boil water advisory. what do?

[bug_n_flock]

We are under a boil water advisory and have been for a day(only found out today tho). Our stores of water in the house are depleted, so we need to get more from the tap. Boiling should be fine for us, but what about the birds? IDK what to do. Bottled is not an option, as we are rained in(have been since about a week before Thanksgiving now).



News says it is from flood water overwhelming the utility company's ability to treat water to "drinking water" standards. Locals schools in 2 counties are closed, restaraunts are buying 2 liter sodas so they can continue to offer some (non boiled) drinks to customers.


They are predicting the advisory to be in effect for another 2-3 days at least.

 

[noodles123]

eek.. Well, that depends on what is in the run-off/contamination...I would boil their water for a long time and then let it sit/cool and scoop water off of the top for the birds without stirring the water up at all. If you have a pitcher filter you could pour the boiled water (once cool) through that?
If any restaurant has ice that was made pre-boil order, you might be able to use that (but who knows...could be gross too lol).

Any friends with a spare bottled water or 2? (just for the birds)

 

[bug_n_flock]

Good suggestions about letting it settle and trying to filter. I think we have one of those filter pitcher things around somewhere..


When I say rained in, I mean we cannot get off our property except by going thru the woods, thru a neighbor's property, thru a different neighbor's property(specifically thru a cow field and over the 5 strand electrified barb wire he has going around it). We have done this once in an emergency and could do again, but it is not easy, and even then our vehicle would still be trapped on this side of the creek, which may be high enough to have also flooded out the main road(2 or 3 places the road and creek criss cross right near here, and the road often is closed during high water time). Our bridge has been underwater since Tuesday night..



Eventually we will dig a well, but that also comes with issues.



We also have iodine water purification methods, but I assume this would not be good for the birds.

 

[noodles123]

yeah, that's rough. I would just boil and let things settle then. I hope it improves quickly!!

 

[Flboy]

Look up standards for using bleach! If you do use either iodine or bleach, use only glass containers!

 

[noodles123]

Look up standards for using bleach! If you do use either iodine or bleach, use only glass containers!

I would NOT use bleach in my bird's water..

 

[Jen5200]

That is rough! This is the website I checked in the summer - had water issues here for about a month. https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/emergency-disinfection-drinking-water. I think boiling is your best bet too.

Unfortunately we had high arsenic and boiling doesn’t do a thing for that. I now buy the 5 gallon sealed jugs of water and use those for us and the birds - I keep 5 jugs on hand at all times, since the last time we had no warning when our water supply went sideways.

 

[Noahs_Birds]

Think of it this way, birds in the wild never had filtered water for thousands of years, in fact, most birds in the wild drink from muddy puddles
Boil it, and thats all you need to do, but really unless there is a toxin in the water, it is not necessary
Thanks
Noah Till

 

[bug_n_flock]

It still tasted kinda funny after boiling a while and filtering, so we filtered it again and it seems better.. IDK if we should filter more than twice?



Problem is absolutely *anything* could be in the water if I understand the issue right. From my understanding untreated runoff water is mixing with treated water and being pumped thru the pipes out to well, everyone on municipal water.



Boiling would only kill microscopic organisms. It wouldn't do anything about road chemicals or dirt or whatever else might be in there.



May or may not be "abundance of caution", but I'd rather overreact than underreact to this sort of thing.

 

[noodles123]

It still tasted kinda funny after boiling a while and filtering, so we filtered it again and it seems better.. IDK if we should filter more than twice?



Problem is absolutely *anything* could be in the water if I understand the issue right. From my understanding untreated runoff water is mixing with treated water and being pumped thru the pipes out to well, everyone on municipal water.



Boiling would only kill microscopic organisms. It wouldn't do anything about road chemicals or dirt or whatever else might be in there.



May or may not be "abundance of caution", but I'd rather overreact than underreact to this sort of thing.

I agree. That was my concern as well (the potential chemicals etc). May as well filter more than 1x.

 

[Squeekmouse]

If it's raining still... maybe you could collect some rainwater and use that for the birds?

I don't have any better suggestions than the others, I'll just send all my best positive thoughts and prayers and hopes for the best. Good luck!!

 

[WakaWaka]

We've been using an under the kitchen sink water filter by Moen for years.
It has a small faucet tap that mounts to a hole in the sink.
The cartridge is MicroTech 9000
https://www.moen.com/products/AquaS...ilter_for_PureTouch_AquaSuite_quantity_1/9001
It's been great and lasts a very long time. Also has an indicator light that reminds you when it is time to change the filter.


Just a late edit:
I wanted to add that we have a portable "pump" type of filter to be used for camping, survival, etc.
I do not recall the brand but besides a good mechanical chemical filter, it doses the water fairly heavy with an iodine smell / taste.
While this type of filter may be OK for humans (without thyroid issues) it should be avoided for pets.

 

[SailBoat]

Sounds like a water source contamination problem that the town /city is reacting too. The smell is likely, they're increasing their normal chemical treatment of the water inside the treatment facility. And/or, the normal water has a sulfur content that the added treatment chemical(s) are reacting on and that will release an additional smell.

Boiling is the go-to treatment protocol when a treatment faculty has an issue with a line break or the water source itself. 99% of the time it is a bacterial agent that they are concerned with. If the problem is industrial chemical or like contamination they will issue a Do Not Drink, Do Not Use, or the worst level: Do Not Come In Contact With.

Boil the water as directed and allow it to cool. The Boiling with kill any of the bacterial agents. By allowing the water too cool on the stove, as stated above, prior to use will allow any heavy pieces to fall out of the water to the bottom. Filtering the water or pulling only off the top will avoid the common mineral contain that links together during the process of boiling and falls to the bottom or sticks to the side during cooling.

After this process, the water is safe for drinking by all members of your home.

Although my good friend recommends bleach and I also use it for marine applications. I do not recommend it for individuals who do not know the protocols for its use. As much as bleach can safely disinfect, it can just as easily kill if not used correctly. So, unless you know the protocols Do Not Use Bleach.

Side Note: The Marine World is faced with the use of questionable water when filling onboard water tanks from various Marinas. As a result, with each filling, there are numerous contamination source from the water itself, the storage tanks, the filling hoses, and the filling port to name a few. Being able to sample water and test for contain is part of each filling. Treatment becomes far more common than most people would be aware.

 

[18WheelsOfSteel]

If you have charcoal and panty hose you can make a filter that way too, alternatively for future you may be able to pick up a katadyn hand pump filter for future emergencies, mine has been a lifesaver, other mediums worth considering are sand and some rocky substrates, I'm sure a quick google search will turn up something local. Best of luck.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Very interesting thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Learned a lot; thanks.