Source water is untreated water from streams, rivers,
lakes, or underground aquifers which is used to supply private
wells and public drinking water.
Preventing
drinking water contamination at the source makes sense:
- good public health sense;
- good economic sense; and
- good environmental sense.
Preventing contamination of drinking water supplies is an important
mission within EPAs Office of Ground Water and Drinking
Water.
This site has basic information about the water used for drinking
water and the federal, state, and local programs that assess and
manage potential public health risks, including a Web
Guide - an annotated guide to EPA source water resources.
Please see our Site Map for
a complete list of topics. Source Water Features, found at the
bottom of this page, highlights recent additions to the site.
We are currently revising and updating this site and your
input will be helpful. Please send comments and suggestions to
hall.beth@epa.gov. Thank
you!