Cholera Typhoid, paratyphoid, salmonellosis, and others E. coli Single-celled organisms and parasites Cryptosporidia Giardia Amoebas Multicellular parasite larvae Blue-green algae Chemical components of raw water Sodium chloride (table salt) Salinity levels of the seas Determining salinity Other minerals and heavy metals Radioactivity Nitrite, nitrate, and other nitrogen compounds Pesticides and other organic compounds The saprobic index Indicator species Trophic state Assessing water quality Indicator organisms Chapter 4: How to make water safe to drink Preparation methods Sedimentation Heat precipitation Oxygen precipitation Chemical precipitation Decanting Prefiltration Nonwoven fabric filters Disinfection Drip filtration Filter housing Sediment filtration Clay pot filtration Candle filters Suction filters Backpacking water filters Hollow fiber filters Minisart filters Charcoal filters Boiling Solar heat UV radiation Electric UV radiation SODIS Chemical disinfection Iodine Chlorine dioxide Hypochlorites MOS (mixed oxidant solution) Desalination Reverse osmosis Functionality Passive Osmosis Distillation Improvised distillation methods Small water supply systems Home water supply systems Filter housing Filtration stages Pressure system Stationary systems Stationary UV radiation Chapter 5: How to preserve and store water Recontamination Tyndallization Repeated SODIS Chilling and shading Silver ions and other chemical substances Emergency water pouches Transport and storage containers Stationary storage tanks Mobile medium-size storage containers Bottles and drinking vessels Improvised transportation and storage methods Storage ponds Emergency containers Conclusion Acknowledgments Appendix Drinking water and diseases Water treatment process Glossary Index About the Author An accessible, exhaustively researched, and potentially life-saving guide to finding and preparing safe drinking water in extreme situations-ranging from backpacking treks to natural disasters-for a world with increasing rates of water insecurity. "An informative guide on how to find and prepare safe drinking water in extreme situations. Suitable for hikers and outdoors people who are trekking into remote areas with uncertain water access"-- Provided by publisher