Cups and drinking glasses clunked on the green formica table in front of us at the Café 23.  “And here’s your refill of ice water, hon.”

            “Thanks, tina,” I said.  I took a sip right away as Tina whisked away.  “Good water.  I’ve tasted water in some restaurants that tasted like it came from the bottom of a swimming pool.”

            Yeah, I know what you mean,” said Duane, with a cinnamon roll poised in his right hand.  “Makes you wonder what’s in it, doesn’t it?  It’s probably just chlorine or minerals or something, but that’s better than the water contaminated with Salmonella.  Did you guys hear about that outbreak in Colorado?”

            “Alamosa, Colorado,” Survival Sam said as he put down his toast.  “Over 200 people were sickened, and everyone was told not to use or drink tap water, even if they boiled it.  Officials don’t know how the water was contaminated.”

            “What are people supposed to do for water,” I asked.

            “The governor declared an emergency and sent in the National Guard to deliver bottled water to schools, and people were told to go to designated areas to get water that’s supposed to be safe.”  Sam sipped his coffee.  “It could take weeks to completely flush out the water system.”

            “That doesn’t sound like any fun at all,” said Duane.

            “Isn’t Salmonella usually associated with food poisoning?” I asked.  “That wouldn’t be any fun for sure.”

            “Right.”  Sam chewed his scrambled eggs a bit.  “Salmonella is the second most common food borne illness.  It’s a bacteria that causes diarrhea and fever within 6 to 72 hours after a person ingests contaminated food or water.  It can leave a person weak and feeling lousy for several days.  Some people die from it.”

            “Not good.  This Colorado outbreak sounds to me like a good reason to have a water purifier,” said Duane.

            Sam’s face brightened.  “Exactly, Duane.  If I were in such a situation, it would be quite liberating to have a Big Berkey water filter and not live in fear or have to be beholden to the government for my drinking water.  The thought had crossed my mind that somebody’s doing a trial run to see how people will respond under martial law or some other crisis where the water supply would be cut off.”

            “Don’t we have enough trouble with water supplies during natural disasters, like Katrina?” Duane asked.

            “Yes, but a national emergency wouldn’t be as disruptive for most of us.  A declaration of martial law would enslave people right where they are while maintaining some semblance of normality.  In any case, having water is absolutely essential, and I’d want a Berkey on hand.””

            “Oh, yeah,” I said.  “Lehman’s carries the big Berkey.  Their logo’s on my blog.”

            “The Big Berkey’s the table top filter, isn’t it?” Duane asked.

            “Yes,” said Sam.  “It’s stainless steel and operates on a simple concept.  Gravity does all the work.  Pour raw water in the top chamber and draw off clean water from the lower chamber.  It uses special ceramic elements that contain carbon media to remove bacteria and reduce chemicals, rust, sediment, and bad tastes and odors.”

            “It’s one of Lehman’s best sellers,” I said.  “It’s real easy to order one, too.  Just click on the Lehman’s logo, type Berkey in the home page’s search box, and a page comes up that shows the Big Berkey and the Berkey Light.”

            Duane reached over and clinked his butter knife against my water glass.  “Getting a Berkey sounds like good insurance in case something happens to our city’s H2O.”