What is the crowd's opinion of Engineering in Emergencies: A Practical Guide for Relief Workers?

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https://www.amazon.com/Engineering-Emergencies-Practical-Relief-Workers/dp/1853395218

This. Not “The Knowledge” which you’d think was what OP is looking for, but is really a history of technology not a how to.

So that’s an interesting topic. On the one hand, as engineers we like centralized water treatment systems because it becomes possible to regulate them. Point of use water treatment systems are notoriously difficult to regulate when you’re trying to make sure everybody has clean water. For example, the last city I worked in had 12 certified operators out of a population of 100,000 and each plant had to have one operator on site at all times.

I always make the comparison to medicine because you have to have a high degree of expertise and there is a lot of public health risk involved, so you can’t decentralize medicine by getting rid of hospitals and just teaching everybody how to do their own surgeries at home.

But at the same time I certainly realize people need to be able to go off the grid when they want. I like doing that too. My issue with “microgrds “is that anytime you start to serve more than three or four people there’s a lot of responsibility being taken on for the health and safety of everyone involved. In the United States for example, more than 20 people is considered a public water system and you have to go through the permitting process.

I like the idea of prepackaged water systems, but unfortunately every water source is different and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. If you’re interested in this topic then by all means continue on the engineering side, but I also recommend you take courses in microbiology, parasitology, and biochemistry. Then you can combine all of that into a research program, or maybe take some graduate level courses in water treatment once you have the prerequisites.

I would also point out that you might want to consider a graduate studying in public health. No rush to make a decision but I certainly enjoyed my masters in public health classes. Never helped me get a job or better salary but I learned a lot. :)

If you just want some books to give yourself an overview, try to get your hands on this book. It doesn’t require any special knowledge although general engineering background will help you. It’s an introductory text on water and sanitation relief work that also acts as a reference for engineers in the field.

$50 on Amazon. Of course there are probably other ways to get it.

This might interest you. It covers a ton of subjects and would prove invaluable in an environment where governmental functions and infrastructure are degraded.

https://www.amazon.com/Engineering-Emergencies-Practical-Relief-Workers/dp/1853395218