check this out! this looks like something I could use if I have to use river water and not too expensive. watch the video that shows how to put it together.

://www.cheaperthandirt.com/CAMP352-1.html

Cool! I'm goona have my husband look at it. Wonder if it can take oil and corexit out?

you know what i am wondering about is this,
I live in an apt. Since I hear of warnings of solar flares or whatever, taking out the power supply for long periods of time, what happens when the water company has no power? I know they have backup generators, but how long would they work? and what would happen if they no longer worked? what I am thinking about is the toilet. It would no longer flush. and living in an apt bldg with 50 apts, all those toilets not working would make this place hell on earth...I can store water to drink, for a while anyway, but what do I do about the toilet? anyone know?

Well, for certain the water will not run without power at the water stations. The only thing I can say is to save any and all waste water for use flushing. My advice is to get one of two types of toilet: you can get one that has a seat that you put on a 5 gallon bucket which is lined by a plastic bag. The other is a chemical toilet. There are a couple of different types. They are costly however. The bucket toilet is very cheap.

The smell and the disease factor would be HUGE! Hepatitis would be a big problem. I am sure there are lots of people who will keep using them until they just run over the side, being ignorant of what else to do. This could come down through ceilings also causing disease. Many will urinate, or deficate wherever they please too. Rather unpleasant thought, but people are so ignorant. We once ran a shop under a rooming house for vagrant types, and poor folk. A couple of the guys would just pee on the floor when they were drunk, where it would run down the cracks down the walls and into our shop. Didn't stay there long...

Not a pretty prospect. But, you can do things to help yourself. Even a commode, but you still need plastic bags to empty it in. The the problem of what to do with the bags...