What is the main purpose of treating water before distribution?

The primary purpose of treating water before it is distributed is to ensure safety for public consumption. This process involves removing contaminants, pathogens, and harmful substances that can pose a risk to human health. Water treatment is essential to meet regulatory standards, protect public health, and provide clean drinking water to communities. This ensures that the water is safe from microbiological, chemical, and physical contaminants that could lead to waterborne diseases or other health issues.

While improving taste, increasing supply, and maintaining pressure are also important considerations in water treatment and distribution, they are not the primary focus. Improving taste can contribute to consumer satisfaction and encourage water consumption, but it does not address safety. Increasing supply deals with the volume of water available for distribution rather than the quality of that water. Maintaining pressure is crucial for effective distribution throughout the network but is secondary to the safety of the water being delivered. Thus, prioritizing safety ensures that all other aspects of water treatment and distribution can be effectively managed.