Where Does Your Drinking Water Come From?
Drinking water comes from both surface water and ground water. Surface water sources include rivers, lakes and reservoirs. Ground water is pumped from wells that are drilled into aquifers. Aquifers are geologic formations that contain water. Both surface water and ground water sources are replenished by rain and melted snow. Your water utility or public works department can tell you the source of your public drinking water supply.
Public Water Systems
The Safe Drinking Water Act defines a public water system as one that serves piped water to at least 25 persons or 15 service connections for at least 60 days per year. Water that does not come from a public water supply, and which serves only one or a few homes, is called a private supply.
There are three types of public water systems in Ohio. These are:
Community public water systems, which have at least 15 service connections used by year-round residents of the area or regularly serve 25 year-round residents. Examples of community systems are municipalities, mobile home parks, home owners associations and nursing homes. Ohio has approximately 1,300 community systems serving over 10 million people.
Non-Transient Non-Community (NTNC) public water systems, which serve at least 25 of the same persons per day for more than six months of the year. NTNC systems are typically schools, offices, hospitals, churches and factories. Ohio has approximately 930 non-transient non-community systems serving over 200,000 people.
Transient Non-Community (TNC) public water systems, which serve at least 25 persons per day for at least 60 days each year. The TNC systems typically are campgrounds, restaurants, hotels, rest areas, golf courses or large stores. Ohio has almost 3,200 transient non-community systems serving almost 500,000 people.
For maps showing the locations of the community, non-transient non-community, and transient systems in Ohio, click on the above links.
How Does Drinking Water Get to Your Faucet?
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In a typical community public water system, water is transported under pressure through a distribution network of buried pipes. Smaller pipes, called house service lines, are attached to the main water lines to bring water from the distribution network to your house.
In many community water systems, water pressure is provided by pumping water up into storage tanks that store water at higher elevations than the houses they serve. The force of gravity then "pushes" the water into your home when you turn on your tap.
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Some water suppliers use treatment processes if it's necessary to remove contaminants from the drinking water. The most commonly used processes include filtration, flocculation and sedimentation, and disinfection. If you want to know what types of treatment are used for your water supply, contact your local water supplier or public works department.
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