Long term water storage

[Ancient Armored Fish]

I live on the confluence of 3 rivers…the Mississippi river,the Black river and the LaCrosse river so I will have a constant water supply…To make it drinkable I will start with a 55 gallon barrel with holes and catch screen in the bottom I will fill the barrel with multiple layers of sand and activated charcoal..filtering the water 5 gallons or so at a time it should drip through the bottom through a cloth or coffey type filter into another 5 gallon bucket…from there it will be distilled at an outdoor (in my yard)distiller…from there it will be transfered to 1 of 4 500 gallon storage units in my basement…upon being dispenced from one of these it will be filtered once again before being consumed…this should insure a safe water supply for my family and me…1 question…what can I do to prevent algae buildup or scum invading the basement storage tanks?
Any tips, suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated
Thanks from Scott in La Crosse

[fritz_monroe]

Wow, that's quite a set up.  I'll watch the tread to see how you progress.

When you get the chance, please stop over at the Intro Thread and introduce yourself.

[endurance]

The simplest solution would be to add a little bleach.  Not a lot, probably a 1/4 cup would treat 500 gallons, but just enough to make the bacteria and algae spores that are in your tanks to start with unable to reproduce.  And yes, in small amounts bleach is perfectly safe for human consumption (but only a few drops per gallon).  The longer the water sits, the less noticeable the taste and smell will be and after a few months it won't even be detectable and my experience is that stuff still won't grow in it.

[microdevil45]

The simplest solution would be to add a little bleach.  Not a lot, probably a 1/4 cup would treat 500 gallons, but just enough to make the bacteria and algae spores that are in your tanks to start with unable to reproduce.  And yes, in small amounts bleach is perfectly safe for human consumption (but only a few drops per gallon).  The longer the water sits, the less noticeable the taste and smell will be and after a few months it won't even be detectable and my experience is that stuff still won't grow in it.

I agree with the bleach.

[flippydidit]

Yep, definitely bleach.  If you want to go long term disinfection (standard store bleach lasts +/- a year), I would recommend calcium hypochlorite (pool shock).  There are many online resources that explain usage and safety concerns.  To paraphrase it all:

1)  A one pound bag could treat over 10,000 gallons and costs around $4.00.
2)  Correctly stored, it will last forever.
3)  The calcium hypochlorite percentage should be 70% or more and contain no perfumes, algaecides, etc.
4)  The calcium hypochlorite is used to make bleach which is then used to disinfect drinking water.

My opinion is that it is one of the best "bang for your buck" preps.  We have it, we've used it, and we recommend it to others.  Definitely do some research on it and determine if it is the right choice for you.