From source water to tap
Five steps. Knowing them makes every report page easier to read.
Source water
lake, river, or groundwater
Treatment
filtered and disinfected
Distribution
public water mains
Building plumbing
pipes inside the building
Your tap
what you actually drink
The five steps
- Source — lake, river, or groundwater. Not yet drinking water.
- Treatment — plant cleans and disinfects. Many public tests sit here.
- Town pipes — mains under the street to buildings.
- Building pipes — service line, indoor plumbing, fixtures. Owned by the property — public system records usually do not cover them.
- Your tap — what you drink reflects every step, including the building.
Why this matters here
Pages on this site mostly describe the treatment and town-pipe steps. A clean public file can still serve an older building. One flagged result does not mean every tap in town was affected.
Source water is not the same as tap water. Treatment exists to change it.