Water Quality - Non-treatment Options
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NON-TREATMENT OPTIONS
If treatment options are unavailable in your community
there are other non-treatment measures you can take
to prevent contamination. These non-treatment
options can be incredibly affective and only required
small adjustments within the household.
If your home or people in your community are not served by a water system and the use of dip buckets and dippers are commonly used there are a few simple adjustments that can be made to help keep your water from contamination
- Most households use a pitcher to retrieve water from the dip bucket and to use around the house where water is needed. Instead of using the pitcher for both tasks (both dipping and carrying around the house) have a designated dipper and a designated pitcher. Never allow the two to interchange, this could cause contamination. By using the pitcher as both a dipper and a pitcher the water in the dip bucket becomes susceptible to whatever the pitcher has come in contact with as it moves around the house.
- Dippers should be hooked on the inside of the dip bucket (like a ladle) and should preferably be made out of metal or HDPE.
- The dip bucket lid should be securely fastened when not in use (at home and in transport before and after being refilled). This prevents harmful contaminants from entering the dip bucket in transit and at home, as well as prevents the chlorine treated water from off gassing.
- Wash out containers between refills and disinfect them by wiping them out with a clean cloth or rag soaked in bleach (1 bleach container cap full of bleach in a gallon of water).
- If it is possible try to use food grade plastic dip buckets or barrels with valves. Non food grade plastics can release harmful compounds. (See Resources for a list of suppliers).
- Food grade plastics are made from a specific list of plastics approved by the FDA (which may include dyes and recycled plastic that have not been determined to be harmful to humans). Once a plastic container has been used to store non-food items (like detergent or paint), it can no longer be considered food grade. Plastics containers that are not food grade may leach plasticizers into food on contact. Due to the nature of plastics, they have a high affinity for fats. Plastics that come in contact with an oil-based substance will almost always be irrevocably altered and the plastic may never become truly clean once again. Contact to foods that are high in fat may cause leaching of the original oil-based substance into the food even if the plastic was originally food grade.
- Be sure to wash your hands before retrieving water from the dip bucket, and try to use the ladle without entering your hands in the water.
- Be sure the water is out of reach of children and dogs to prevent contamination.
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