Which are important sources of surface water supplies?

Prepare for the American Water Works Water Treatment Plant Operator Test. Study with multiple choice questions, each with hints and explanations. Get ready to excel!

The main idea is that surface water supplies come from bodies that sit on the surface of the land. Among natural surface sources, rivers and lakes are the primary ones used for drinking-water systems because they provide readily accessible volumes of water that can be captured, stored, and treated. Seawater is also surface water but is saline, so it isn’t a straightforward potable source without desalination. Groundwater isn’t surface water at all, as it’s stored underground in aquifers. Desalination plants are facilities that treat seawater to make it usable, not natural surface sources. So rivers and lakes are the important natural surface water supplies.