Public water systems (PWSs), or water utilities, are responsible for treating and delivering millions of gallons of clean, safe drinking water to customers every day. This process begins with surface water and/or ground water traveling through pipes or canals to a water treatment facility, where it is typically stored prior to entering a variety of physical, biological and chemical treatment trains.

Finished treated water is then disinfected and distributed through a network of hundreds or thousands of miles of pipes, tanks, pumps and valves to customers as finished treated water.