The Krenn Hrubec West Virginia Project: Water: A basic necessity

One rarely thinks about water in town where unlimited quantities are available at the twist of a tap. Out in the undeveloped wild, however, things get very basic. We do not yet have a well. A well is one of the very first things we wish to acquire but it cannot happen until we have a road onto the area of land where the well will be drilled. Until then, every drop of this basic oxide of hydrogen has to be carried in from northern Virginia 120 miles away. We initially were doing this in 5 gallon buckets (5 at a time) but soon realized that we needed a more efficient way to get larger quantities of water to the land. I am not even talking about drinking or cooking water. Potable water can be easily obtained from local grocery stores in 1 gallon jugs for reasonable cost. Wash water is another matter. A typical shower in town can involve the use of several dozen gallons of water. When you have to bring in water in 5 gallon jugs, a shower becomes an extreme luxury. The washing of hands can be essential for maintaining healthful sanitation, however. To help bring water to the wilderness I purchased a 60 gallon tank to transport water. Showers are nevertheless a brief and frugal experience but at least we can get through about a week of use out of a single tankful.