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Where Our Water Comes From

What's in Our Water

Water Quality Report Charts

Special Notices

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What are Contaminants?

A contaminant is a technical term for anything detected other than water. It is natural for drinking water to contain some contaminants, and San Antonio Water System is no exception. The presence of contaminants in drinking water and even bottled water does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk.

Sources for drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves the naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

What are Secondary Constituents?

Many constituents (such as calcium, sodium or iron), which are often found in drinking water, can cause taste, color and odor problems. The taste and odor constituents are called secondary constituents. These constituents are not causes for health concerns. A table with this information is presented on the Water Quality Report Charts page.