So, Toledo OH and the surrounding county is under a 'Do not drink, do not boil' water advisory due to microcystin from an algae bloom in the city's water source, Lake Erie.
http://www.toledonewsnow.com/story/26178506/breaking-urgent-notice
Boiling will not address the health risk. So far, there's reports of runs on bottled water in the area an as far away as Findly OH and Bowling Green OH.
http://www.13abc.com/story/26179961/rush-on-water-at-local-stores
Seeing as many of us share lake Erie specifically as a water source and many more of us get our water from the rest of the great lakes, this seemed like a pretty good case study for us to draw some "lessons learned" from as this unfolds. At the same time as this is going on, Grand Bend beach is under a E.coli advisory as well. Although water treatment is usually adequate to remove the risk of E.coli, we've seen what can happens when it fails in Walkerton.
Edit to add: reports that grocery stores are getting rid of a lot of fresh produce as well, as it gets sprayed down with tap water to keep it cool and fresh.
Just some food for thought.
Disturbing sign of the times. I never even thought about the fresh produce being sprayed by tap water. Thanks for the info MikemcG
Speaking of water shortages, I checked the US Drought Monitor today. The California drought is worsening. The impact will be felt far and wide, as the central valley is the biggest supplier of produce to North American food retailers.
When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fail, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.
-Edmund Burke, 1729 - 1797
I wonder if a berkey water filter will remove the toxin from the water....any one know?
I wonder if a berkey water filter will remove the toxin from the water....any one know?
It's technically a purifier so it should. That said, I would use my stored water first, then Berkey my rain water, then Berkey my tap water... (After boiling it...)
So how many have died from this so far? How far apart were these deaths? Hard to imagine that the whole water chain could be affected without seeing this progress somehow... did you see it progress? Is this a scare tactic or is it totally justified?... I don't know, just asking!
Where I live, they say there are areas of high mercury.(natural of course, even though used in the processing of gold 😡 ) We say, what lakes are infected and show us proof! Is there dead fish floating? If it can kill your dog, there should be dead wildlife everywhere along the shores. Is there?
Potential poisoning from a toxic algae plume is no joke. It can cause anaphylactic shock from skin contact alone. Its a problem, I believe, we will hear more and more about. It is the consequence of fertiliser run off. Dead zones in the ocean and rivers from oxygen depletion is just the start. We feed it and, so, it grows.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/a/algal_bloom.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB9ZYe6NtoE
I have a Tactical Harness and I have a Tool Belt. The Tool Belt is more Useful.
How about distilling the water ? Would that help ?
My guess is that distilling would probably work. Killing the algae wouldn't be a problem. Its removing the neurotoxin left behind that I would be unsure of. Where is chemist prepper when we need him?
I have a Tactical Harness and I have a Tool Belt. The Tool Belt is more Useful.
I just sent an email to the makers or Chemiclean. It is a product that gets red slime algae out of salt water tanks. Based on what I have read, it may work but I will know soon enough when they answer my question. I am also waiting to here back from Berkey
I'm sure if our Berkeys won't work on something like this, many of us will want to plan and prep for something that would as
water is the #1 prepping item. Please keep us informed if there is something that will work, as I see this getting worse
over the future years.
It says that boiling it only increases the concentration of the toxins but I wonder if you could distill it successfully
I just watched this pitch online several days ago, and the tech stuff sounded reasonable. The design of the still keeps sufficient splash distance from entering the finish chamber, leaving the toxins in the first chamber.
I almost went for it, as they had a reduced rate for the webinar, but i`ve got other priorities too.
Hope this link works for yàll....
http://survivalstill.com/ma-webinar-07242014/?a_aid=53c3e9cbb812a&a_bid=4615c709
I just watched this pitch online several days ago, and the tech stuff sounded reasonable. The design of the still keeps sufficient splash distance from entering the finish chamber, leaving the toxins in the first chamber.
I almost went for it, as they had a reduced rate for the webinar, but i`ve got other priorities too.
Hope this link works for yàll....
http://survivalstill.com/ma-webinar-07242014/?a_aid=53c3e9cbb812a&a_bid=4615c709
- So put a cap on your kettle, drill and hook a hose to it...and save $279.00
- do the same to your camp stove coffee purculator
- or even just the lid to one of your cooking pots
(the part where he devoted much of his life to this is a bit much because I devoted about a minute to the above)
It says that boiling it only increases the concentration of the toxins but I wonder if you could distill it successfully
Yes this question about whether distilling would work for this current water problem has already been asked, we are hoping someone will know.
Since they say that boiling water makes it worse, it is hard to know if the distilled water would also have the bad stuff in it
with this current Toledo water situation.
We would need to prep something to use in the event of a power failure , which makes the 279.00 distiller more attractive,
however one would need some sort of rocket stove to conserve your fuel source used in the rocket stove , and it also
makes it more obvious that if using such a distiller , one would need more than one cooking stove as you might be distilling
water most of the day.
This situation also makes rural properties with wells look more and more attractive.