Storing Water for Emergencies

Store enough water to supply your family for at least three days: one gallon per person per day. This provides enough water for drinking, food preparation, and sanitation. Children, nursing mothers, the elderly, and people in warmer climates need more. Allow an extra gallon per day for each pet in your household.

Consider storing a two-week supply; if you don’t have room for this quantity, store as much as you can.

Store water in a cool, dark place, away from toxic substances.

Option 1: Commercially bottled water is the safest and most reliable emergency supply. Buy one-gallon or three-gallon bottles at the grocery store or order five-gallon jugs from a delivery service. Keep bottled water in its original container and do not open until you need to use it.

Option 2: Store tap water in clean, airtight, food-grade plastic containers. Avoid used containers or glass. A 55-gallon barrel requires the least amount of space to store but you will need a hand pump for dispensing water from the barrel. Water bags such as "Aquatank" also can be a good option if you have limited storage space.

For commercially bottled water, observe the expiration or “use by” date. Once you’ve purchased the total number of bottles you need, start a rotation program to keep the water fresh: add a new bottle to your supply each time you shop, and put your oldest bottle in the refrigerator for daily use. Rotate your supplies regularly.

If you are storing tap water, replace it every six months or as directed by the container manufacturer. Label every container with the date it was stored.

Yes. Wash the container with dish soap and water, and rinse thoroughly to remove all soap residue. Sanitize by adding a solution of recently purchased, unscented liquid chlorine bleach—1 teaspoon per quart of water. Mix the solution in the bottle and swish so it touches all surfaces. Thoroughly rinse out the sanitizing solution with clean water.

You can obtain drinkable water from water heaters, water pipes in your home, canned fruits and vegetables, melted ice cubes, and water stored in a recreational vehicle's drinking water tank. Remember to use drinking water to wash dishes, brush your teeth, wash and prepare food, wash your hands, make ice, or make baby formula.

Do not drink water from swimming pools, spas, ponds, aquariums, fountains, radiators, hot water boilers, or waterbeds. The water may contain chemicals, and boiling it or adding bleach does NOT make it safe to drink. Use water from these non-potable (non-drinkable) sources for bathing, cleaning, and flushing toilets. The American Red Cross also discourages using water from toilet tanks for potable purposes, even if it has been sanitized.

Option 1: Boil. Bring the water to a rapid boil and let it boil for at least one minute, preferably three to ten minutes. After the water cools, you can improve its taste by pouring it back and forth between two clean containers to add back oxygen.

Option 2: Bleach. Use recently purchased 5.25% sodium hypochlorite bleach that contains no other active ingredients. Do not use scented bleach. Add the appropriate amount of bleach to the water (see chart) and mix thoroughly. Let the water stand for 30 minutes before using. After 30 minutes, you should be able to detect a slight chlorine odor. If not, repeat the process and let the water/bleach mixture stand for an additional 15 minutes.

Option 3: Reverse osmosis. Hiking, camping, and boating supply stores sell small reverse osmosis pumps that can remove minerals and bacteria from water. Carefully read and follow the directions that come with the unit.