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Our Drinking Water - Where Does It Come From? |
Let's start at the beginning. Water moves in a cycle from earth to the air then to the earth again in a process known as the "water cycle." While on the earth, water for drinking comes from two sources: surface water from streams, rivers or lakes, and groundwater from underground aquifers.Groundwater is pumped to the earth's surface from wells. The water usually requires little treatment before drinking because it was filtered through sand and rock as it settled into the earth.
Surface water, however, requires filtration to remove any silt, sand or organic matter collected by the water as it moved from one area to another. Chemicals are added to speed up the process nature uses to clean water.
In Phoenix, more than 90 percent of our water comes from the Salt, Verde or Colorado rivers. This water is made safe for drinking at one of five water treatment plants.
Colorado River water comes to Phoenix through the Central Arizona Project Canal often called the CAP. Most of Phoenix's CAP water is purified at the Union Hills Water Treatment Plant. Water from the Salt and Verde rivers is treated at the Verde, Squaw Peak, Deer Valley and Val Vista water treatment plants. Water from the CAP also can be diverted to all but the Verde Plant.
How Water is Made Safe for Drinking
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