Drinking Water Sources

The Water We Use

Clean, fresh, and safe drinking water is a hallmark of good health, and its importance cannot be overstated in our busy everyday lives.

Safe and healthy water is not flowing from the taps in your home. It takes testing to analyze the physical and molecular contents of water because some contaminants can be invisible yet harmful and you want to make sure that the water is free from anything that makes its consumption unsafe.

In the following we will discuss the various sources of the water that reaches your tap, show problems that come along with the water source and finally we will lay out the treatment applications for the different sources of drinking water.

Water that looks clear can still be contaminated

There are many sources of drinking water – are you confident in the source of yours?  

 Sources Of Drinking Water

This overview of water sources shows the features and challenges that come along with the specific source water for household usage. 

1. Bottled Water

• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ensures that bottled water meets basic quality standards for chemical composition, with bottling companies adhering to strict regulations. 
• Ingredients are listed on each bottle, with only slight variations in content allowed.
• All bottled water must contain minerals to prevent it from being corrosive.
• Distilled water, lacking minerals, is available for purchase but is not recommended for drinking.

2. City / Municipally Sourced Water

• City water sources include rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and drilled or dug wells, each presenting unique challenges related to contaminants.
• Source water is treated at large, costly water treatment facilities to ensure high-quality drinking water for the population.
• The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates public water systems and enforces strict drinking water standards.

3. Surface Water from Dug Wells, Cisterns, Lakes and Rivers, Rainwater Catchment

• Surface water sources, such as lakes, creeks, rainwater catchment, cisterns, and dug wells, can effectively supply household water in areas with ample rainfall and surface water availability.
• This water may contain environmental pollutants, agricultural herbicides, and microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and parasites (surface water pollution).

4. Aquifer Sourced Groundwater from Drilled Wells

• Groundwater is water sourced from a drilled well fed by a subterranean aquifer.
• It exists in the saturated soil and rock below the water table.
• Wells accessing groundwater can range from dozens to hundreds of feet deep.

Problems of the Different Water Sources

All highlighted water sources do have their own unique challenges which can affect the water quality at the tap.

Problems of Bottled Water:

Variable quality and contents. Environmental issues most notably from plastic bottles. - Potential source of chemical leaching from plastic (Most plastic water bottles are made of PET polyethylene terephthalate plastic. At least 150 chemicals are known to leach from PET plastic beverage bottles, including heavy metals like antimony, lead, and hormone-disruptors like BPA.)

Problems of City Water:

The water can be soft / hard / very hard, depending on the city water source - typically, there are dissolved metals like iron and manganese and minerals like calcium in water that is pulled from an aquifer (below the max. EPA allowed levels) - typically contains lots of chlorine added by the water works - can become contaminated if there are problems at the plant (Reference: Walkerton, ON 2002)

Problems of Surface Sourced Water:

This water has everything in it that comes down with the rain and is in the surface source. Surface waters are easily polluted (or contaminated) with microorganisms that cause waterborne diseases and chemicals that enter the stream from surface runoff and upstream discharges3. Further, it can contain environmental pollutants that can come with the rain, as well as bacterial organisms that are in bird droppings (eg. Cryptosporidium parvum)

Problems of Groundwater:

Ground water can contain naturally occurring minerals (hardness) and metals (arsenic fluoride) in varying concentrations.Stressors that affect ground water condition include application of pesticides and fertilizers to the land, waste from livestock and other animals, waste from landfills, mining operations, septic systems, and unintentional releases such as chemical spills or leaks from storage tanks. Groundwater sources can become contaminated with germs, such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Ground Water Contamination

All of these problems arise at the point of entry of the water into the house and are treated before use with various treatment technologies.

To know what each technology does and how it affects the water at your house, we need to take a look at the contaminants that have to be dealt with. Since many of these are chemically suspended in the water and not visible, it is necessary to analyze the chemistry of the water we drink.

Based on the above, it’s clear that each water source—whether bottled, city, surface, or groundwater—comes with its own set of challenges, from chemical contaminants and heavy metals to microorganisms and pollutants. These issues can significantly affect water quality and safety at the tap. Since many contaminants are chemically suspended in water and not visible to the naked eye, analyzing water chemistry is essential for understanding what you’re consuming. Investing in a reliable water treatment system is crucial to address these challenges effectively, ensuring that your water is clean, safe, and tailored to meet your household’s unique needs.