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General Information on Drinking Water

A drinking water system provides water for human consumption through pipes or other constructed conveyances. A drinking water system is a Public Water System (PWS) if it has at least 15 service connections or regularly serves an average of 25 or more people for at least 60 days per year.

A PWS can be one of three types:

  • Community Water System – Serves at least 15 service connections or 25 people year-round in their primary residences (e.g., cities, towns, apartment complexes, and mobile home parks with their own water supplies).
  • Nontransient Non-community Water System (NTNCWS) – Serves at least 25 of the same people over 6 months per year (e.g., schools, churches, factories, and hospitals that have their own water supplies).
  • Transient Non-community Water System (TNCWS) – Serves an average of at least 25 people, but not necessarily the same people, over 6 months per year (e.g., campgrounds, rest stops, and gas stations that have their own water supplies).

Additionally, a PWS may be a consecutive system if it receives some or all of its finished water from one or more wholesale systems. Delivery from a wholesale system to a consecutive connection may be through direct connection or through the distribution system of one or more consecutive systems.

Where Does Drinking Water Come From?

Approximately 95% of the state’s drinking water comes from ground water sources. The remaining 5% is supplied through surface water sources.

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Drinking Water Bureau Chief

Tyler Fortunati
Tyler.Fortunati@deq.idaho.gov
(208) 373-0140

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