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Alternative options for potable drinking water ahead of Hurricane Dorian

You don't have to go to the grocery store for cases of water bottles if you have other ways of storing water around your home.

One of the hottest items on everyone’s hurricane supply list is water.

While you may be thinking of going to the store, you can get the same amount of water to drink, cook or clean from your faucet or bathtub.

It’s important to stock up, but remember that all those water bottles end up impacting our environment.

A familiar sight at grocery stores is empty shelves where there used to be water bottles.

A viewer in our First Coast Weather Watchers group reminded us: "You have water from your utility provider in your house."

As people are stocking up for the hurricane, there are some things to keep in mind.

"Our first instinct is we want water, and we're not thinking of the impact of all that plastic of those bottles we're purchasing," Jimmy Orth, executive director of the St. Johns Riverkeeper says many of those plastics are not being recycled.

Most of Florida's drinking water comes from one place.

"About 90 percent of the drinking water in Florida is coming from that Floridan aquifer, so it's all coming from the same place essentially," Orth said.

If there's little difference between what's in this bottle and what's coming out of the tap, you can be resourceful while stocking up on water.

"You'll probably have enough containers in your house to fill up as much water as you probably buy at the store," Orth said.

Reusable bottles, gallon jugs, watercoolers can be used for drinking water. Your bathtub can be filled for potable water to flush your toilets in the event of a power outage.

All can be used to fill up on water without leaving a negative impact on the environment.

"It's beneficial for our river, our environment and it'll benefit your pocketbook because you're going to save a couple of bucks," Orth said.

It is recommended you have at least three gallons of water per person in the event you lose power.

If you don't feel comfortable drinking from the tap, you can drink filtered water or buy gallon jugs at a grocery store.

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