A major concern for the U.S. population is our aging water infrastructure. In 2013, The American Society of Civil Engineers gave our water facilities a grade of "D" which means there is a enormous lack of confidence in its ability to perform to current standards.

Our population has continued to grow exponentially and our municipalities have added more pipes and pipelines to their systems. The ability to service more people on these old pipelines is harder to do regardless of the new pipes going in. The main infrastructure can be 15 to 95 years old or more. In some of the oldest cities in this beautiful nation, some pipelines date back to the Civil War.

Each time a line of piping is put into the ground and joined with the old piping or a repair is made, the risk of toxic material entering grows with each new breach of those pipes. Your local officials are gambling on a potential water crisis and they have to take that risk. This is a major concern for those individuals because they know that time is not their friend and it is their responsibility to deliver clean drinking water to millions of people every single day, 365 days a year with no break in delivery. Water consumption does not halt just because the water main cannot deliver it.

It is our responsibility to keep our own bodies healthy and to be aware that when a breach of the water system is known, a plan B should already have been prepared and be ready to initiate at any given time. One of the strategies used by survival experts is the inclusion of a water survival straw or water filter straw in their emergency preparedness kit or survival kit. It is also referrred to as a Bug Out Bag. Having and using a water filter straw during times of water main breaks, repairs or expansions prevent accidental consumption of impurities, chemicals and bacteria that are toxic and harmful to the body. This survival straw will become one of the most important additions to your survival kit.

The declining quality of drinking water in the U.S. has been thrust into a spiraling cyclone of decreased funding, mismanaged accounting and a general decline in oversight of repair and maintenance. When a wave of socialization allowed the federal government to take over the privatized industry of water companies, the decline started at that very moment due to mismanagement, lack of planning and lack of funding which allowed the quality of tap water to drop dramatically and the cost to rise.

If a true disaster hit the U.S. whcih affects our water supplies and sources, federal and local officials are ill-prepared to deliver clean and safe drinking water to their citizens. Many tragic recent events have shown us that we cannot depend on the FEMA for immediate help. Rule of thumb is to have three days supplies for each person in your home. A good measure is 6 gallons per person, per day (drinking/meal prep/bathing). If the ground water is somehow impacted by chemicals and oil from nearby businesses, it contaminates the water and becomes unusable. Depending on the federal government both before and after a major catastrophe is a major risk that you don't and shouldn't have to take.

There are many exciting developments in water purification techniques that will insure that you and your family have safe, available drinking water when you want it and when you need it. Prepare now for the worst and expect the best is the best policy for your survival and safety.