Water can be a difficult item to include in your food storage. It is heavy and will take up a lot of room to store. However it is an important item in your food storage and should not be overlooked. You should have a two-week supply of water on hand at all times. The recommended amount of water is a gallon per person per day. If you have pets you will want to include additional water for them as well. If you have included a large amount of dehydrated or freeze-dried food in your food storage you will need to take this into account with the amount of water that you store.
There are different containers available depending on how much water you need to store. Water is very heavy. It is approximately eight pounds per gallon, and so you will need to take this into account when you choose the proper storage method. Another factor to consider is that you will need to rotate your water supply approximately every six months to ensure safety and freshness. This is if you are using treated water (city water). If you are not you will want to find a way to treat the water you are storing.
I recommend storing three to five days worth of water in portable containers. There are boxes of water and foil packs of water available, which are fairly lightweight and easy to carry. This would be the water that you would include in your emergency preparedness kit. Do not store your water in milk jugs, these leak after about six months. Sturdy juice bottles and two-liter soda bottles will work if you clean them properly (with bleach).
The next option is to store your water in five-gallon containers, which you can purchase. It is important to purchase these brand new. You also will need to make sure they are rated for food quality standards. These are a good size because they are easy to move, and you can store them easily on a sturdy shelf. Certain containers require spigots. You will need to make sure that you purchase one at the same time if your container requires them.
The next size of water storage container is fifteen gallons. This is the largest size, which is portable. It does require two people to move it, because it weighs about 120 pounds. You could move them into a wagon or a car to move them longer distances however. For this container you may need to purchase a siphoning kit.
The next options are thirty and fifty five gallon barrels. These are not movable once they are full. Most do not come equipped with handles, even if you did want to attempt to move 240 or 440 pounds. If you choose these containers you will need to decide how you will rotate the water. Water purification chemicals are available to use, but these are recommend only up to a certain age for the water. You will also need to purchase a siphoning kit for these barrels.
Water is an essential item to store. If you do not have room to store this much water then you will need to plan on using water purification methods for your water supply. You also need to take into account the area in which you live. There are areas in the country in which water is not easy to obtain such as in a desert or a big city. Floodwater also contains higher than normal levels of contaminants and is not as safe. If the pipelines are broken due to an earthquake you might be forced to buy your water at extremely high prices.