What Does Potable Water Mean?

Written by Megan Martin
Updated: August 29, 2023
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If you work in the food industry, you may have heard the term “potable water.” Even if you don’t work in a restaurant, however, you may still have heard the term in passing. However, what does potable water mean? If you’re not sure, don’t worry: you’re not alone.

This complete guide will walk you through everything you need to know about potable water, from what it is to why it is important. Ready to learn more? Let’s dive right in!

What Is Potable Water?

Potable water is any clean water safe for drinking, cooking, or even washing. With potable water, any potentially harmful contaminants or pathogens like bacteria or viruses have been filtered out. This means that it poses little to no risk to humans.

Water, Distillation, Alcohol - Drink, Scientific Experiment, Examining

Potable water is clean water that is safe for consumption.

©iStock.com/megaflopp

Where Does It Come From?

Potable water can come from a variety of different filtration and purification techniques. This can include reverse osmosis, distillation, and other techniques. It can come from any clean source that is free of contaminants, excessive heavy metals, and pathogens. 

If you drink from a private well, you’ll be surprised to learn that your water isn’t necessarily potable! This is because it’s up to you to ensure that your water is safe to drink, as the local utility authorities don’t monitor it. You can, however, reach out and learn more about how to test your water and ensure that it is potable. 

Can You Drink Non-Potable Water?

It is not safe to drink non-potable water. This is because it can carry any number of potentially dangerous contaminants, from sediment to metals to pathogens.

There is no guaranteed potable water in nature. However, in the instances of emergencies, there are some areas that it is recommended to collect water from, such as groundwater. These water sources usually have some sort of natural filtration, such as a waterfall or soil. Although these water sources may be a last resort option in an emergency, such as being stranded, they still require boiling to destroy harmful pathogens.

Because of the risks associated with drinking non-potable water, it is not recommended at all. Potable water is filtered and cleaned to make it safe and should always be the first option. 

Cascading waterfall in Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia

Drinking non-potable water is unsafe.

©iStock.com/Sean Pavone

Why Is It Important?

Potable water is important because it allows humans to meet one of our number one needs without many of the risks historically associated with unclean water. Since we’ve learned more about how to create safe water for drinking and bathing, as well as many other advancements in technology, we’ve been able to minimize the impact of disease

Threats

Although natural water is not considered potable, potable water comes from it. Much of our drinking water is actually drawn from streams, rivers, and lakes. From there, it is transported to a treatment facility, where it is filtered and purified for drinking. As a result, any threats to our natural water systems also pose a threat to our available potable water. 

One of the main threats is pollution. However, there is also the threat of climate change, which is resulting in certain bodies of water drying up. This is especially prevalent in the southwestern regions of the United States.

Marilao River

Pollution of water sources threatens the availability of potable water.

©JFVelasquez Floro / Creative Commons – License

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/megaflopp


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About the Author

Megan is a writer at A-Z Animals where her primary focus is birds, felines, and sharks. She has been researching and writing about animals for four years, and she holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with minors in biology and professional and technical writing from Wingate University, which she earned in 2022. A resident of North Carolina, Megan is an avid birdwatcher that enjoys spending time with her cats and exploring local zoological parks with her husband.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us? Contact the AZ Animals editorial team.

Sources
  1. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, Available here: https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/history.html