Town water is any drinking water supplied to people of a town by a water department or authority.  This kind of water is piped into homes using underground pipes that run along the town streets.

Where does town water come from?

    Towns use surface water and groundwater, or they might buy some from a larger water authority.   Surface water is found in rivers, streams, and held in reservoirs.  Groundwater is taken from aquifers and underground springs using a well and pump.  Water authorities are larger water companies that have a huge amount of water and sell it to towns that need it.

     We went to visit two town water departments and found out that they handle water pretty much the same way and have the same problems.  Each was worried about water supply and contamination.  9/11 has made everyone very interested in security.  Each water department, no matter how small, has made plans in case of emergency.  Emergency sources of water have been found or made.  It was nice to see that things were being done to protect water supply.
    Towns use surface water, groundwater, purchased water or a combination of these sources.  We visited one where they used surface water held in reservoirs and they had a couple of wells, too.   We were told at one water department that they were thinking about using only wells because groundwater goes through its own filtration by seeping through the earth.  Surface water in reservoirs has things in it like animal droppings, dirt, twigs, logs, and any trash that might be thrown in it.   More filters need to be used to get rid of those things than need to be used for well water.  Well water would cost less money to make drinkable.
     When the water gets to the water department, it is filtered a couple of times.  The first time will take out the larger things like logs, tree limbs, and large fish.  The second filter will take out the smaller things that are left--including small fish that made it through the first filtration.  The picture on the left shows the first filter.  When this is done, sludge settles to the bottom and is pumped to a place that will clean it up and put it back into the river.  Check out our filter experiment by clicking here.
    When it is done being filtered, it is checked and tested.  There are special rooms for testing.  Click here to see one.  This is done often and is sent to the E.P.A. [Environmental Protection Agency], too.  Testers are looking for things that don't belong in the water so that they can take them out.  Other things like lead, THMs [chloroform], nitrates, radon, and pesticides might be in the water.  A really interesting thing that we found out is that iron comes into the water supply as a liquid.  Since filters can't take a liquid out of a liquid, they run the water through a device that rusts iron.  Rust CAN be removed from water.  Cool.
    Even though groundwater is easier to make drinkable, all water must be treated in some way.  When the tests show that something bad is in the water, it will be treated to take it out or lessen it in some way.  Most of the time, towns will add chlorine to the water because it kills bacteria.     Water goes through another filter of sand before it is sent out to the town.
    Even though towns handle water testing and need to follow strict rules by the E.P.A., people can ask their water company or water department for a municipal supply analysis.  This will tell you the amounts of different things that are in your water.  There are kits that you can buy to test your water, too. 
   

The water is treated and sent through pipes to the home.  What happens then?

     For a demonstration of how water gets to your home, click here!   On the right is a close up picture of a water meter.  Water companies use this to figure out how much water you use so that they can send you a bill. 

     We wondered about this ourselves.  When we went to a small town water facility, we were told that their water tower held about a day's water for their town.  It is like a reservoir.  They would use this in case of an emergency or if their well needed to be shut down.