When selecting drinking water treatment systems, communities can consider a variety of options including:

• Maintaining or operating a centralized drinking water treatment facility.
• Purchasing water that may be delivered from a centralized drinking water facility. 
• Installing local wells closer to residences that may be managed locally.
• Using Point-of-Use (POU) or Point-of-Entry (POE) treatment devices in homes. 

Cities and town will need to select the best option that provides both safe water for their community but also is cost-effective. For some small systems, centralized treatment may be the only option to comply with EPA federal regulations. When applying treatment options, selecting the appropriate treatment technology options depends on a variety of factors including the chemistry and turbidity of the source water.