Purifying water in a survival situation in Colorado

Post by Crusis

First of all:

If you go to Mexico, don't drink the water!

If you come to Colorado or live here, don't drink the water that isn't treated.

The water here can contain disease causing organisms, parasites, or chemicals. Possibly toxins from mines. Giardia lamblia is an intestinal parasite that is common to Colorado waterways.

There are different ways to purify the water you drink from a stream, lake, pond, or surface spring though.

Boiling:

Boil water for 5 minutes + 1 minute for every 1000 feet above sea level. This is because the pressure is less the higher you go, which reduces the boiling temperature of water. Since it is boiling at a lower temp, you have to add time to the boiling process to get it sufficiently hot enough for long enough to kill any living organisms in it. You might just toss a few more minutes on the total anyway because safe is far better than sorry.

Still:

If you have plastic and a container, you can make a solar still. I am not going into details here, but we have a lot of Sun in Colorado so this is a really good way to accomplish your goal of clean water. Do your research, and if you're heading out into the mountains or high desert you should consider having the supplies for this especially if you're in a vehicle and don't have to carry the weight.

Water Tabs:

Drop one in, wait the time indicated on the instructions, drink. Simple, easy to carry, and convenient for short trips. You may want to learn other methods, though, as your short trip could always become a long trip.

Filter:

Katadyn makes filters that will purify water. While not a permanent solution like boiling and a still, it will certainly give you water quickly if you're traveling.

http://www.katadyn.com/usen/katadyn-pro ... r-filters/

Don't forget to consider the unconventional methods of getting water.

Plants, either by squeezing out their moisture or by a 'tree still', which is just a plastic bag over a section of leaves. Heat will make the leaves expire moisture into the bag which will then collect in the bottom.

Dew. Take rag. Soak up dew. Wring out in container or mouth.

Snow. Never eat snow straight. You must heat it to keep from lowering your internal body temperature. You can pack a container and store it under your coat until it's heated or use a fire, but your core temp must stay as close to 98.6 as possible. If it goes lower you are heading toward trouble. If you're in snow you're probably already in a situation where hypothermia is a concern, so don't aggravate the situation by eating cold snow.

Digging. You may find water digging in the lower areas or in washes. Particularly in the high desert. Look for green plants in numbers, and dig at a lower point in that area.

Urine. As a last resort, don't forget the supply you carry. It makes me want to gag to think about it, but you can consume your own urine at least once. Don't forget to share with your friends!

Herbivore feces. I saw Bear Grillz do it, if I'm desperate I'll try it myself. Grab a big cow pie, wring it out, and boil the water. Good luck!

That's all I have. What did I forget? Coming from Indiana where water was often abundant enough to be a problem in overabundance instead of a serious concern as a missing necessity, it took me a little while to realize I should probably know how to get water here. In Indiana you go to the nearest stream, probably within a few hills, and get what you want. You still treat it, of course, but I can think of a lot of times as a stupid kid that I drank straight out of a stream while mushroom hunting or just messing around in the woods. Here, you might not find a stream easily. Get water where you find it. It's worth taking time out to make sure your supply is topped off if you find it while traveling.

Your survival without food is likely measured in weeks. Your survival without water is likely a couple of days, especially if you're exerting yourself. Keep your eyes open and drink safe! One thing of note: Only the still method will remove metal and chemical toxins. Never drink water running out of a mine unless you distill it.:


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I've posted this before but it is always good to bring it up again.

APN Scores Best Deal Ever!...Or at least the best deal ever offered by Rich Fleetwood at SurvivalCD.com (SurvivalRing.org)SurvivalCD's Emergency Preparedness Digital Library contains over 80,000 printable pages of life saving, scientifically proven, and in many cases, rare information that could be of used in times of national emergency or natural disaster. The areas of emphasis cover the entire range of disaster preparedness information, from simple first aid, to locating natural hazard threats where you live, to stocking food and tools, to mitigation (lessening) of disaster events, all the way to recovering from the full force of nature, technology, or terror, when things have turned out for the worst.This CD set contains the largest collection of digitized fallout shelter information ever put into one place, with shelter plans, shelter management guides, technical data books, regulations, and more. Also contained is disaster preparedness and recovery information for every possible disaster, from tornadoes to volcanic eruption, as well as planning lists, federal documents for nuclear and terrorist preparedness, and even several documents on dealing with pandemics and other survival needs.Our two 4 CD/1 DVD set contains over 80,000 printable pages of preparedness and survival information from sources all over the world. Our data covers over 67 years of United States civil defense research and publications, as well as information from many other nation’s preparedness projects.The CD and DVD navigation uses simple web browser technology (Internet Explorer 5.5, Firefox, and other similar browsers) to find and read each file on the disk. The disk data can be read by both PC and MAC systems, although on PC systems, there is an AUTORUN program to load the homepage of the CD for your ease of use.Nearly all the documents on both CDs are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format, and any version of Acrobat Reader (or open source programs that can also be used to open and read PDF files) that is version 5 or higher can access the files. Once the documents are viewed, they can be printed via your PDF reader in high quality output, to any standard printer connected to your computer. Click below to see what each CD contains.To read more about the packages go to http://www.SurvivalCD.comNow for the Deal...Rich has offered an exclusive discount of 30% off only to APN Gold Members! This is the deepest discount he's ever offered to anyone.Gold Membership at APN is very affordable at only $5 a month (no obligation) and Rich's discount can easily cover 2 - 6 months worth of the cost of your membership just from his offer alone, not to mention the many other benefits that are either available now or in the works.If you are not a member, follow these steps to get your discountStep one, register to the forum here:ucp.php?mode=registerStep two, sign up for gold membership here:http://www.americanpreppersnetwork.net/ ... c54dd55127Step three, within 24 hours of your sign up we will send you a password to access the APN Gold members club. Once you recieve your password follow this link to get your discount on the SurvivalCD set.viewtopic.php?f=612&t=4380Other Gold Member forums can be found here:viewforum.php?f=611

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Looking for asimple but versitile gun? Check this out!
http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/v-shrake/m6.html

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Sing the health praises of parsley and sage

Those of us who go back a few years likely remember the line about parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme in the huge Simon and Garfunkel hit song about two ill-fated lovers, "Are You Going to Scarborough Fair". Many have speculated that the reference to the four popular herbs was due to their use in Medieval Europe to help cleanse the air and ward off the infamous black plague. Others have thought that the reference to the four herbs was because the combination may have been used as a love potion. Whatever the reason for their inclusion in the popular song, the many health benefits of parsley and sage are worth loving and singing praises about in their own rights.

PARSLEY

Parsley is an amazing medicinal herb with a world of health benefits. The root contains calcium, B-complex vitamins, and iron, which nourish the glands that help regulate the uptake of calcium. It is a source of magnesium, calcium, potassium, vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin K.

Among the many benefits reported for parsley are:

*It is a diuretic which helps the body produce more urine to keep the urinary system operating smoothly and which helps prevent problems such as kidney stones and bladder infections.

*It is wonderful for removing toxins from the body, such as heavy metals.

*It is an effective breath freshener. It is believed that the practice of including parsley on a dinner plate began due to its breath freshening abilities and not merely for its decorative effect.

*The root and leaves are good for the liver and spleen.

*It helps relieve bloating during menstruation.

*It provides relief for edema, often helping when other remedies have failed

*Parsley root and seeds help relax stiff joints, often making stiff and unmanageable fingers work again.

*It helps remove gallstones when used properly by taking a pint of the tea daily.

*It is beneficial for the adrenal glands.

*It is a powerful therapeutic aid for the optic nerves, brain and sympathetic nervous system.

*Parsley juice is an excellent tonic for the blood vessels.

Note: It is best to avoid large amounts of parsley if you are pregnant, especially the use of the volatile essential oil.

SAGE

Like rosemary, its sister herb in the mint (Labiatae) family, sage contains a variety of volatile oils, flavonoids and phenolic acids, including rosmarinic acid. The oils found in sage are both antiseptic and antibiotic, helping it fight infections.

Besides the antioxidant and other properties shared with Rosemary, sage`s other health benefits include:

*It is effective for symptoms of menopause, night sweats and hot flashes because of its estrogenic action and because its tannins help dry up perspiration.

*Sage helps provide better brain function and has been used in the treatment of cerebrovascular disease for over a thousand years. It helps provide better recall and research has suggested that it may be an effective option to help treat Alzheimer`s.

*There`s also compelling evidence that sage may be of value to people with diabetes for whom the hormone insulin does not work as efficiently as it should. Lab studies indicate that sage may boost insulin`s action.

* The ability of sage to protect oils from oxidation has also led some companies to experiment with sage as a natural antioxidant additive for cooking oils that can extend shelf life and help avoid rancidity.

In an upcoming article, we will also sing the praises of the other two herbs mentioned in the popular song - rosemary and thyme.

Sources included:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarbo...
http://www.healthy-holistic-living....
http://www.greenmuze.com/blogs/natu...
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pars...

About the author

Tony Isaacs, is a natural health author, advocate and researcher who hosts The Best Years in Life website for baby boomers and others wishing to avoid prescription drugs and mainstream managed illness and live longer, healthier and happier lives naturally. Mr. Isaacs is the author of books and articles about natural health, longevity and beating cancer including "Cancer's Natural Enemy" and is working on a major book project due to be published later this year.
Mr. Isaacs is currently residing in scenic East Texas and frequently commutes to the even more scenic Texas hill country near San Antonio and Austin to give lectures in health seminars. He also hosts the CureZone "Ask Tony Isaacs - featuring Luella May" forum as well as the Yahoo Health Group "Oleander Soup" and he serves as a consultant to the "Utopia Silver Supplement Company".

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With permission from Crusis I'd like to repost this, it's some VERY good advise!

We all have insurance for our cars, either our houses or renters insurance. At least we should. But what about proving the value of your preps to an insurance company?I'm taking pictures. Why? Because that is accurate proof of not only what you owned, but quantity and condition. It will be hard for an insurance agent to dispute a photograph. Things to take pictures off.1. Guns.2. Survival equipment like tents, tools, stocked non-food goods.3. Food in crates, cans, pails, buckets, on shelves, in storage boxes. Get it all. I think we would all be surprised how much money we have wrapped up in our emergency food supply.4. Household goods - Kitchen utensils, pans, etc. You're going to need those post-SHTF, right?5. Electronics - GPSs, radio equipment, your computer(s), cameras (you'll have to prove that by taking a picture in a mirror), solar panels, inverters, batteries, etc.6. Clothing and bedding7. Stocked medical goods including anything you have for specific health issues. 8. Storage media, such as shelving, and storage containers.9. Water storage. Whether it be in drums, jugs, or 24oz containers, stored water is expensive! Get photos your storage.10. I like a nice round number, so I will include #10 as while you're taking pictures of your preps, you might as well get pictures of your household items that aren't prep related too. Just in case you get a jerk for an adjuster.11. Oh well, so much for round numbers. If you have any valuables, such as silver, gold, jewelry, or any other material trade commodity, get photos of that too. Once you have the photos, make sure you burn the pix to disk or you store it in a flash drive away from home. Whatever storage method you choose for the photos, you'll need to secure it. Safety deposit box or at a friends house (you should store his/hers) will do fine. Protect your investment.


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Well folks here it comes! They said food prices were going up and they are, over the last two weeks rice has gone up a little over $8.00 per 50 pound sack. That may not seem like a lot but remember that's wholesale. Other foods are following suit and you don't want to get caught having to prep at a higher cost. I suggest everyone scrape it together somewhere to put together the basics and soon.
On another note it has been suggested by a CO member that we do a "bug out" practice weekend, more to hone or learn outdoor skills. The folks that have proposed this are pretty much self sufficient and would be able to teach a lot. Feedback for this can be found here
http://www.americanpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=254&t=6444, please stop by and add your comments.
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Colorado Preppers Roll Call

The Colorado Preppers Network is conducting a Roll Call on our forum.  If you are a prepper please check in.

* Here is a link to the Roll Call:
http://www.americanpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=252&t=6211


You have to be registered to check in.  If you aren't registered please join here:
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* If you are a HAM Radio Operator check in here:
http://americanpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=143&t=6219


* If you are an A.N.T.S. member please check in here:
http://americanpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=618&t=6220

New Colorado Member

Welcome New Member:

ramack

Hey,

Just checking in as requested. I'm near Denver, so I'll be hooking up with the Colorado Preppers Network for local stuff.

Rich

To welcome our new member please click on the link below:
http://www.americanpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=563&t=6148&p=5814

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Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today lets remember why we celebrate this day, it is not to celebrate turkey or great sales, but to thank God for the blessings he has given us. Even in these dark times we can be thankful for anything and everything, we have so much that we really don't even know it. Slow down today and really give it a think, what are you thankful for?

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Good morning everyone! Just wanted to throw this out there that Glenn Beck wil be talking about food storage tonight on his show on Fox TV, it should be interesting. Also NIP, the forum owner has thrown out an off that just can't be passed up! http://www.americanpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=612&t=5972

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It's been a few weeks since I've done a post, but just wanted to throw out that their is a big buzz in the finacial world that a bank holiday may be fast approaching. A bank holiday is where the entire banking system is shut down to allow for a reset in as spiraling economy, or so they say. How will you know this will happen? The morning after is all the notice you will get, in other words none. A BH can last anywhere from one day to weeks, the last was in 1933, and did not have the desired intent. My family will be drawing out all cash from our bank on Monday except that which is required to keep the accounts open. It's a good idea to operate on a cash system anyway, this gives you a good reason. I wouldn't worry about your savings accounts as they are probably only paying 1/2% these days anyway, so removing the cash shouldn't do much to hurt earnings. You should deposit funds when needed to cover auto withdrawls and online billing, other than that pay for gas, food, and eating out with cash. Those of you that have the means, buy junk silver coins. Junk silver is easily bought because the collector value is very low, but in a SHTF situation the silver coins will be able to hold face value when paper or copper plated steel has lots its value.

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It happened again! My son checked his bank acount on ine yesterday morning and discovered that at the same time he was on line, someone was making purchases with his debit card! He quickly call his bank and they stopped all charges plus canceled his card. He never gives his card to waiters or anyone else, so how did this happen? We tracked it down to a pump at the gas station he goes to every week. What happened is someone during the night sometime installed a devise to read cards being used at that pump. You scan your card to pay at the pump and this scum is stealing your card info! I guess it's back to using cash. Another way your card can be stolen is by someone using a portable scanner and simply walking by you, no joke this is very real. I bought these products http://www.idstronghold.com/ and I sttrongly urge you to do the same. They block scanners from taking info from your credit/debit cards, license or passports.

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Not to beat a dead horse, but here's a great link for all of you to pass on to those friends and laughing relatives.
http://www.survivalblog.com/2010/10/welcome_to_the_promised_land_b.html

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Everyone, please take a few minutes and watch these two video's, they are about 16 min together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMokBM6caRE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIblxSOOOok&feature=related

I think this is a good representation of why we are prepping. Get to work.
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I thought I'd pass on a quote from another blog that was also posted to APN today:

"It has always been recommended that activities associated with emergency preparedness and off-grid living are best kept under the radar so as not to alert neighbors and friends who could present a threat to your safety and stockpile in an aftermath. This advice takes on a much greater significance as the government seeks to target individuals who appear to want to act as independent “sovereign citizens” and who are considered as extremists based on the government’s glossary. The resounding cry of “loose lips sinks ships” now applies to your emergency preparedness plan."

I can't agree more. We need to build good relations with other preppers, but be ever so careful with who know's what you are doing. As for myself I keep complete anonymity on all boards and with people in my neighborhood. Paranoid? Maybe but I feel it's all part of being prepared.
For the full story as it was posted follow this link.
http://offthegridnews.com/2010/10/04/planning-an-off-grid-existence-the-feds-may-be-watching-you/
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Welcome New Members

Welcome our new members:

Springer45

Hi all, lookin' forward to chatting with everyone. Great to be here...

To welcome our new member click on the link below:
http://www.americanpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=563&t=6003&p=56860

YerMom

Hey everyone!
I've been prepping for about a year now. I love the independent feelings it breeds! I have a decent amount of food stored away, continually adding to it. I'm currently learning how to home preserve and constantly learning new skills. I don't consider myself a novice, but maybe just a notch above. My husband thinks I'm a bit nuts, and my mom and sister think I've just lost it. Well, I know they'll find me sane if ever we really do need my stores and skills! I'm excited to find a group of like minded people- and to know I'm not alone in having the uneasy feeling in my gut. I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it!
Sincerely,
YerMom

To welcome our new member click on the link below:
http://www.americanpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=563&t=5504

Awake

Hi ~ I'm "Awake" - I just joined as a new member.

To welcome our new member click on the link below:
http://www.americanpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=563&t=5253

Dreygon

Hi All,

I'm a newbie to this group but not to prepping. We are three years into prepping and sustainability.

R.

To welcome our new member click on the link below:
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Dozer
Hey everybody,
My name is Dozer and I'm new. Hoping to get together with like minded people. Thanks.

To welcome our new member click on the link below:
http://www.americanpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=563&t=5127

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It sure didn't take long for the temps to finally start feeling like fall here in CO, it's about time! I'd like to talk a bit about prepping your vehicle for the upcoming winter. I own two automotive repair shops and soon we'll see people's cars being towed in for no starts on cold days. Yup, it will usually be the battery. When the car arrives though as standard proceedure we check it over from bumper to bumper, you would not believe (maybe you would) the amount of repaires that most vehicles need. The high school kid's cars seem to be in the worst shape, as long as it still moves then Biff or Muffy doesn't give a second thought till it won't start or worse it dies on a cold snowy back road. Give your car a good check over and take care of those threatening needed repairs, or maybe you really want to try out that new 72 hour kit?

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Is it really October?? With this summer weather I have trouble remembering that right around the corner is harsh cold weather. How does this change the way you prep, I know that it gives us more time to get the winter's supply of wood split (screw the red days I want a warm house!) and I've noticed that there seems to be kind of a second growing season for those with gardens. Take advantage of these extra warm days we have, make sure your outside preps are in order such as wood, water storage and anything else that is harder to do when it's colder. On another note in thinking of colder weather, CO preppers must finally come together and start to form a group that can be counted on in times of trouble. We need to be looking at ways we can meet up even if it's just over coffee, suggestions? Please go to the main forum and post your comments.

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Water purification, (check out the stuff about fabric?!?!?

Author: Empress


WATER TREATMENT
By My DH PE (Civil Engineer)

INTRODUCTION
As natural resources go, water is second only to air in importance to sustaining human life. But unlike air, the rarity of clean water in the areas of human population makes it a matter of concern for all of us. Since the target audience is preppers and survivalists, we’ll focus on methods that will be useful in emergency or survival type situations. I’ve clearly labeled sections so if you want to jump over the technical portions, it should be easy to do so.
CLEAN WATER
We all talk about clean water. We all desire clean water. Some of us can even give a general definition. But when we treat water, we need to understand the criteria by which we judge clean water.
There are six categories of criteria that we must look at in determining water quality
Color
Taste
Smell
Solids
Pathogens
Chemicals
Note that the first three are detectable by humans to a great degree and even better by most of our four legged friends. These are the tools nature has given us to determine if we should drink the water or not. But we have limits to our abilities to detect minute quantities of contaminants. So, we turn to technology to help us detect and filter out those we cannot detect. The bottom line is: as long as you can take enough stuff out of the water, you’ll have clean water to drink.
MILITARY STANDARDS
See the attached TBMED577 standards. This is the US Military standard for water quality. On page 90 and 91 you will find a list of criteria for non-potable and potable water respectively. From anecdotal data from over 20 bases in southern Afghanistan, with minor exceptions, the non-potable water is actually fit to drink as long as you kill the bugs. But in the US, there are higher standards than what humans are capable of taking. This is because of those minor exceptions. But if your source is reasonably clean, you should be fine with the non-potable standards as long as you take care of pathogens.
BOILING
How many of you believe that boiling water will automatically make it fit to drink? Really? How would you feel about drinking raw sewage shortly after it has been boiled? Didn’t think so. Sorry to be so graphic. But I needed to drive a point home. While boiling will do a good job of killing pathogens, it will not take care of any other contaminants (solids, chemicals). These will effect, texture, smell, taste, as well as the overall fitness of the water for drinking or washing.
DISTILLATION
Distillation is often done through boiling. But it can also be done through room temperature methods. This will remove virtually everything from the water. There are several reasons not to use distillation as the method of water purification.
1) It does not remove any contaminants with a boiling point lower than water.
2) In the case of room temperature distillation, it does not remove contaminants with a vapor pressure greater than water. And this does not remove any airborne contaminants.
3) It removes essential minerals from the water causing it to deplete the body’s minerals and salts when ingested.
4) It is extremely costly and slow. Therefore, this should only be used for small-scale applications.
FILTRATION
The modern world has invented all kinds of filters. Low tech filters include appropriate application of dirt (sand, silt, clay). Although it seems counter-intuitive to filter water by sending it through a filter made of dirt, it can be quite effective for a fairly clean water source. High tech solutions include membranes such as the famous Reverse Osmosis filters.
The premise is simple: water will go through and other stuff will get stuck in the filter. But it comes with several disadvantages. Take a look at the following numbers:
Viruses: 0.02 to 0.4 microns
Bacteria: 0.2 to 1 micron
RO: 0.00005 microns
Coffee filter: 20-40 microns
Tech filter: 10 microns (this is the filter paper that chemists use to remove precipitates from their solutions.)
Apart from RO and other similar filters, we don’t have very many filters that will filter out bacteria and viruses. Most automotive filters will be in the 5 micron range. Some go down to 1 micron. But the finer the openings, the more expensive it is.
The other consideration is that with any filter, you’ll need a method of cleaning the filter or you just have to replace it. With the smaller opening filters, replacement is more likely in lieu of cleaning. There is no way to clean an RO unit. You have to replace the membrane entirely.
COTTON FILTERS
There has been talk of using cotton cloth to filter water. This has been around the internet for a while describing a study done in various parts of the underdeveloped world. Such a study is not to be found. And from a technical standpoint, there is no reason to believe cotton has any ability to either kill pathogens or filter them out directly.
However, it can be used to remove particulates. Tightly wound cotton yarns or cloths can be used to filter out particulates down to 20 microns. And a great deal of bacteria (up to 80% by some estimates) can be removed by simply removing the particulates. 20% of the pathogens from a natural source is better than 100%. This is why they tell you to wash your hands—even without anti-bacterial soap. In fact, this is the simplest, most effective way to stop the spread of common diseases like the cold and flu.
The advantage of a cloth or yarn over other filters is that it can be washed clean after it has been clogged up.
DISINFECTION
There are only three methods I’m aware of for removing pathogens in water.
1) Chemically destroy them (antiseptics, chlorine, etc.)
2) Thermally destroy them (boil, burn, freeze, etc.)
3) Physically remove them (filtering, washing, etc.)
Most anti-bacterial soaps are great in the short term. But in the long term they are made of antiseptics that bacteria can evolve around. Eventually, they will become ineffective.
Chlorine (usually in the form of sodium hypochlorite) is a method of disinfection that is quite effective. The two great advantages of chlorine are that 1) bacteria and viruses cannot develop tolerance or immunities to it, and 2) if left open overnight, it will evaporate out of the water and will have no lasting effects in the water.
Vinegar is also an effective disinfector. This has long been an old wives tale. But Better Homes and Gardens did a laboratory study to determine that regular household vinegar is as effective as chlorine in disinfection. Unfortunately, it is difficult to remove from water and is therefore not a practical method in the disinfection of water.
TITANIUM CLOTH
A recent development at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne has created a cloth made of titanium-oxide doped in nitrogen and treated with palladium. This cloth reacts with water creating a hydroxyl radical (the neutral form of the hydroxide ion regularly found in water). Hydroxyl radicals are extremely toxic to any life-form. Thankfully, these radicals have a half-life in the nano-second range.
Creating these radicals requires energy. The cloth absorbs energy from visible light and uses it to create the hydroxyl radicals. Here are the interesting facts.
1) Most raw sewage will have an e-coli count of 3,000 to 500,000 per liter.
2) They tested their fabric with a 10,000,000 count per liter.
3) It removed anywhere from 80% to 99% of the e-coli with a 25 second exposure.
4) It only requires exposure to visible light at about 2% the intensity of sunlight at sea level for a few minutes per 24 hour period to charge it.
5) After the active zone, the radicals dissipate quite quickly, leaving no lasting toxic effects.
6) These tests were done with 1g of fabric per liter of water.
I have asked the following two questions and am awaiting a response:
1) What was the source of the variation in disinfection?
2) How are you able to ensure contact between the radicals and the pathogens with only 0.022% of the volume occupied by this fabric?
This material has yet to be commercially available.
APPENDIX I: WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANTS
The most common method of purifying water in the US is via the waste water treatment plant. Treatment plants take raw sewage from a municipality and treat it to become potable again. It may be difficult to put our minds around the idea that we’re drinking former sewage. But I assure you it really is pretty safe.
PRIMARY TREATMENT
The first step is to screen the water through a series of smaller and smaller screens. The first one is a grate of about 2’ squares (depending on the city). The smallest one is about as big as a window screen. Within the screening process is a bunch of grinder pumps and traps to break down and catch debris. Periodically, the screens and traps will need cleaning or replacing. At this point we’re ready to move to secondary treatment.
SECONDARY TREATMENT
High quantities of oxygen are introduced to the water causing bacteria to become highly active. This causes the bacteria to digest all the organics in the water and break it down to less hazardous by-products.
Then we move on to the settling tanks. This uses gravity to separate water from sludge and scum. Scum is lighter than water. Sludge is heavier than water. (So if you call a civil engineer “scum”, your actually saying he has floated to the top. So scum is a compliment). This is necessarily a slow process because so many particles are very close to the density of water.
TERTIARY TREATMENT
The final process is chemical treatment. Here we use various chemicals to kill germs, neutralize chemicals, precipitate out solids, etc. Once through this, the water is cleaner than virtually any stream or river in the world.

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How to Join The Colorado Preppers Network

Come learn survival, preparedness and sustainable living with us!

The Preppers networks are all about volunteering our knowledge and skills with each other. We share ideas, tips and basically network with each other to survive any type of disaster whether natural, man made, or economic. Information that you learn and share with others will help everyone learn how to find "Freedom Through Teaching Others Self Reliance."

Joining the Colorado Preppers Network is simple, and most of all, it's Free! To join, just follow these few steps.

1) Register to become a member of the American Preppers Network www.AmericanPreppersNetwork.net The registration page is here: http://americanpreppersnetwork.net/ucp.php?mode=register


2) Once you have your account, go to the index page of the forum and do your first post by introducing yourself in the new members area. http://americanpreppersnetwork.net/index.php


3) Once you know how to do posts, visit the Colorado forum and introduce yourself. The Colorado forum can be found by scrolling to the lower section of the index page where you will find a list of states, or you can go directly by following this URL: www.ColoradoPreppersNetwork.net

4) After you've visited the Colorado forum, follow this link to learn how to join the Colorado Preppers Network group:
http://americanpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=564&t=2738


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Gold Membership is only $5 per month. For a list of Gold Member benefits go here

Thank you for your support!

Just a heads up, on the main board there has been a bit of talk about whether or not to keep your preps secret or not. Even though you might be the kind hearted good natured type, most other folks are not. It is the general thought and my opinion that we tell people they need to prep, but keep our preps secret. In other words don't tell the world how much you have and where it's kept. Children are always eager to tell others, even when they are teenagers and we need to teach them it's not the best thing. Teach them to help others by all means, but help them understand the dangers in others knowing that you have a years supply of food and supplies.

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Hi all! I just wanted to restate what our founder (North Idaho Patriot) has suggested in the main forum, and that would be to check in as often as you can. I'm not sure everyone knows about the main form, but topics change almost every hour, there is always something of interest being posted for your prepping use. One more thing, as state moderator I am looking to put together a "meet and greet" for all of the CO preppers very soon. The meeting will be very light, mainly just to get to know each other and I'm sure the location will probably be some place such as a Sonic. This summer is pretty busy but we'll try to sqeeze it in. I know that anonymity is something of a concern and I'm looking into addressing that before we meet.

Cherokeenut
Colorado state moderator

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Backpack Nukes

From Sardog on our forum

About 14 years ago I attended an Emergency Management conference for my state. One of the speakers was the chief scientist from the Nuclear Emergency Response Team (NEST). When he entered the room he was carrying what appeared to be a grey five gallon bucket. He sat in in the isle as he approached the podium. A very soft spoken man, he introduced himself and recited his credentials. He then pointed to the object he had carried in.
This gentleman stated "This is what we look for" Everybody turns to look. He says "This is a training mock up of a man portable atomic munition with an adjustable yield of between 9 and 21 kilotons of TNT. It weighs 78 pounds and is absolutely accurate except for the timing device which is classified" "Feel free to take it apart".
Needless to say ol' sardog sat down and went to work. He said it was Special Forces proof so I didn't figger I could do it any harm It was remarkably simple in design from what I could tell.

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Hi everyone! I talked with an old friend yesterday and asked him if he and his wife were preppers. I know this couple from years back, I grew up with the wife and have known her since I was in grade school so knowing their lifestyle I figured that it was a given that they were preppers. He looked at me with a puzzled look and then I explained what prepping was, he looked down and said that they didn't have the money for anything extra like that. I was shocked! These folks come from a very conservative family and have known hardship as well as big time wealth. He also said that she didn't see where they would put all that "stuff". I could tell he felt bad about not being prepared as he looked down or away when talking to me about it.

This is a good time to start asking our friends and distant family (your close family thinks you're loony) if they are putting away for hard times, or even an emergency. Bring up current events like the snow storms that hit the east coast so hard, at one time it was snowing in all 49 continental states this year on the same day! Talk about the recent earthquakes both here in the US and in other countries, earthquakes can happen anywhere. Help people to understand that they can start off simple and that no matter how broke they are, most everyone can buy some canned goods on sale for less than a dollar each. Buying just 4 canned items each week will net you a nice stock within a year. Rice and beans can be bought at Sam's for around $15 per 50 pound bag. Water storage only involves buying a gallon of water each week and rotating out the old when it's due, doesn't cost but pennies each week. Duct tape and plastic sheeting cost a little more so buy them when there is a good paycheck. Do you see how little we've spent here? Prepping doesn't have to be huge or expensive, everyone should be able to prepare and protect their family no matter what the budget says. Here's something most don't know, somewhere in your local grocery store there is probably a discount shelf. Find that area of the store and pick it clean, often you can find slightly dented canned goods, paper products, women's supplies and other good supplies for pennies on the dollar. In some cities you can find stores that sell nothing but damaged food items, all perfectly good but just have damaged packaging. My points here are simple, anyone can prep, it's not for those with big budgets.

Prepping married but alone?

Recently I was asked by a frustrated wife about how to get her hubby on board with prepping. I asked my wife about this since we have both been with the idea pretty much from the beginning. Her suggestion seems to be a wise one, your hubby will probably not get on board at this time because it's not his idea. Now, how do you make it his idea? If I had a straight honest answer for that question I'd probably be a shrink instead of my current occupation. I can however give you some tips, try showing him what other husbands are doing, show him it's not just a womans world as far as prepping. I suggest having him talk to or read up on men who are pioneering the feild. Here's a link to a guy who seems well grounded and knows what he's doing http://www.pioneerliving.net/ People like your husband sometimes just need to feel it is their idea before it's a "good idea", my sister in law is the same type of person. She is just now considering the idea of prepping, mainly because she has a college education and not me, whatever that has to do with anything. I would also suggest helping him to understand what has been going on on the eastern seaboard with the massive snow storms. Store shelves went bare within hours, many folks are still without heat or water also. Many people believe that when TSHTF that they will just ride it out not knowing how, or that it will just "be their time". Both are ways of thinking that could get them killed. Just for the record, this frustrated wife also mentioned that her husbands friends said they would be ok because they have enough guns. She and I both take it that the friends think they will be able to forcably steal from those who have supplies. I think we all agree that will lead to a lot of bloodshed and quite possible the death of her husband's friends. Oh what the times will be like! I think it should give everyone food for thought, not only about prepping, but protecting the prep and the family.

Keep those emails coming, I need suggestions!

Welcome!

As the newest contributer here on the American Preppers blog for Colorado I'd like to introduce myself. Many of you might be like my wife and I, several years ago we started buying a little extra food each week to put downstairs in the pantry. This grew however from just a few canned goods to what it is today, a self sufficient food and supply store that has the ability (we hope) to last us through a year or more with the addition of a garden and hunting. To back up a little, we like you, never really thought we would end up where we are today. With the uncertanty of things in the world today both natural and man made, we never really know where events might lead us. In the future I will go over what you might consider for food stores and living supplies that you might consider collecting.
By the way, if you are new to "prepping" you are not alone in wondering if your family and friends think your screws are not only loose but are laying on the ground. I run across doctors, chiropractors, lawyers, and people with every day jobs that are asking me to fill them in on what I might know. What I'd like to know from you the reader is this, what information do you want to read about? Rather than write endless articles that don't really hit the mark, I want suggestions on what might help you. I would love to hear from you too on what you have done as I am far from the expert here, I'm just a survivor like yourself. Email me at cherokeenut@msn.com for suggestions.