9/14    I've been thinking about earthquake preparedness in the wake of
        Katrina. Many (probably 50%) of my neighbors have swimming pools.
        Assuming that at least some of the pools do not leak or have all
        of the water sloshed out of them, is there an easy way to make
        chlorinated pool water safe to drink? Tablets?
        \_ go to costco, hoard water since you'll use it anyway
           in bottled form
        \_ Buy Brita and Pur. Sell it for $1000/each during the disaster.
           Profit.
        \_ I think if you just let it sit in the sun for a while it would
           be fine.  You have to constantly add chlorine to pool water.
           \- chlorine is an alernative to iodine for cleaning water
              when you are in the "backcountry" ... i've comsumed lots
              of chlorinated water. in fact in emergencies you can use
              chlorine bleach to disinfect water. i dont know anything
              about what goes into swimming pools, but if there is a
              problem with potability, it isnt the chlorine. i am guessing
              if you are reduced to contemplating drinking pool water,
              it will be ok to do. or you can wait by the pool and HUNT
              people to come there to drink. --psb
              \_ Yes, I know.  I have also done this.  The chlorine
                 content in your average pool is fairly high though.
                 (Well, this is less true for private pools.)  I have no
                 idea what level in dangerous though. -pp
              \- see comment about "if you are reduced to contemplating this"
                 chlorine tolerance should be pretty high for a while. i've
                 had to drink chlorine water for ~1month. with iodine there
                 are issue of long term use.
              \_ I would be concerned about the pH and the accumulating salt
                 content of the water.  The constant struggle to maintain pH
                 involves lots of acids and bases which results in a salty
                 brew.
              \_ Out of curiosity, would boiling the water help?  How
                 about collecting the resulting steam (pure water?).  Any
                 little gadgety thing we could buy at a retail store
                 to do this (short of something that looks like a chem
                 lab)?
                 \_ Boiling and gathering the steam will work, but I am
                    assuming there is limited ability to cook. Tablets
                    or a Brita-type solution would be best. Would a Brita
                    be enough to make the water safe enough to drink
                    in a pinch? I'd like to include whatever solution in
                    my earthquake kit. I know for boaters there is a
                    contraption that collects seawater and uses the sun's
                    energy to evaporate (and collect) enough to drink. No
                    idea how much that costs.
                    \_ Depending on the weather, that contraption can be
                       as easy as a hole in the ground and some saran-wrap.
        \_ Just get a MSR Miox Water purifier. Unbelievable little device
           cleans up 200 L with just two watch batteries and salt!
           \- killing microorganisms != chemical decontamination.
              these distillation approaches are not reasonable.
              you need to define what your problem is before looking for
              the right tehnology and process to solve it. if it is
              "what do i do about drinking water for 1 wk in SF after a 9.0
              earthquake for 2 people" the right answer is probably store
              water bottles.
              \_ The above purifier claims to do both. Distillation
                 *might* work depending on the chemical to be distilled.
                 Anyway, I am looking for something better than storing
                 water bottles, which can themselves be destroyed. I mean,
                 I've got 40 gallons in my water heater that might make
                 it. I'm already storing water in my garage, but I like
                 the idea of not worrying about replacing it every so
                 often. I figure there's thousands of gallons in the
                 swimming pools so why not use that?
                 \- doyou know what distillation means? ok that is my
                    last comment on this.
                    \_ I do. It appears you may not.