Public water syste
Public water system
Public Water System (PWS) (EPA): Any water system providing water for human consumption for an average of at least 25 persons per day (or 15 or more service connections) and in use for at least 60 days each year
The US Safe Drinking Water Act and derivative legislation define public water system as an entity that provides "water for human consumption through pipes or other constructed conveyances to at least 15 service connections or serves an average of at least 25 people for at least 60 days a year."]
The Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Nova Scotia also use this definition.]
Some US states (e.g. New York) have varying definitions.
Of the approximately 155,693 public water systems in the United States, 52,110 (33.5%) are community systems and 103,583 (66.5%) are noncommunity systems, including 84,744 transient systems and 18,839 nontransient systems].
According to the EPA, over 286 million Americans get their tap water from a community water system.8% of U.S. community water systems provide water to 82% of the U.S. population through large municipal water systems[