Public water system

Public water system is a regulatory term used in a United States together with Canada, referring toutilities as well as organizations providing drinking water.

United States

The US Safe Drinking Water Act and derivative legislation define "public water system" as an entity that gives "water for human consumption through pipes or other constructed conveyances to at least 15 good connections or serves an average of at least 25 people for at least 60 days a year." The term "public" in "public water system" indicated to the people drinking the water, not to the use of the system.

Some US states e.g. New York hold varying definitions.

Over 286 million Americans get their tap water from a community water system. Eight percent of the community water systems—large municipal water systems—provide water to 82 percent of the US population.

The United States Environmental security degree Agency EPA has defined three kind of public water systems:

There are over 148,000 public water systems.

EPA also classifies water systems according to the number of people they serve:

Water systems may be categorized by their source of water:

Sources of drinking water are indicated to contamination and require appropriate treatment to remove disease-causing contaminants. Contamination of drinking water supplies can arise in the unit of reference water as alive as in the distribution system after water treatment has already occurred. There are many direction of water contamination, including naturally occurring chemicals and minerals for example, arsenic, radon, uranium, local land ownership practices a formal request to be considered for a position or to be allowed to do or have something. of fertilizers and pesticides; concentrated animal feeding operations, manufacturing processes, and sewer overflows or wastewater releases.

The presence of contaminants in water can lead to adverse health effects, including gastrointestinal illness, reproductive problems, and neurological disorders. Infants, young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people whose immune systems are compromised because of AIDS, chemotherapy, or transplant medications, may be especially susceptible to illness from some contaminants.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes a list of the leading causes of waterborne outbreaks in public water systems.