Water is even more important to your survival than food. An adult human can go for several weeks without food but cannot do without water for more than a few days. The very first item on your Y2K survival list should be finding a secure source of good water. Adult humans normally require at least two quarts of water per day. A minimum of two additional quarts is required for food preparation and sanitation.
If you live in a rural area you probably get your water from a well. If so, Y2K will not affect your water supply unless the power grid goes down and there is no electricity to pump the water out of the ground. As of December, 1998, it is very reasonable to expect power outages in 2000 (there are no compliant power companies thus far); a complete power grid breakdown is also quite possible. If you have a deep, drilled well, it will be difficult but not impossible to pump the water out without electricity (windmills are not practical in most areas). There is a cylindrical "bucket" you can get that pulls up just like the bucket in a dug well. The cylinder is available in 3.5 in by 48 in. or 4.5 in. by 36 in. sizes, to fit 4 inch or 6 inch casings. The cylinder is attached to a rope and then lowered into the well, filled with water and pulled up. It's best to rig up some kind of pulley on a frame to make it easier to haul the water from the well. The buckets cost about $33 from Lehman's (P.O. Box 41, Kidron, Ohio 44636). The Lehman's catalog is a major resource for Y2K survival so it would be wise to get a copy as soon as possible.
Drilling A Well When most urban people think of wells, they think of a dug well, a big hole in the ground with a roof over it and a bucket on a rope that can be lowered down into the well to get the water. While there are still a few of these wells around, most wells today are drilled wells in which a narrow plastic or galvanized steel pipe is drilled into the ground. If your water table is within 20 feet, you can drill your own well by yourself or with the help of a friend or family member. You simply use a well point (a thick metal cylinder with a steel point on the end) which you drive into the ground with a sledge hammer, then add sections of pipe as you go deeper. Once you hit a good water source, you put a pitcher pump on the top of the pipe and pump out the sand until you get a good water flow. Well points and pipe are available from many hardware stores or farm supply outlets or you can get them from the Lehman's catalog.
There are undoubtedly all kinds of forbidding ordinances in your city, town or county to prevent you from drilling your own well, so be prudent in doing this. It will probably take an entire day to get the job done. If you have nosy, self-righteous neighbors who might be tempted to notify the local authorities that you are commiting the dreadful crime of attempting to become self-sufficient, pick a time when they're not home. Once the well is finished, it's not really noticeable other than the pipe and pitcher pump sticking out of the ground. If you pick an unobtrusive spot behind a large bush or in a corner by the garage, it may not be noticed at all. To avoid any possible contamination be sure to pick a spot where ground water runs off and does not pool up in a puddle.
Once the well is drilled and you have a good flow of water at the pump, you have secured the first step in Y2K survival. You don't have running water in the house and you can't take showers or flush toilets, but you do have your own personal, independent source of drinking water that is not dependent upon electricity to pump it out of the ground. You are now better prepared for Y2K survival than 95% of the people in the U.S.
Sanitation You can't drink this water without making sure it's sanitary. If you are reading this in 1998, the last "normal" year we're likely to have for quite some time, you can take a sample of your newly drilled well water to your county health department for testing. If you live in a city, take it to the neighboring county and tell them you live there. If you know someone in the county, use that person's address and you will get a report back in a few days that will tell you the condition of your water.
If you can't get the county to test your water, you will need to treat it yourself. The oldest and simplest method is to boil it for ten minutes or so, which will kill any bacteria that may be present. After boiling the water, pour it back and forth from one container to another, which will add oxygen and improve the taste. Another way to purify water is to add iodine tablets (available from various food storage companies) to it. You can also add a small amount of ordinary chlorine bleach as another option.
Emergency Water Storage What if you live in an apartment or somewhere a shallow well can't be drilled? If you cannot secure a constant and reliable Y2K survival source of water and for some reason you cannot move to a place with good water, the only option left is to start storing your own water now.
The best way to store water is in plastic 55 gallon drums such as those available from Watertanks. You can sometimes get food grade drums or other containers from beverage distributors but the taste of whatever liquid was stored in the drums previously may have leached into the plastic, and despite your best efforts at getting it out, it may sneak into your water. This won't harm your water but it may taste funny.
You will need to pick a permanent spot for the 55 gallon drums. A full drum weighs 440 lbs. so you won't be moving it around to redecorate. One option is to buy one of those metal toolsheds for the backyard and stuff it with drums of water. Another possibility is to put some drums in your attic and run a hose down to the kitchen. If you do this, remember that water is heavy; you don't want to place too great a load of weight on your house. You may want to get some smaller containers (5 to 15 gallons) for transporting the water from the drums to wherever it's needed.
If you can't do the drums, start saving empty 2 liter soft drink containers. Wash them thoroughly in hot water and allow them to dry completely before adding drinking water. Empty one gallon milk containers are not recommended because they are designed to be biodegradable and they may break down in a few months.
Water Purification Ordinary tap water should be suitable for long term storage with no purification needed. If you have doubts, try the iodine or bleach treatments mentioned above. For the best tasting water, label each container with the date you filled it and then drink it in the same order. If the container is clean, older water should be perfectly healthful but it may not taste as good as fresher water.
If you need to filter your water to remove minerals or additives, one of the best ways is with a Katadyn water filter system. You can order them online from Y2K Supplies.com. This is a good company run by good people; they also have water storage containers, freeze dried foods, Baygen radios and other Y2K survival items.
In order to have the freshest possible Y2k survival water, a good plan is to acquire as many storage containers as you can now and in the first half of 1999, but only fill a few of them before then. When you sense that Y2K things are starting to look a bit desperate (check this website; I'll be monitoring events closely), it's time to fill the containers, even if it's six months before 2000 rolls around. As you probably know, 1999 may foul up a lot of computer systems for reasons that are similar and related to Year 2000 foulups.
When things really get scary, such as on New Year's Eve, Dec. 31, 1999, take a hot shower or a nice long hot bath. Indulge yourself; enjoy the feel of hot water on your skin. I don't want to mention why you might want to do this on the final day of the 20th century. Afterwards, scrub out the tub thoroughly and fill it to the brim with clean water. Fill up all your pots and pans and all the sinks. Fill up everything you can with fresh water. After that the only thing you can do is watch Dick Clark's mirror ball drop and hope the power stays on when it hits bottom.