JEPP has carefully considered the potable water needs for the Joyce Emergency Shelter and has developed strategies to this end. The Red Cross estimates that each person will need 1.1 gallons of potable water per day or 350 gallons. JEPP spent months investigating numerous systems. All were either too small to produce that much water or too expensive given our budget. After looking into how water filtration systems work, both large and small, Terry Barnett and Jim Buck decided they could build one for a fraction of the cost with the support of JEPP and the Crescent Water Association. The two came up with an innovative, low cost and effective solution. The system was later tested by the Clallam Health Department and the filtered water successfully met all standards. A second, larger until was then added.
The first three pictures shown below provide views of the second water filtration system, built by Terry Barnett, which produces 9.5 gallons/minute when running on an electrical pump. JEPP's two custom-built water trailers will be stored in the Crescent Water Association's warehouse facility going forward.
JEPP group member, Terry Barnett, demonstrates our emergency water filtration system’s design and method. In this video he walks viewers step-by-step through the process, introducing each of the system components and their functions, explaining how unfiltered water is manually pumped (at a rate of 6 gallons per minute or 300 gallons per hour) through three filters and then out to the holding tanks at the back end of the trailer. The trailer was designed and built by Terry and Jim Buck to serve the community’s needs in the aftermath of a disaster. A second, larger, system of the same design is now being built to increase JEPP’s capacity to provide clean water for drinking, cooking and sanitizing. Click the boldfaced title at right to read a "JEPP Mobile Emergency Water Supply Project," overview written by Terry Barnett and Jim Buck.
The systems’ design considerations included: It must be portable, must work perfectly every time it is used, must have 2-stage treatment, its parts must be readily available and in-expensive, it must be easy to build and maintain, it must produce a minimum of 350 gallons of treated water/day, the fire district will provide untreated water from a water tender, and the system must be manually operated as electricity will be unavailable. All of these criteria were met.
The treated water moves from the tote, through the systems’ three filters to two food grade storage and distribution containers at the back of the trailer, with spigots at the bottom.
Untreated water is pumped into a 270 gallon food grade tote, mounted on the trailer so it can be moved where needed. Source water needs to be as clear as possible to keep sediment from clogging the filters. Water in the tote is then treated with 1/4 ounces of Poolife TURBOSHOCK 78% calcium hypochlorite and allowed to sit for 60 minutes. This allows the chlorine to disinfect the water and silt to settle to the bottom (the silt is drawn off later to protect the filters).
The operator uses a hand-powered bilge pump to pump treated water from the tote through a 10 micron filter, a 1 micron filter, and an activated charcoal filter to food containers for storage and distribution. The Gusher 16 GPM hand operated bilge pump is capable of 6 to 8 GPM with comfortable operator effort.
The total cost for the construction of this first water system was $970. The project required a 270 gallon food grade tote ($270), two food grade storage barrels ($100), a Titan Gusher 16 GPM bilge pump ($118.50), a Triple Big Blue 4.5”x20” filter housing ($145), a 10 Micron filter ($16), a 1 Micron FSI/ANSI 53 or 58 SPEC filter $12), an activated charcoal filter ($24), an intake strainer with check valve ($27.50), hoses - 10’ for 1” clear vinyl and 9’ 1.5” skimmer - ($70), miscellaneous fittings, including clamps, drain cocks, nuts and bolts ($187.47), and a trailer, which was donated and refurbished.
In this image we see Terry and Jim describing the system and demonstrating its use to members of the Joyce community at a Grange Hall gathering.