Imagine a significant manmade or natural disaster knocks out power and water where you live. The grid won’t be back up for a long time, and aid from government organizations isn’t forthcoming. Ideally, you’re ready for this scenario and have stocked emergency water as part of your bug-in supplies. But if you’re caught unprepared and need water for drinking and cooking, you’re not entirely out of luck. There are places in and around your home where you can obtain water in a pinch.
This guide highlights six sources of drinkable water. These sources, with the exception of the rain gutter and aquarium/koi pond, offer water that’s likely potable as is; that even goes for the toilet — unless you’ve put cleaning tablets in there, the tank typically includes the same water that comes from your tap. But when in doubt, boil or filter all water before drinking, just to be safe.
There’s water available in swimming pools too, of course, but making it safe to drink requires heavy-duty, multi-step filtration to remove chlorine and other contaminants.
As a bonus hidden water source, you can find liquid in cans of fruits and vegetables — although you should be aware that the water in the latter can be quite salty.
Illustration by Ted Slampyak
