A hand portable water purification system includes a portable electrolytic cell (102) to increase the content of oxygen and chlorine in water to be purified. The electrolytic cell includes a housing and a set of electrodes (102). The housing provides physical support and spacing for the electrodes and protects the electrolytic cell from damage during handling and storage. The hand portable apparatus has a system control circuit (118) that converts an external source of power to a direct current (DC) voltage to energize the electrolytic cell. The combination of the electrolytic cell and the system control circuit is small enough and light enough to be carried in a person's hand. In one embodiment, the portable electrolytic cell is mounted near the bottom of a container with one-half to five gallon capacity mounted either permanently or detachably.