The drinking water that is supplied to our homes comes from either surface water or ground water. Surface water collects in streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Ground water is water located below the ground and is obtained by drilling wells and pumping it to the surface.
Each source of water is not safe from contaminants and the quality varies from place to place. The presence of certain contaminants in our water can lead to health issues and infants, young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and immunocompromised persons may be especially at risk for becoming ill after drinking contaminated water.
There can be many sources of contamination of our water systems. Here is a list of the most common sources of contaminants found in drinking water:
