Tap water

Running tap water

Description

Clean, filtered water piped directly to homes and businesses via a public utility system. Tap water is safe to drink in most developed nations. The same water is also used for flushing toilets, bathing, and washing dishes and clothes. In general, tap water is obtained from a fresh water source, then it is processed with filtering to remove sediment, and chlorination to kill bacteria. In some towns, the water is also fluoridated. In the U.S., the public drinking water standards are set by the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Synonyms and Related Terms

drining water; potable water; Trinkwasser (Deut.); eau potable (Fr.); drinkwater (Ned.);

Authority

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "drinking water quality" Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. [Accessed 28 Sept. 2005].

• Website address 1 Comment: www.hants.org.uk/museums/ofr/cmeth_t.html

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tap_water (Accessed Sept. 28, 2005)