When the Levee Breaks

[iWriteStuff]

I just found an interesting article about the condition of our water systems here in the good ole U.S. of A.:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/americ ... 2016-04-13

One brief quote:

This large-scale infrastructure, which protects communities from floods and droughts, is likely in the worst shape, according to Gene Stakhiv, an associate research scientist at Johns Hopkins University and a visiting scholar at the Army Corps of Engineers’ Institute for Water Resources. Stakhiv dubbed this issue a “union of Sisyphus and Pandora” in a 2003 journal article.

For example, though reservoirs help regulate the water supply in a variety of ways, not a single new one has been built in 25 years, population growth notwithstanding, according to Stakhiv. At D-minus, water infrastructure receives one of the lowest grades on a “report card” that the American Society of Civil Engineers gives U.S. infrastructure, with dams, drinking water and wastewater meriting solid D’s and levees and inland waterways rated worse.

But it’s not just sinks and toilets that are circling the drain: Overall, the country’s bridges, dams, energy, roads, transit and additional infrastructure categories pass (but just barely) with a D-plus.

How many folks are prepared to go without public water? If so, how long? What preparations do people have in place for a breakdown in our water supply systems? It wouldn't take much in the way of natural disasters for us all to be up a creek.

Here's one thing you might want:

http://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-S ... awyer+mini

And here's another, although I personally prefer the 55 gallon barrels...

http://www.amazon.com/WaterBrick-1833-0 ... ter+bricks

[Robin Hood]

I never knew what a levee was; as in "drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry".

[Lexew1899]

I was at Sam's Club last week and saw they had some really neat water barrels. They were designed to look like big boulders. I am not sure if it is a Summer item, or some limited time thing, but it was pretty neat.

[iWriteStuff]

I never knew what a levee was; as in "drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry".

Bit more like this:

levee.jpg (30.31 KiB) Viewed 2063 times

Apparently our system here in the states is just a ticking time bomb. Here in my glorious state, the Environmental Protection Agency had a little boo boo last year and managed to do this to one of our major river systems:

badwater.jpg (84.61 KiB) Viewed 2063 times

In Colorado this week, leading toxicologists say there could be health effects for many years from heavy metals such as mercury and lead that spilled into the water of the Animas River. Exposure to high levels of these metals can cause many health problems, including cancer and kidney disease, and also lead to developmental problems in children.
"Oh my G--! Look at the lead!" said Joseph Landolph, a toxicologist at the University of Southern California, after looking at the amount of lead in the Animas River, which was nearly 12,000 times higher than the acceptable level set by the EPA.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/13/us/colora ... mines-epa/
Oops.

I think it's safe to say that when crap hits the fan, you're on your own.

[Sandinista]

I just found an interesting article about the condition of our water systems here in the good ole U.S. of A.:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/americ ... 2016-04-13

One brief quote:

This large-scale infrastructure, which protects communities from floods and droughts, is likely in the worst shape, according to Gene Stakhiv, an associate research scientist at Johns Hopkins University and a visiting scholar at the Army Corps of Engineers’ Institute for Water Resources. Stakhiv dubbed this issue a “union of Sisyphus and Pandora” in a 2003 journal article.

For example, though reservoirs help regulate the water supply in a variety of ways, not a single new one has been built in 25 years, population growth notwithstanding, according to Stakhiv. At D-minus, water infrastructure receives one of the lowest grades on a “report card” that the American Society of Civil Engineers gives U.S. infrastructure, with dams, drinking water and wastewater meriting solid D’s and levees and inland waterways rated worse.

But it’s not just sinks and toilets that are circling the drain: Overall, the country’s bridges, dams, energy, roads, transit and additional infrastructure categories pass (but just barely) with a D-plus.

How many folks are prepared to go without public water? If so, how long? What preparations do people have in place for a breakdown in our water supply systems? It wouldn't take much in the way of natural disasters for us all to be up a creek.

Here's one thing you might want:

http://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-S ... awyer+mini

And here's another, although I personally prefer the 55 gallon barrels...

http://www.amazon.com/WaterBrick-1833-0 ... ter+bricks

Not true, at least the part about no new levees being built. I work for an international engineering firm, one of whose major customers is the4 Army Corps of Engineers. We do a huge business in building, repairing, and otherwise maintaining levees, dams, dykes, waterways, ports and harbors. In fact, in 2012 we were the "design/build" firm that completed the largest Army Corps project ever with the new levee built to protect New Orleans from another Katrina type scenario.

That said, it is true that our infrastructure, not just water infrastructure but all infrastructure, is in bad shape and maintenance of it has been put off way too long.

[iWriteStuff]

Not true, at least the part about no new levees being built. I work for an international engineering firm, one of whose major customers is the4 Army Corps of Engineers. We do a huge business in building, repairing, and otherwise maintaining levees, dams, dykes, waterways, ports and harbors. In fact, in 2012 we were the "design/build" firm that completed the largest Army Corps project ever with the new levee built to protect New Orleans from another Katrina type scenario.

That said, it is true that our infrastructure, not just water infrastructure but all infrastructure, is in bad shape and maintenance of it has been put off way too long.

I think the article was referring to no new reservoirs being built. If that's incorrect, well, that scientist guy should know better

Here was another article I found on the EPA's accident:

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... into-river

Of course, the lead and arsenic contaminated water ended up destroying mostly only the lands the Indians occupy. That being the case, they could hardly give a dam.

"They are not going to get away with this," Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye said. "The EPA was right in the middle of the disaster, and we intend to make sure the Navajo Nation recovers every dollar it spends cleaning up this mess and every dollar it loses as a result of injuries to our precious Navajo natural resources."

[Rachael]

I just found an interesting article about the condition of our water systems here in the good ole U.S. of A.:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/americ ... 2016-04-13

One brief quote:

This large-scale infrastructure, which protects communities from floods and droughts, is likely in the worst shape, according to Gene Stakhiv, an associate research scientist at Johns Hopkins University and a visiting scholar at the Army Corps of Engineers’ Institute for Water Resources. Stakhiv dubbed this issue a “union of Sisyphus and Pandora” in a 2003 journal article.

For example, though reservoirs help regulate the water supply in a variety of ways, not a single new one has been built in 25 years, population growth notwithstanding, according to Stakhiv. At D-minus, water infrastructure receives one of the lowest grades on a “report card” that the American Society of Civil Engineers gives U.S. infrastructure, with dams, drinking water and wastewater meriting solid D’s and levees and inland waterways rated worse.

But it’s not just sinks and toilets that are circling the drain: Overall, the country’s bridges, dams, energy, roads, transit and additional infrastructure categories pass (but just barely) with a D-plus.

How many folks are prepared to go without public water? If so, how long? What preparations do people have in place for a breakdown in our water supply systems? It wouldn't take much in the way of natural disasters for us all to be up a creek.

Here's one thing you might want:

http://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-S ... awyer+mini

And here's another, although I personally prefer the 55 gallon barrels...

http://www.amazon.com/WaterBrick-1833-0 ... ter+bricks

I guess buy some of those water purification tablets from Alex Jones and drink flood water?

[mirkwood]

Store your own water and have alternate treatment options.

[Teancum]

Here is a valuable resource for those who want to know how to get a clean drink of water.

You can find the drinking water collection systems described starting at page 14-52
http://free-energy-info.co.uk/Chapter14.pdf

The problem is if you need high volumes, then a group needs to chip in for one of the more complicated systems.
(such as the one starting at page 14-60).

Then there is always the fourth pahse of water:

[larsenb]

When the levee breaks . . . . . . Led Zeppelin:

[iWriteStuff]

Here is a valuable resource for those who want to know how to get a clean drink of water.

You can find the drinking water collection systems described starting at page 14-52
http://free-energy-info.co.uk/Chapter14.pdf

The problem is if you need high volumes, then a group needs to chip in for one of the more complicated systems.
(such as the one starting at page 14-60).

Then there is always the fourth pahse of water:

Thanks for that link! There were some very valuable ideas in that pdf. Got any more like it? :-B

[Teancum]

Sure, there are 20 + including the one I sent the link to here:

http://free-energy-info.co.uk/

Plus, hundreds of further links, papers, websites and videos at the bottom of the page.