Burning Man: 2.5 gallons of water per person per day

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - This is the last stop for Trenton Schuttler before he drives two hours to Burning Man. He’s excited about what he anticipates will happen out in the Playa after a three-year absence.

“It is going to be phenomenal. It is going to be incredible. It is going to be catastrophic,” says Trenton. “It is going to be everything of the human experience,” he says. But you need water to do it.

“Correct,” he says.

Which is why he and others headed out to Burning Man are here at Blue Dot Water. One of the few independent businesses in town who specializes in water.

Burners have three options, tap, filtered, and Alkaline. Owner Chris Gillis says two times the normal business is hard to comprehend especially when you consider it happens in approximately four to five days.

“We are the busiest we are all year long,” say Gillis

Fortunately for burners, Gillis is knowledgeable in sanitary precautions, RV water systems, and just where these heavy containers should go for the two hour trek.

“Packing your barrels on the side of the back axle will give you the best when you are working with heavy barrels of water,” he says.

Prices vary depending upon the water, and the container. For a couple the most common purchases are five-gallon jugs. For bigger groups a 55-gallon barrel--probably more than one of them is needed.

Even with all the pre-planning Gillis who looks calm on the outside is crossing his fingers. Just like the burners headed out to the Black Rock Desert, he knows he’s dealing with a finite resource.

Asked if he ever worries about running out of water?

“Yes, yes,” replies Gillis. “We are always worried about it.”

Gillis says he will continue to fulfill burner’s water orders, until those orders go down to trickle which happens around Monday afternoon.

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