WDC -- Only 2 Days Water Supply

A local news/traffic radio station, via their phone app and website, has this week launched an investigative series on Washington, D.C.'s "crumbling infrastructure." This series (especially today's on our vulnerable water supply) and my zip code's Christmas Eve protracted power outage -- the 4th in four months -- has had me once again reviewing what I have done, need to do, and making sure needed gear and supplies are readily accessible. The candle lanterns, for instance, are currently on a shelf, next to a big box of matches.

Water's a tough one. The city would become uninhabitable quickly as I would assume this also has ramifications for the sewer system. Fortunately, I could stay with friends in other nearby jurisdictions, with other water supplies, for some period of time.

http://wtop.com/local/2016/12/major-potomac-spill-cripple-dc-water-supply/slide/1/


Crumbling Capital: Major Potomac spill would cripple DC water supply

WASHINGTON — A train crash. A power plant discharge. An underwater pipeline rupture. An act of terrorism. Any of these could quickly cripple the drinking water supply of the nation’s capital.

And there’s no Plan B.

“We only have about 24 to 48 hours of water supply available should the Potomac River become unavailable to us,” said Tom Jacobus, general manager of the Washington Aqueduct. Operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the aqueduct processes drinking water for the District, Arlington County and the City of Falls Church.



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I certainly hope you have a few gallons tucked away. How far are you from an open source like Rock Creek or the Potomac itself?

The best and highest use for water is drinking. Water used for other purposes can be recycled - save your bath water (you can get clean with a surprisingly small amount)and use that for flushing. The water content of some foods, especially fruits, is surprisingly high and quite useful in an emergency.

As supplies get tight, the only use for water will be drinking....

I suspect a similar story could be told for many cities around the country.

EDIT: Besides accumulating a stash of potable water, it might be a good idea to inventory any nearby local water sources such as creeks, ponds, etc which could be used in an emergency. Then determine what would be the best strategy for rendering those streams, ponds etc fit to drink. A back packer filter? Boiling? Chemical purification? Then lay in a supply of purification supplies.

I live on Capitol Hill and likely would just stay with friends in one of the surrounding jurisdictions with a different water source. Not everyone has that option, though, so it would be very disruptive for many.

40% of DC residents these days do not have a car so moving out to the 'burbs, even temporarily, would be far more challenging for them.


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Dagny... if you are looking for suggestions... I live on the central Gulf Coast of Florida, and tropical weather interruption of our municipal water supply is not common, but a possibility with water main and sewer lift stations in near proximity... what I have done over the years is to (1) store water ... two 20L Scepter containers and two 6 gal AquaTainers... (2)cut a short section of garden hose with shut off to access my hot water heater drain spigot...(3) purchase a 5 gal bucket Sawyer .1 micron filter system, as well as a portable Sawyer mini filter...(4)work out the titration of stored NADCC pool shock to give me 3ppm chlorine (a measuring scoop titrated to a 5 gal bucket)...(5) replace 1/2gal of sodium hypo chlorite bleach at the beginning of each tropical season...(6) I have renovated an on site shallow water well with a deep piston pump...have some extra 5gal plastic buckets

chemical spill contamination would be a possible evacuation...

the 5gal/20L Scepters are about as heavy as I want to transport...several friends use the smaller "blue plastic" water carboys at the box stores used in home drinking coolers

Thanks, Les, that's quite a system! I have some Aquatainers but would have to catch up on the rest. Even if I had enough water for consumption, the impact on the sewage system would make the city uninhabitable, quickly.



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It seems unlikely that the river would suddenly dry up, the risk is that some accident or attack would render the city water supply unsafe to drink.

Surely in such circumstances, the water could still be supplied and used for toilet flushing, and probably also for laundry and showering.

The much smaller volumes of water needed for drinking could probably be supplied in bottles or cans by the TPTB. It would of course be prudent to have ones own reserve of water rather then being reliant on the authorities whose response might be found wanting.

If I lived in the area I would equip myself with enough bottled drinking water to last say a month, and would if possible also store perhaps a hundred gallons of non drinking water in drums or barrels.

Yesterday after filling two shopping carts and spending nearly $400 at Sam's Club for food and paper products, Mom and I talked about what else we need.

We have two months of bottled water for cooking and drinking. Mom has filled the empty kitty litter buckets with water for washing. We have the LifeStraw water filters; to use those, we need rain.

What else can we do?

Reminder: We are apart of a HOA. Therefore, any water prep cannot be visible.

Jeanette Isabelle

Jeanette,

This is a little off topic, what do have space for in terms of mid-term refuse storage/containment? If things get a little wonky, refuse pickup may be interrupted.

I asked Mom. She said a lot could be burned inside the trashcans. As for the rest, it could be buried; we have a small lot.

Jeanette Isabelle

watch the opening scene from "Apocalypse Now"... bottom 1/3 of 55gal drum, weld on some handles, and add some diesel fuel, check direction of the wind, light

Been there. Used those.