SRL THE SELF-RELIANCE LIBRARY
WATER SECURITY
STEP 1 OF 7 · SRL-WTR-001
1-PAGE FIELD SHEET
Hidden Spring Water Signs
Purpose — Stack three signs before you dig: vegetation, slope break, and trail convergence. Water found this way still needs treatment.
FIELD CHECKLIST
- Vivid green patch that outlasts surrounding dry ground
- Water-loving plants present (sedges, rushes, watercress, moss)
- Slope break or bench where rock meets soil
- Game trails converging toward the same general area
- Test hole dug at the lowest, greenest point confirms damp soil
RED FLAGS — STOP AND RECHECK
- Green patch with no slope break or convergence nearby (may be a shallow, unreliable seep)
- Standing water with no vegetation or animal sign at all (check for contamination sources upslope)
DECISION RULE
One sign is a lead. Two or more signs in the same area is worth digging.
- Assuming green means safe to drink
- Searching only at the valley floor
- Following one trail without confirming convergence
SAFETY NOTE
BEFORE YOU ACT ON THIS SHEETAny water found must be filtered and/or purified before drinking, regardless of how clean it looks or how strong the signs were.
EMERGENCY REMINDERNever drink untreated water unless the alternative is immediate, severe dehydration with no treatment method available at all.