Hi,

I live with my wife and three kids in East Central Florida, on a salt marsh with brackish water. We have been thinking about how to prepare for a disaster/emergency situation. We have stocked on food, gas, solar battery rechargers, etc. but we are still confused about what to do about water. We live on city water and if the our city looses power (which happens *very* easily down here) we are stuck without water. During the hurricanes, we also had brown, dirty water coming from our faucets. So what should we do in case of emergency? We have three large water sources:

1) The brackish water in the canal we live on. Here is an abundant supply of water, but it still has salt in it (only sawgrass grows in our marsh). Even if we desalinate it, we still would need to purify it. Still, it would be the one I would prefer using, if that is at all possible.

2) The community swimming pool. Plenty of water there, but it is chlorinated and has plenty of dirt in in (ranging from hair to dead insects).

3) A nearby lake. Fresh water, but known for amoebas (and alligators, but these are not a problem).

I have found this Katadyn Base Camp water purification system which is affordable and simple but it cannot remove salt.

So my questions are:

a) is there any cost effective way to use the brackish water of our marsh in case of emergency? If yes, how? if not:
b) if I get the water purification system above should I use my swimming pool water (which is kind off disgusting, but it is within walking distance) or should I use the lake's water (wich is about a 30min drive away, thus using up gas).

Also, depending on the time of the year, rain water might be another good option in Florida. Could somebody recommend a *cheap* but effective rainwater collection and storage system? More generally, what kind of container should I get to keep water for long periods of time (several weeks)?

Many thanks in advance for any pointers!