ABSTRACT
Water is essential to sustain an animal's physiological and biochemical processes, and therefore necessary to sustain life. Water can be found within all tissues and cells and is the intracellular and extracellular medium where physiologic processes are carried out. Domestic water supplies originate from either surface water or groundwater. Surface water originates from streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Groundwater originates from surface water, which penetrates the earth's crust, is collected in aquifers, and is accessed through community water system wells. Drinking water providers treat source water in a variety of ways to produce a potable product before distribution through the municipal supply. Although the potable product delivered to research facilities may be of sufficient quality for human consumption, it may not be of adequate quality for laboratory animal consumption. The number and type of filters to use is dependent on the volume of water to be treated, whether water must be filtered continuously or in batches, etc.
