Safe Drinking Water in Your Home

Clean and safe drinking water is essential to good health and an important part of a healthy home environment.

Understanding Minnesota’s drinking water

Minnesota’s drinking water is provided to people in their homes and where they work and play. Public water systems supply 80 percent of Minnesota’s drinking water and the remaining 20 percent provided by private wells.

Public water supplies are regulated to meet standards of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Public water supplies are regularly tested for over 100 contaminants to ensure a safe drinking water supply. For more information on public drinking water, see Drinking Water Protection.

Private well owners must protect and maintain their well and are responsible for testing their own drinking water. Unused private wells should be properly sealed.

• Owner's Guide to Wells
• Safe Drinking Water for your Baby
• Sealing Unused Wells

Maintaining water quality in the home 

Guidance for preventing waterborne germs at home

According to federal and state laws, public water utilities must provide water that meets certain quality and safety standards for drinking. But tap water is not sterile, meaning it might have germs in it. Even when the public water system is working correctly, some germs can still be in the water.

You can take steps to protect yourself and others from waterborne germs that may be inhaled, ingested, or come into contact with eyes or skin. 

• Flush your faucets and showerheads if you haven’t used them recently.
• Clean and maintain all devices that use water and follow manufacturer’s recommendations on cleaning your devices.
• Communicate with your water utility.
• Keep private water sources safe, or check with your building manager, owner, or landlord about water quality.

More information about preventing waterborne illness in your home can be found at Maintaining Water Quality in the Home.

Annual reports

• Drinking Water Protection Annual Reports

Guide for safe drinking

The guide, "Drinking Water – keeping it safe for all of us," provides information on:

• Where our drinking water comes from,
• How our health is protected by testing and treating drinking water, and
• What steps we can take to protect drinking water now and for the future.

To learn more about safe drinking water in your home, see:

• Drinking Water – keeping it safe for all of us (PDF)

Protect and conserve drinking water

Drinking water is a valuable resource that comes from rivers, lakes, and underground aquifers. We can take simple actions in our homes, yards, neighborhoods, and state to keep these waters clean and safe.

• Use water wisely and safely,
• Remove or manage possible contamination sources, and
• Plan for future generations.

Contaminants in drinking water

Drinking water can become contaminated with substances that may harm us. Some drinking water contaminants, like arsenic or manganese, are naturally occurring in the environment. Other contaminants come from products we use such as medicines, personal care products, lawn and garden products, and household cleaners. These contaminants are more likely to enter the water when we use or dispose of them incorrectly. MDH has additional guidance for unregulated contaminants to help Minnesotans better understand the safety of their drinking water.