• Whether you would like to store water in case of an emergency or you're trying to go green, you can use a wide range of water storage methods to keep your water clean and drinkable. The type of water storage you choose can depend on a variety of factors, including the area in which you live, the climate and what you're trying to accomplish by saving water.
  
  

Plastic or Glass Containers

• If you are storing water in case an emergency occurs, the best solutions are plastic or glass containers. Thick-plastic containers work best, such as food-grade polyethylene containers. According to the World Health Organization, containers with mouths and lids big enough to easily clean but small enough to discourage dipping a hand in are less likely to become contaminated with microorganisms. Although you can take water directly from the tap and store it immediately, treating a single gallon of water with 8 to 16 drops of basic chlorine bleach can discourage microorganisms from growing. Always thoroughly clean containers before storing water inside them. If storing water for an emergency situation, you should store at least 1 gallon of water per person for each day.
  
  

Tanks or Barrels

• If you have the room and want to store a larger supply of water, you can use tanks or barrels. You can purchase large metal water storage tanks that hold hundreds of gallons of water from a variety of retailers. Large storage tanks are often stored underground. Perhaps the easiest way to store water, however, is in 55 gallon polyethylene FDA-approved water storage drums. Although the drums are often difficult to move once full, they store a lot of water and are relatively easy to fit into a small space. You can also stack food and other non-combustible items on top of the barrels to save space.
  
  

Cistern

• If you want to store a large amount of rainwater, you can create a rainwater cistern. A rainwater cistern is usually built underground with a masonry tank or concrete. Typically, a cistern system will collect water from one or more places, including a roof or other high spots on the property. Water is then delivered to the cistern through pipes and collected for future use. Although cisterns can collect a lot of water, they are only effective if installed in areas which receive a lot of rain. Otherwise, your cistern may never fill with enough water to be useful.