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Article: Drinking-Water Treatment
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- Water:Science and Issues
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Drinking-Water Treatment
Public water systems vary in the treatment of water that is delivered to the consumer, depending on whether the system uses a
groundwater
source or a
surface-water
source. Some public water systems, primarily those that utilize groundwater wells, deliver untreated water directly to the customer's tap. Groundwater is usually less susceptible to
contamination
than surface water, and therefore requires little or no treatment.
Many large public water systems, however, draw their water from surface sources such as lakes, rivers, and streams, which are vulnerable to many types of contamination. Hence, a multiple-barrier approach to water treatment is most ...