Municipal Water Explainer
Municipal water’s dirty little secret.
If you live in the U.S., there is a good chance that your tap water is coming from one of 52,000 municipal or community water systems. We take for granted that the water flowing from our taps is clean, but how do municipal water systems work and are they effective at delivering pure, safe water to our homes?
How municipal water systems work
In municipal water systems, water is withdrawn from the water source such as rivers, lakes, and aquifers, and treated before it gets pumped to your home. The treatment typically includes some combination of these steps: