[Turtle]

Originally Posted by freeztar

I've got a creek in my back yard, and a fire hydrant in the front yard. I'll be alright at least...

Well, the fire hydrant draws from the municipal water supply, but tell me about the creek. Does it have water? If so, where is it coming from in a drought? Inquiring minds want to know.

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by Turtle

Well, the fire hydrant draws from the municipal water supply,

Yeah, but it will be the last thing to be cut off I would imagine, maybe not. If it is tied-in directly to the "customer" water lines, then at least it could drain a few residual gallons from the pipes.

but tell me about the creek. Does it have water? If so, where is it coming from in a drought? Inquiring minds want to know.

It is a perennial stream originating from a large area of groundwater discharge about a mile north-northwest of my house (as best I can tell...I haven't walked all the way up it to see, yet). Even with incised banks measuring 3-5 feet and a channel width of ~8 feet, it will fill up during a heavy storm. It's been a long time since I've seen that.
But yes, there is water in the creek and the birds are particularly active right now along the riparian canopies.

Since nothing pumps from this creek or its source(AFAIK), it seems to be a great source of potentially potable water. It's time to stock up on iodine tablets!

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by freeztar

...
It is a perennial stream originating from a large area of groundwater discharge about a mile north-northwest of my house (as best I can tell...I haven't walked all the way up it to see, yet). Even with incised banks measuring 3-5 feet and a channel width of ~8 feet, it will fill up during a heavy storm. It's been a long time since I've seen that.
But yes, there is water in the creek and the birds are particularly active right now along the riparian canopies.

Since nothing pumps from this creek or its source(AFAIK), it seems to be a great source of potentially potable water. It's time to stock up on iodine tablets!

Very nice. I am going to build a sand filter in a 2 foot long 2" diameter piece of plastic ABS pipe with screw on ends. I did one a few years ago that was in 4" pipe and layered with sand and charcoal; it was about 4 feet long. Problem is when you put the charcoal in it starts getting used up right away and it isn't really necessary unless you're trying to remove chemicals, and its not a very portable size. A clean sand filter will remove most particulates and then you only need boil the output water. Another use for your Fresnel setup.

That's a wet wrap.

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by Turtle

Very nice. I am going to build a sand filter in a 2 foot long 2" diameter piece of plastic ABS pipe with screw on ends. I did one a few years ago that was in 4" pipe and layered with sand and charcoal; it was about 4 feet long. Problem is when you put the charcoal in it starts getting used up right away and it isn't really necessary unless you're trying to remove chemicals, and its not a very portable size. A clean sand filter will remove most particulates and then you only need boil the output water.

Awesome mate!
I have a wilderness survival guide (one of many) that shows a filtration system made of an oil drum (or a drum of equivalent size). It was a three layer system. The top layer is fine pebbles. The middle layer is sand, and the bottom layer is charcoal/ash. You simply pour water into the top and collect the purified water at the bottom.

I like the idea of your portable system, but I question the quality control. Many parasites (especially in cyst form) can survive a good boil, only to be activated later within your gut.
The chances are rare with such filtration methodology, but it is still a remote concern.

Another use for your Fresnel setup.

Actually, my plan is to clear some trees, create a pool in the stream with river rocks, and aim my fresnel lens into the pool to create a nice, natural hot tub.

In other news, we had a forecast for rain today, and rain it did. A slight drizzle coated everything with a micrometer layer of moisture, much of which quickly evaporated. The skies are cloudy, but no go...hopefully tomorrow...

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by freeztar

Awesome mate!
I have a wilderness survival guide (one of many) that shows a filtration system made of an oil drum (or a drum of equivalent size). It was a three layer system. The top layer is fine pebbles. The middle layer is sand, and the bottom layer is charcoal/ash. You simply pour water into the top and collect the purified water at the bottom.

I like the idea of your portable system, but I question the quality control. Many parasites (especially in cyst form) can survive a good boil, only to be activated later within your gut.
The chances are rare with such filtration methodology, but it is still a remote concern.

Mmmmm...good points. You mentioned iodine, where I would have first thought chlorine/bleach. If you treated the raw water with bleach, then ran it through the filter, it may kill more bad bugs in the water as well as any caught in the sand. However, the finer the sand, the smaller the stuff that gets caught, including cysts.

The big plus with the portable system is that it is very effective and with the addition of charcoal even more so. To clean the sand, just boil it as you pour off floatables; once water runs clear, boil it dry. (Dutch oven works great. ) Recharge the charcoal from any dead fire. It's not activated charcoal, but it is adsorbant none the less. Use the charcoal in a separate tube assembly or other vessel to treat water output from the sand filter. Maybe make them so they can screw together with a coupling?

I think such a simple system would be helpful in the parts of the world without clean drinking water. Send the pipes with caps and each family gets one and instructions to use it. I saw on the new WiredScience show now running on PBS a similar device that is sucked on like a straw, but they didn't mention if it was rechargeable.

Originally Posted by Friezter

Actually, my plan is to clear some trees, create a pool in the stream with river rocks, and aim my fresnel lens into the pool to create a nice, natural hot tub.

In other news, we had a forecast for rain today, and rain it did. A slight drizzle coated everything with a micrometer layer of moisture, much of which quickly evaporated. The skies are cloudy, but no go...hopefully tomorrow...

Smokin'! 1/2" in my gauge for the last 24 hrs. Here's a few clouds for you that we don't need tomorrow. >>

[Cedars]

One of my in-laws lived in a city that had recently upgraded to muni-water. He kept his well hooked up and ran his wash and all outdoor stuff (like lawn/garden watering) off this private well.

Then the drought of '88 hit. His city issued lawn watering bans, no car washing, etc.

Neighbors were calling the city on him, oh... every other day, turning him in for violating the restrictions. He would show them his private well and the hook ups and they would leave.

Eventually word got around that he had this setup. A few old neighbors stopped by and commented on how they wish they would have kept their wells and how they hadnt imagined a situation like this, etc.

Something for people to keep in mind should they find city water coming to an area near them.

[Zythryn]

Found some more info.
Not only is there the endangered species issue, but power plants downstream also need water flow AccessNorthGa.com - North Georgia's Newsroom.
No specifics so I am not sure what minimum water level is needed?

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by Cedars

One of my in-laws lived in a city that had recently upgraded to muni-water. He kept his well hooked up and ran his wash and all outdoor stuff (like lawn/garden watering) off this private well.

Then the drought of '88 hit. His city issued lawn watering bans, no car washing, etc.

Neighbors were calling the city on him, oh... every other day, turning him in for violating the restrictions. He would show them his private well and the hook ups and they would leave.

Eventually word got around that he had this setup. A few old neighbors stopped by and commented on how they wish they would have kept their wells and how they hadnt imagined a situation like this, etc.

Something for people to keep in mind should they find city water coming to an area near them.

Wells run dry too though. Ideally you should have both I guess.

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by Zythryn

Found some more info.
Not only is there the endangered species issue, but power plants downstream also need water flow AccessNorthGa.com - North Georgia's Newsroom.
No specifics so I am not sure what minimum water level is needed?

Yeah, there are several dammed lakes along the Chattahoochee River. Florida and Alabama are always grumbling over how Georgia controls the flows. The issue has been named the "Tri-state Water Wars".

I found these pictures that are quite dramatic, showing how much the lake levels have dropped.
Gallery | How low can they go? | ajc.com

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by Turtle

I think such a simple system would be helpful in the parts of the world without clean drinking water. Send the pipes with caps and each family gets one and instructions to use it.

That's not a bad idea! I wonder if there are test kits available to test the efficacy and improve the design if needed?

I saw on the new WiredScience show now running on PBS a similar device that is sucked on like a straw, but they didn't mention if it was rechargeable.

Something like this?

They mention that it uses activated charcoal. No mention is made of other ingredients, which leads me to believe that charcoal alone is responsible for the 2 micron filtering. Pretty cool!

On a drought related note, we had 3 days of good rain (about 1.5-2.0 inches). We are still at a major deficit for the year, but things are looking up.