The Boil-Water Notice Came at 6 a.m. We Had Two Cases of Water and a Newborn.
I thought we were covered. Then I did the math on what a family of five actually uses in a day. Here’s what I changed.
The text from the city came in before anyone was awake. A main had broken overnight. Boil-water notice, effective immediately, until further notice.
My wife was up with the baby. She read it, handed me the phone, and asked the obvious question: “How much water do we have?”
Two cases in the garage. Forty-eight bottles. I remember thinking that sounded like plenty.
Then I did the math
Drinking, yes. But also formula. Cooking. Brushing teeth. Washing bottles. Five people and a dog.
Those two cases were gone by lunch on the second day.
I drove to three stores. The water aisles were empty. Someone had a pallet of sparkling water, and people were buying that.
“I had a stove and a pot. I just didn’t know if boiling was enough.”
We boiled what came out of the tap. I didn’t know how long it needed to boil, whether the water heater was usable, or whether the bleach under the sink was the right kind.
The notice lifted on day four
We were fine. But I kept thinking about how quickly “plenty” had turned into rationing, and how much of those four days I had spent guessing.
An afternoon with a calculator
I wanted something that would give me a real number and tell me what to do with it. I found the Water Reserve & Purification Fieldbook, a printable PDF. That weekend my wife and I sat down with it:
- 1We found our water number. The household calculator starts at 1 gallon per person per day, then adjusts for infants, heat and the dog. Ours was a lot higher than two cases.
- 2We stored 72 hours first. Filled and dated, in food-grade containers, somewhere cool and dark.
- 3We picked a way to treat more. The bleach dosing table is now taped inside the cabinet door.
What changed
We’re at 30 days of stored water now, built up over a few months. We have a filter, we know how much bleach to use, and the Household Water Plan is on the fridge.
Last month we did the Tap-Off Drill: a weekend on stored water only. The kids kept score. We passed.
- A household calculator for people and pets, in gallons (liters) and weight
- Storage options, food-grade containers and a 12-month rotation calendar
- Boiling, a bleach dosing table, tablets, filters, UV, and a cut-out quick card
- 30 / 60 / 90-day milestones and a portable water plan
- Bonus: The 72-Hour Tap-Off Drill
Know your water number before the next notice, not during it.
Find my water number →