All yall smart folks, I need a little education. I live on a salt creek near a large sound. Our drinking and irrigation water is from the municipal supply. My neighbor and I had a brilliant idea of having a well drilled on the back part of his property. Our idea was to split the cost of drilling, pump and electricity and we could use the water for irrigation and in an emergency for drinking. WELL we got a driller that said if he couldn’t find fresh water, we would owe him nothing. We didn’t owe him anything. Nothing but salty water all the way down.
I am now just a little bit worried about getting drinkable water in a disaster situation. Big question, does anyone know about are has had experience with a reverse osmosis system capable of turning salt creek water into something drinkable? If so, any idea what it would cost. I am thinking maybe something in the $1k to $2k range that make five to ten gallons per day. I am open to all suggestions.
Thanks in advance
I’m not real smart, or educated, but, we used to camp on the barrier islands, out of the, Mud Bay, North Inlet area, in the early/mid 90’s.
The Hogs, on the islands, would burrow a fresh water well, in the sand, only a couple of feet deep. All of the wildlife, including some birds, would come to the wells, for their fresh water.
I’m not sure if the Hogs dug randomly, or, they could smell the places where fresh water was near the surface?
We hit fresh water off Two Notch rd. in Columbia, after the flood, a few years back, digging footings. While I’m not sure if it was potable, fresh water was less than four feet deep, there.
You might try a different Boring Company, or, at least, a few more spots to dig?
That surface water would definitely not be safe to drink without treatment. It would contain every type of contaminant from local runoff.
Won’t get an RO system that cheap. Drinking just RO will make you sick and can kill ya.
You could make a simple distillery to make fresh water from salt water. Plenty of info on the internet.
I thought some submarines used RO for their fresh water? Maybe just not drinking water?
The problem with RO is it has no minerals. If one drinks it all the time the minerals in the body decline.
I don’t know how much or what % one has to drink to have issues. Many have a separate RO tap at the sink for coffee and other uses.
The Navy uses distillers to make water - heat it and collect the water vapor.