Water Storage

• Store one gallon of water per person per day for drinking and sanitation. The recommendation on how many days worth of water you need varies from organization to organization – for an emergency supply kit, store a three-day supply of water for each family member.
• Store water in clean containers, designed for food storage, with tight-fitting screw-cap lids or some other tight seal. To prevent water from tasting like the previous contents of a storage container, place a piece of plastic cellophane over the container opening before attaching the lid.
• DO NOT USE CHLORINE BLEACH BOTTLES – Chlorine bleach bottles are not designed for food storage. The plastic they are made of may emit toxic chemicals into their contents.
• DO NOT USE MILK JUGS – Milk jugs are designed only for short-term storage (2-3 weeks) and, they are difficult to sanitize.
• To sanitize water, bring it to a rumbling boil for a full 10 minutes.
• If the water you have stored was treated in a public water treatment facility, and if the seal remains unbroken until you use it, you should not need to treat the water further before using it.
• If your water is not treated before it is stored, be sure to sanitize it before using it.
• If you question the purity of your water, bring it to a rumbling boil for 10 minutes before using it.
• Various organizations have published recipes for water purification that involve liquid chlorine bleach and other water purification substances. Tooele County Emergency Management recommends that you only purify water with a hard boil for 10 minutes because of the danger posed by ingesting over-treated water.
• The American Red Cross advises that stored water be rotated every six months. Utah State University advises that stored water be rotated every 6-7 years. Tooele County Emergency Management advises the use of good judgement in times of emergency. If you question the purity of your water because of the length of time it has been stored, boil it for 10 minutes.