Where to Find Emergency Water Sources (Besides your Faucet)

How to Find Water in an Emergency
https://www.wikihow.com/Find-Water-in-an-Emergency

One of your basic needs is having drinking water available to hydrate your body. In the case of an emergency, finding safe water becomes more difficult, as even tap water can be contaminated. Nonetheless, you can find drinking water that is relatively safe, as long as you take the time to disinfect it first.  ---CONTINUED at LINK---

Where Find Emergency Drinking Water in Buildings After a Flood, Fire, Earthquake, or Hurricane
https://inspectapedia.com/water/Emergency_Drinking_Water.php

Where to find drinking water in an emergency:

This emergency drinking water source bulletin outlines possible places to obtain safe drinking water in an emergency following a disaster such as an earthquake, flood, or fire and before rescue workers have arrived.

Our photo at page top shows some brownish water in a toilet tank: actually the water was fine, the stain was from iron and rust in the original water supply - materials accumulated on the interior of the toilet tank. The water we removed was clear and sanitary. ---CONtinUED at LINK---

Where to Find Drinking Water During an Emergency
http://howtosurviveit.com/find-drinking-water/

You can survive up to 30 days without food, but go just 3 days without water and you will die.

Storing water is important and I believe everyone should have a minimum of a two-week water supply on hand at all times, but it’s equally important to know where to find drinking water in case you don’t have access to your water supply. Those jugs of water sitting in your garage won’t help you when you’re stranded in a broken down car on a country road.

Below are 12 places to find drinking water in an emergency. Note—you should still purify these sources with a quality water filter.  ---CONTINUED at LINK---

25 Ways to Get Clean Drinking Water in an Emergency
https://survivallife.com/clean-drinking-water-emergency/

If you love the outdoors or you have gone on a trip in the wilderness you know how fast you could gulp down a bottle of water. It can be the intense heat of the sun beating down on you or you’re sweating profusely from all the rigorous activities that your body has been through. What if you run out of water in the middle of nowhere? You may come across a body of water but you’re not too sure about it being clean unless you’re an extreme survivalist. You wouldn’t want to end up with diarrhea or stomach problems, would you? Whether you’re outdoors or at home, being able to get clean drinking water in an emergency is vital to quench your thirst and survive.

The following list will show you’re a number of ways to get clean drinking water should you find yourself in a pinch.   ---CONTINUED at LINK---

From Homeland Security

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/safewater/

(Snip) .... Emergency Sources of Water

In an emergency, if you have not previously stored water and commercial or public sources of water are not available, drain water from your plumbing system. Unless you are advised that the public water supply has been contaminated and is not safe, open the drain valve at the bottom of the water heater and salvage the water stored in the heater. A typical water heater holds 30-60 gallons of water. Discard the first few gallons if they contain rust or sediment. Let the water heater cool before draining it from the heater so it does not scald you. Turn off the electricity or gas to the water heater to prevent the heater from operating without water. Once water has been drained into clean, sanitized containers, add 5-7 drops of chlorine bleach* per gallon of water, and stir or shake the solution to mix it. Let it set 30 minutes before use.

Emergency Outdoor Water Sources

If you need to find water outside your home, you can use these sources. Be sure to treat the water first. Additional sources include:

Rainwater Streams, rivers and other moving bodies of water Ponds and lakes Natural springs Avoid water with floating material, an odor or dark color. Use saltwater only if you distill it first. You should not drink flood water.

Hidden Water Sources in Your Home

If a disaster catches you without a stored supply of clean water, you can use the water in your hot-water tank, pipes and ice cubes. As a last resort, you can use water in the reservoir tank of your toilet (not the bowl).

Do you know the location of your incoming water valve? You’ll need to shut it off to stop contaminated water from entering your home if you hear reports of broken water or sewage lines.

To use the water in your pipes, let air into the plumbing by turning on the faucet in your house at the highest level. A small amount of water will trickle out. Then obtain water from the lowest faucet in the house.

To use the water in your hot-water tank, be sure the electricity or gas is off, and open the drain at the bottom of the tank. Start the water flowing by turning off the water intake valve and turning on a hot-water faucet. Do not turn on the gas or electricity when the tank is empty.

How to Find Water in the Wild
https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-find-water-in-the-wild/

(Snip) ... water can be found relatively easy in almost any environment on the planet. In today’s article, we’ll walk you through several methods for finding water that will work for temperate climates and a variety of others, as well as methods that are particularly suited for tropical, freezing, and desert regions. ---Continued---

Transpiration -or- “Milking A Tree For Water”
http://survivaltek.com/?p=2371

  (SNIP) ... I was mowing the grass when a plastic bag blew across the yard, (it was a windy day). I grabbed it and looked at it, it was about the size of a garbage bag and clear in color. It looked like a new bag. I took it and pulled it over a branch of my lilac bushes to keep it from blowing away and continued mowing. A few hours later I looked at the bushes and saw it there, I had forgotten about it. I went to retrieve it and put it in the garbage can and noticed it was looking “all steamed up” and it had a cup of water in the bottom. ---CONTINUED---

Capturing Water With A Plastic Sheet
http://survivaltek.com/?p=2752

   decided to simulate an emergency scenario by improving a condensation surface by cutting open a 16 gallon sized plastic bag to spread out as a sheet measuring 2.5 feet by 4 feet. Because of it’s thin material and flimsy nature, the slightest breeze could blow it away so I weighted it down with small stones at the four corners but it still fluttered with the breeze. That fluttering could spill any collected condensation back into the grass so I placed more stones around the edge until it was still.

I left this moisture collector alone for about a half hour ...   ---CONTINUED---

Look at this! A Spring Finder!!

Locate a Spring
http://www.findaspring.com/category/locations/north-america/usa/pennsylvania/

FindaSpring.com is a community and user created database of natural springs around the world. If you know of a spring that is not on the map or in our database, please click on Submit a Spring above and send us as much information as you can. Now is the time to reclaim our water!

Disclaimer: Please independently test all spring water before you make the decision to consume it. This website is simply a source for locating springs, we do not validate water safety. ---CONTINUED---

Live near commercial buildings? Do you already have a sillcock key? I have one in each get home bag in case we're stuck further than a day or two walk away from home and might have to find water sources in urban or suburban areas.

A sillcock key is a tool that lets you turn on the outside water connections that don't have handles on them. There are a few sizes available, but most of them are 4-way keys with multiple sizes.

I paid less than $9 each at Amazon for each of them.

How To Fill Your Canteen from a Tree

This video will demonstrate how you can fill your canteen from a tree for drinking clean water in the wilderness.

How to Find Water in the Wild
https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/survival/wilderness/how-to-find-water2.htm

(Go to page 3 for this info)

  Getting lost or stranded in the wild is something that could happen to just about anyone. Day hikers, tourists, Sunday drivers and experienced outdoorsmen are all subject to circumstances beyond their control. Any and all of them could end up alone and lost, with only their wits to rely on for survival. The single most important thing you need to live is water. If you're resourceful and know where to look, you can find or collect good drinking water in just about any environment on Earth. ---CONTINUED---

Water Procurement In The Wild Using Smart Techniques
https://prepperswill.com/water-procurement-in-the-wild/#more-176

  (SNIP) ... You must conserve any water you have, including that already in your body. Water is required to replace the fluid that is lost, so by conserving body fluid you require less water intake.

Fluid is lost from the body by perspiring, breathing, urinating, vomiting, crying and talking.

Your first efforts in a survival situation should be directed towards establishing a good water supply. Initially, you should look for groundwater using the following methods.   ---CONTINUED---

8 Hidden Fresh Water Sources To Tap for Urban Survival
https://urbansurvivalsite.com/hidden-fresh-water-sources-tap-urban-survival/

Finding water in the wilderness is actually pretty straightforward.

(SNIP) ... Gathering water in the city, however, is a whole other situation. Where can you find water during an urban disaster? In this video, The Green Prepper answers that question. Here are his suggestions. ---CONTINUED---

Where to Find More Water
https://grandpappy.org/hwater.htm

Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
For great information on alternate water sources, go to the above link and scroll down

Topics covered include:

Drinking Water Available Immediately
Where to Find More Water

--Well Water
--Rain Water
--The Morning Dew
--Snow or Ice
--Ground Water (or Surface Water)
--Wilderness Areas
--Moving Water or Stationary Water
--When to Collect Ground Water
--Spring Water (doesn't refer to the time of year)
--Water Caught in Rock Depressions
--Dry Spring Bed Water
--Wildlife Watering Holes
--Condensation From Green Leaf Vegetation
--Solar Still

 Another post from the old Fluwiki forum, that I had in my files, that is worth sharing:

Beware Water From Roof Runoff
* Link Unavailable. This site is no longer active and available to view on line. But the info was good and we wanted to keep sharing it!

Since people are asking how to collect rain water without using the roof, here's a little on how I anticipate doing it. One needs to buy some large plastic or plasticized tarps (they are very cheap) and some metal fence posts (the kind used for chicken wire; they are also very cheap).

In my case, the tarps have eyelets at the corners and in the middle of each edge. We will use these to simply hook the tarp to the fenceposts as follows:

Set 4 fence posts up in a square arrangement to support the corners of the opened tarp, with the 'rear' posts holding the tarp up about 3-4 feet off the ground and the 'front' posts holding it up about 2 feet off the ground. Then rig additional posts to support the left and right edges. Rig a post to support the middle of the rear edge, and tie a string or rope to the middle eye in the front edge.

This setup will give you a tarp which is angled toward the front, and which has a 'Vee' crease down the middle to channel water to the front middle eyelet and edge. You capture the water here with buckets, tubs or anything else you have that will hold water and let you drag it off.

If we use an 8'—10 foot tarp, and if we allow for the reduction in capture area caused by the tilting and creasing, we are left with about 70 square feet of capture area. Now, when it rains, we will be able to capture a maximum of 42 gallons per inch of rain.

In other words, multiply 42 by the number of inches and you get the approximate amount of water you could get. With even a tenth of an inch of rain, you could get about 4 gallons this way. You could easily set such an arrangement up in a front yard, back yard or on a driveway.

A smaller tarp will deliver less water, and a larger one more. With a back yard of any size at all, you should be able to run several of these setups (well under $10 each for the materials).

Once you have captured the water, then treat and filter it as has been described in other threads.

You can use this water for drinking and personal washing. Use the downspout water for flushing.

Potable Water for Survival – Where to Find Emergency Drinking Water in your City!
https://alphasurvivalist.net/potable-water-survival/

  (BIG SNIP) ... More often than not it is those who live in highly populated environments, cities and towns, who are most at risk of having a major problem with their water supply. So, if you are in the 63% of Americans who can be classed as ‘urbanites’ then this article should be of particular interest to you!   ---CONTINUED---

10 Ways To Collect Water After The End Of The World
https://urbansurvivalsite.com/10-ways-to-collect-water-after-the-end-of-the-world/

  (Snip) ... disasters happen when you least expect, and you could be away from home when the next one strikes. Or worse, your home–along with your water supply–could be destroyed.

In case either of these things happens, you need to know how to collect water. Here, then, are 10 ways to collect water during a disaster.   ---CONTINUED---

How to Find Water in the Wilderness: Essential Survival Strategies
https://rethinksurvival.com/how-to-find-water-in-the-wilderness/

(SNIP) ... Considering that we can only live about three days without water, finding water is a daily battle when in the wild, unless you have a good camp, close to water, where you are staying. If you’re on the move, you’re best off following water, but if you can’t, you’ve got to be on the lookout for it constantly.

Fortunately, nature provides us with some very real indicators of where water can be found. ---CONTINUED---

How to Get Water When the Utility Grid Collapses
https://www.theorganicprepper.com/how-to-get-water/

(BIG SNIP) .... Urbanites are definitely at a disadvantage here when we talk about having access to safe water continuously. Let’s say the grid stops working. If your big city job is gone (like what happened to me), then staying in the city then is probably not your best move. We can identify basically three water sources that should be safe once SHTF and we need water.

These main sources are: ---CONTINUED---

Emergency Water Sources That Are Already In Your Home
https://urbansurvivalsite.com/emergency-water-sources-already-in-your-home/

  (SNIP)  ... Besides obvious places, like a fish tank or the water that you’ve stockpiled, there are three places in your home where you can find clean water to use. This is clean water that should not need to be purified.   ---CONTINUED---