Surface Water

Water in lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and oceans is defined as surface water. Some characteristics of surface water supplies include the following:

• They are less common, but provide water to a larger number of people than groundwater supply systems
• They are typically used in larger cities due to the volume of water available
• They are susceptible to contaminants including industrial discharges, air pollution, agricultural runoff, petroleum releases, and bacteria that exist naturally in the environment
• They must meet stricter monitoring and treatment requirements due to these potential contaminants