Potable water

Potable water has sufficiently low levels of dissolved salts and microbes to be safe to drink. It may still contain small quantities of dissolved substances. Pure water, in the chemical sense, contains only H₂O and no other substance.

Potable water is safe to drink. Water from the ground or a waste-water supply may contain grit, fine suspended particles and harmful microorganisms, so it must be treated first. Potable does not mean chemically pure: drinking water may still contain some dissolved substances.

Potable water is safe for people to drink. It need not be chemically pure: small amounts of dissolved minerals may remain. Making more potable water available means choosing treatment that deals with the particular substances in each source.

Potable water is water that is safe to drink. It is not necessarily chemically pure: it may contain small quantities of harmless dissolved minerals. Treatment must remove or reduce harmful microorganisms, toxic substances, excessive dissolved salts and suspended material.