Their only water supply was polluted with dead fish and animals, apparent chemical spills and debris. What could the cast members of “The Colony” do to find drinking water? Their response was to build a cistern and pray for rain. Here are three easier, quicker ways, from survival expert Peter Kummerfeldt, to gather potable water in “The Colony” situation.

The Colony provides many teaching moments!

by Leon Pantenburg

“The Colony” is the latest reality(?) survival soap opera. The scenario is that there has been a pandemic catastrophe, and these survivors must make-do with whatever stuff they can find or salvage. The cast members are confined to a 10-acre, abandoned neighborhood.

So far, they’ve never missed an opportunity to take the long, ardous, complicated path.

My wife quit watching in disgust during the episode when a colony member was kidnapped and held for ransom.

Bekka Adams was kidnapped in one episode and ransomed for several canned food items and some gasoline.

“This is so predictable! Of course, it will be the hot chick model who gets kidnapped and traumatized,” she said. “Who is going to identify with an abducted middle-aged man who looks like he could be a Republican?”

But “The Colony” is providing a lot of teaching moments, and here is one:

What can you do to gather water in an urban  survival situation when the only water source – in this case, a drainage canal – has been badly polluted?

Here are three proven methods, suggested by survival expert Peter Kummerfeldt, that could produce drinking water quickly in “The Colony” scenario:

Water from vines: Talk about immediate gratification – I checked this technique out in Mississippi, and it works for a quick drink!

Look for vines as a source of water. Know your local flora, and test the moisture from the vines before drinking it.

Water-producing vines, varying in size from pencil thickness up to the thickness of an adult man’s forearm, can be found throughout much of the southeastern United States.

When selecting a vine as a water source, look for those with a larger diameter. The greater the thickness of the vine, Kummerfeldt says, the more water it is capable of producing. A sharp knife, or machete, will be needed to sever the tough, woody vine. Start by cutting into the vine.

Vines that exude a white latex sap, or those that produce a colored or foul smelling sap, should be avoided.

If no sap is noticed, or if the sap that is observed is clear and without aroma, remove a 24-inch inch section by severing the higher end first and then the lower end.

Once removed, the section of vine is held vertically and the water contained within it will drain into a container.

Set up transpiration Bags: This method will probably take a few hours to work. But  transpiration is an ongoing process.

Transpiration bags use the condensation principle to gather water. (Peter Kummerfeldt photo)

During transpiration, trees absorb moisture through their roots, and evaporate water through openings in their leaves. This water vapor can be collected by enclosing as much living, leafy vegetation as possible within a clear plastic bag, Kummerfeldt says, and sealing the opening shut with a cord or duct tape.

Within a short period of time, water will begin to condense on the inner surface of the bag, collect into water droplets and drain to the lowest point of the bag.

Water quantity depends on the amount of moisture in the ground, and vegetation type. Other factors affecting water production include the amount of sunlight available, (it doesn’t work at night) the clarity of the plastic bag and the length of time the process is allowed to work.

The amount of water produced in a transpiration bag will depend on many environmental factors. (Peter Kummerfeldt photo)

“It is not uncommon to find two or three cups of water, and sometimes much more, has been gathered,” Kummerfeldt said.

Dig a Well: Standing water in the polluted canal indicates that the water table is low, and could be reached by digging. If the colonists got back a good distance from the canal’s edge, and dug down, they would probably hit water at about six to eight feet down. I’m guessing this, based on the apparent height of the canal bank.

The water from the well should be comparatively safe, depending, of course on the other potential pollutants that might already be in the aquifer.

“I wouldn’t call this  a disinfecting process, because a lot depends on the consistency of the soil, how polluted the canal water is, and other potential contaminants in the aquifer,” Kummerfeldt commented. “But the movement of water through some sort of matrix would probably improve the situation.”

Using Kummerfeldt’s suggestions could reduce a lot of the stress associated with gathering water, and would buy the colonists time to come up with a long term water solution.

But using common sense, and some rudimentary training before hand, would eliminate much of the stress and trial-and-error. That would mean the survival situation wouldn’t be that interesting  to watch; it wouldn’t be a good TV show without drama and bickering, and we wouldn’t get to see the personality clashes and interactions develop.

And we would never know: Is Bekka going to fall for the big, strong construction guy? Is a romance developing in the aftermath of the abduction?

Stay tuned next week!

For more related SurvivalCommonSense.com tips and stories, click on the highlighted words:

• The importance of water to survival.
• Make a practical hydration system part of your survival kit.
• Product test: the Sport Berkey Water bottle.
• Keep your water bladder storage system smelling and tasting great.
• Where to find water in the desert.