Water utilities need to have water to provide it to residents. Where does this water come from you may ask? The actual source may vary depending on the water utility. One thing is for certain though, a lot of water utilities use a combination of sources to meet the demand of their residents. These sources include ground water, surface water, purchased water, and recycled water. We will go into detail on each below.
Groundwater is water that is found underneath the surface. It filters down from rain and snow. A big portion of the population gets their water from groundwater. This is where wells come into place and how a lot of water utilities pull their water. This is also why on the news you will hear people talk about how droughts have affected our supply. We need good seasons of rain to replenish the water we are using. Good seasons ensure we do not lack supply year in and year out. Groundwater is also more reliable and significantly more cost-effective for water utilities. This is why a lot of governments are stepping in and pushing water conservation efforts. To try to take care of this source.
Surface water is essentially the opposite of groundwater. It is water that is on the surface like lakes and rivers. This water source is also susceptible to droughts. It also comes with a few more drawbacks due to people contaminating the very supply communities rely on. For this reason, surface water is more expensive to provide to communities. It goes through a much more ridged process before it could go out to communities.
Purchased water is probably what you were thinking. It is water that water utilities purchase from other water utilities. The reason this happens is because demand needs to be met. Some water utilities don’t have enough supply to provide themselves and therefore they purchase it from others that may have a higher supply of water. Also, surface water needs to be treated, which requires treatment plants which some agencies cannot afford and therefore purchase from agencies that have already treated it. This goes back to the cons of relying on surface water. It is very expensive to treat.
Recycled water is wastewater that has also been treated. This water is the water that is going down your toilet. Water utilities take this water and treat it before putting it back in the supply. Please do not be concerned. This treated water is often used more for irrigation and industrial use. The water in most cases could be safe to drink, but there is still a big negative connotation behind using it to drink. However, some of this water does get pumped back to replenish our groundwaters.