Virtually every stream, lake, river and aquifer in our state of Kentucky is used as drinking water source. Protecting these source of water from contaminants is a major state's priority in protecting the health of the people of Kentucky.

Water treatment is essential to ensuring Kentuckians with clean supplies of drinking water, planning and conservation is also very important in protecting water supplies. Kentucky is fortunate to have abundant water supplies. However, the availability of clean drinking water varies widely across the state. Droughts, contamination problems, and inadequate treatment capacity have affected drinking water supplies of many communities throughout Kentucky.

Contaminants can enter water a number of ways and come from a range of sources. In Kentucky, polluted runoff washed into streams, rivers, and lakes from farmlands and coal mines is the leading cause of water pollution.