How safe the drinking water is that your small water system provides and how much it will cost is highly dependent on the quality of your source water. That quality will be effected by everything that contributes to your water source – rain, snow, streams, rivers, lakes, aquifers, geology, vegetation, drought, precipitation, and human activity. 

This section will help you understand how these factors influence your source water and how the risks associated with them may effect your drinking water quality. From there, you will learn how to protect and treat the water through Source Assessment & Protection Planning.