What is the current state of water and wastewater services in Appalachia?
Appalachian communities get their drinking water primarily from two sources. For most people the source is “community water systems” — that is, systems that provide water to the public for human consumption and serve at least twenty-five year-round residents. The technologies and the treatment systems they use vary, depending on the type and the quality of source water (surface water or groundwater) and the age and the size of the facility. Systems that treat surface water use a variety of physical and chemical processes, including sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection. Groundwater systems, which are common throughout Appalachia, employ simpler treatment systems than surface water systems do. The typical small groundwater system in a community includes wells, pumps, and facilities for disinfection but not for filtration or sedimentation. The second source of drinking water in Appalachia is the well systems of individual households. These have some similarities with community sys
